17 Use “Live Listen” with AirPods

Live Listen is an accessibility feature in iOS 12 that lets users connect Made for iPhone hearing aids to amplify sounds using their iPhone’s microphone. It features different presets—such as “restaurant” or “outdoor”—and lets users choose different presets and volume levels for each ear.

However, it also works with Apple’s AirPods. It’s a great feature if you’re hard of hearing or just want to better hear in a noisy environment. You could also get creative. Like using it to listen to a meeting while you step out for a drink or becoming a super spy. If you have great ideas for this feature, please let us know in the comments and on social media.

To make it easy to launch Live Listen, you can add it as a Control Center control.

1. Just go to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls and find the “Hearing” control.
2. Tap the green “+” circle to add it to your controls. You can drag your controls around to change their order in Control Center.
3. Once you’ve added the control, access Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of the display (or up from the bottom-center of the display on older iPhones).
4. If your AirPods are connected you’ll be able to tap it—it’s the icon with an ear—and start amplifying sounds. You will also see a sound meter. Just position the phone near the person or sound you’re trying to hear. The sound will be amplified through your AirPods.

If you want to adjust your Live Listen settings, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > MFi > Hearing Devices. Tap your hearing device for options such as presets or volume. Presets include basic, restaurant, outdoor, and party.