How to Play Background Sounds in iOS 15 Control Center

Apple introduced a native Background Sounds feature in iOS 15 that allows users to play ambient white noise, rain, and ocean sounds directly from the Control Center without requiring third-party apps. This accessibility tool is designed to mask unwanted environmental noise to help you focus, relax, or sleep. Below is a straightforward guide on how to add the Hearing control to your Control Center, toggle ambient sounds on, and customize your listening experience.

Adding Hearing Controls to Control Center

Before you can trigger ambient noise from the Control Center, you must ensure the Hearing control shortcut is active.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone running iOS 15.
  2. Tap Control Center.
  3. Scroll down to the More Controls section.
  4. Tap the green + (plus) button next to Hearing to add it to your active controls list.

Playing Ambient Sounds from Control Center

Once added, you can start playing ambient white noise with a few taps from any screen.

  1. Open the Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen (on iPhone X or newer) or swiping up from the bottom edge (on iPhone SE or home button models).
  2. Tap the Hearing icon, which resembles an ear.
  3. Tap the Background Sounds button at the bottom of the card to turn audio on.

Changing Sounds and Adjusting Volume

iOS 15 provides six different ambient audio profiles. You can change the sound profile and its volume directly inside the Control Center:

  1. Tap the Hearing icon in Control Center.
  2. Tap the Background Sounds label (the section directly above the toggle button).
  3. Select your preferred sound:
    • Balanced Noise
    • Bright Noise
    • Dark Noise
    • Ocean
    • Rain
    • Stream
  4. Use the dedicated volume slider within the Hearing card to adjust the background noise level independently from your overall device volume.

Advanced Playback Options

To configure how Background Sounds interact with other media, navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Visual > Background Sounds. From this menu, you can configure the audio to continue playing while other media (such as music or podcasts) is playing, adjust the media mix volume, and choose whether the sounds stop or continue playing when your iPhone is locked.