Listening to natural sounds can lower stress, relieve perceived pain and foster a more positive disposition, according to research from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Other studies suggest that white noise could help parents get their babies to sleep, adults learn words and improve learning in environments full of distractions. And if you're looking to buy a white noise machine for yourself or your child, your iPhone can function as one, saving you money on a new device.
Read more: White Noise Versus Brown Noise: Which One Is Best for Sleep?
When Apple released iOS 15 in 2021, the operating system brought a hidden feature to your iPhone called Background Sounds. It allows you to turn your iPhone into a white noise machine, and you can play these sounds by themselves or under any podcast, music or video streaming app.
When Apple first introduced the feature, there were six ambient sounds to play on a loop: rain, stream, ocean, bright, balanced and dark noise, which are different pitches of white noise. When Apple released iOS 18 last September, it added two sounds to the feature: night and fire. And developer beta versions of the upcoming iOS 26 feature even more background sounds, like rain on roof and babble -- which sounds like a busy cafe. So instead of buying a white noise machine, save yourself some money and just use your iPhone.
Read more: Everything You Need to Know About iOS 18
Here's how to enable Background Sounds on your iPhone.
How to set up Background Sounds on your iPhone
1. Tap Settings.
2. Tap Accessibility.
3. Tap Audio & Visual.
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