How to Play Ocean Sound Masking Noise on iOS 15

Apple's iOS 15 includes a built-in accessibility feature called Background Sounds, designed to help users stay focused, calm, and minimize environmental distractions by playing continuous ambient audio. Without requiring third-party apps, this tool allows users to generate continuous masking noise—such as ocean waves—directly from the operating system. This guide explains how the system-level audio generator operates and provides step-by-step instructions to enable and customize ocean sounds through your device's accessibility settings and Control Center.

How Background Sounds Function in iOS 15

Background Sounds is integrated directly into the core audio framework of iOS 15. Because it operates at the system level rather than within a standalone media player, the continuous ocean noise can loop seamlessly without audible breaks or buffering. The feature processes audio locally once the sound files are downloaded to the device, meaning it does not require an active internet connection to function.

Additionally, iOS 15 allows this masking audio to dynamically mix with other system audio. You can listen to the ocean sound generator while playing music, watching videos, or listening to podcasts, with options to adjust the relative volume levels so the ambient noise does not overpower your primary media.

Enabling Ocean Sounds via Accessibility Settings

To configure and start the ocean sound generator through the primary settings interface, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad running iOS 15.
  2. Scroll down and select Accessibility.
  3. Under the "Hearing" section, tap Audio/Visual.
  4. Tap Background Sounds.
  5. Toggle the Background Sounds switch to the On position.
  6. Tap Sound and select Ocean from the list of options (it will automatically download if it is your first time selecting it).
  7. Return to the previous screen to set your preferred Volume level using the slider.

Customizing Playback Behavior

Within the Background Sounds menu, several toggles allow you to control how the masking noise behaves during daily use:

  • Play Media With Sound: Enable this toggle to keep the ocean waves playing alongside other audio, such as music or streaming video.
  • Volume with Media: This secondary slider determines the volume level of the ocean sound specifically when other media is active.
  • Stop Sounds When Locked: Enable this if you want the ocean noise to cease whenever your iPhone screen is turned off. Keep it disabled if you intend to use the masking noise for sleep or long focus sessions while the device is locked.

Fast Access via the Control Center

For faster activation without navigating through the Settings app every time, you can add the Hearing shortcut to your Control Center:

  1. Go to Settings > Control Center.
  2. Locate Hearing (represented by an ear icon) and tap the green plus (+) sign to add it to your included controls.
  3. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen (or up from the bottom on devices with a Home button) to open Control Center.
  4. Tap the Hearing icon.
  5. Tap Background Sounds to toggle the audio on or off, or tap the sound name to switch between Ocean and other available noise profiles.