Enhancing Baby Soothing with iPhone’s Background Sounds

Dealing with a crying baby is never easy, especially when you’re sleep-deprived. Thankfully, Apple’s iPhone has a nifty feature that can help create a tranquil environment for both you and your baby. By simply using your device, you can circumvent the need for a separate white noise machine.

With the release of iOS 15 in 2021, Apple introduced a hidden gem known as Background Sounds. This feature turns your iPhone into a white noise machine, allowing you to play calming sounds either alone or while enjoying your favorite podcast or music.

Initially, Apple provided six soothing ambient sounds: rain, stream, and ocean represent nature, while bright, balanced, and dark noise offer variations of white noise. With the launch of iOS 18 in 2024, two additional sounds—night and fire—were added, improving your options. Upcoming beta versions of iOS 26 promise even more, like rain on a roof and cafe babble, enhancing your listening experience.

How to Access Background Sounds from Your Control Center

Instead of rummaging through settings each time, you can set up a quick toggle in the Control Center to access Background Sounds effortlessly.

1. Open Control Center.
2. Tap the plus (+) sign in the top left corner of your screen.
3. Select Add a Control near the bottom.
4. Choose Hearing (represented by an ear icon) to add it to your Control Center.

Once added, tap the Hearing control icon, where you’ll see three options: Speaker, Background Sounds, and Live Listen. Just tap the musical notes next to Background Sounds to activate it. For sound options and volume control, tap on the words Background Sounds.

Utilizing Accessibility Shortcuts for Background Sounds

You can also use an accessibility shortcut to enable or disable Background Sounds directly from your home screen or within any app.

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Accessibility.
3. Select Accessibility Shortcut.
4. Tap Background Sounds.

This setup allows you to activate Background Sounds by pressing the side button on your iPhone three times, making it incredibly convenient for quick use.

More Background Sound Options

For those who desire finer control over Background Sounds, follow these steps:

1. Tap Settings.
2. Navigate to Accessibility.
3. Go to Audio & Visual.
4. Select Background Sounds.

Here, you can easily turn Background Sounds on or off. Tap Sound to switch to a different sound. You’ll also find toggles for Use When Media Is Playing and Stop Sounds When Locked, giving you flexibility based on your situation.

This feature can make a significant difference in your day-to-day life, especially when soothing a baby while multitasking. As Apple continues to innovate, users can look forward to even more enhancements in future iOS updates.