How to turn off Headphone Safety on iPhone

Some of us have been handed a nasty surprise from Apple after recently updating to IOS 14.2. Prior to iOS 14.2 our phones had a feature called headphone safety which notified us that the volume of our headphones was too high and lowered it back down autonomously. This feature was mandated for EU states but it was optional for everywhere else, essentially if you lived outside of Europe, you were able to turn this feature off.

Once you update your phone to iOS 14.2 there is no longer an option to disable this headphone safety feature, whether you live in the EU or outside of Europe (I live in Canada). Okay, so what’s the big deal? Well, first thing, ethically speaking, medical concerns such as hearing loss, which this feature is trying to prevent, are essentially a personal choice, which should not have any interference with a Tech company.

More importantly, the feature has been designed terribly. It cannot differentiate between Bluetooth headsets, Bluetooth speakers, and Bluetooth receivers for your car radio. We typically listen to music quite loud on Bluetooth speakers, since they are typically further away from us, however since the phone cannot differentiate between a Bluetooth speaker and Bluetooth headphones, it assumes your listening to headphones too loud and lowers the volume for you to 50%. If you higher the volume manually it will continue to lower it every 20-30 minutes. This experience becomes dangerous when driving as it forces you to either pull over or reach for your phone and fiddle with the buttons while driving, which can have dangerous consequences.

We have tried reaching out to apple, and we were met with disappointing results. The recommended help was to submit your feedback to apples feedback page: https://www.apple.com/feedback/ Upon accessing the feedback page, there isn’t even an option to report any feedback for iOS 14.2 bugs/ features.

Shockingly, posts submitted to the apple community boards/forums kept being deleted, and I was personally threatened to have my apple ID deleted and ISP blocked if I continued to raise awareness in regards to this issue. This is truly a first for Apple, in 13 years that I’ve been a customer, I never thought I would get threatened this way. So one must assume there is no help coming, no consideration, no willingness to engage in discourse by Apple in regards to this with the impacted users.

Apples mythological existence was largely propelled by the introduction of the iPod, a device that made it easy for us to enjoy music, how we wanted, where we wanted. Today, amongst so many limitations due to the global pandemic, all we really ask is to please, let us enjoy our music uninterrupted, un-convoluted, we need this right now, for some of us, music is the only thing we have left to keep us afloat.

Please allow those who are not within the EU the ability to turn this feature off; we are all conscientious adults able to manage our hearing.

This is not a smear campaign against Apple, we just want to be heard, much like we just want to hear our music.

[Edited by Moderator]

If you couldn't find it under health app, then I am surprised.

Please check under these

Try --> Settings > Music > [If not found]

Try this

Type Headphone in the search box of settings and see the option available. See the pic below

Try this:

Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Reduce Loud Sounds - If Allow is checked, change it to Don't Allow.

Then go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Headphone Safety and make the adjustment there which was missing

I have support talking to upper level support right now. I will post what they tell me. I am in the USA and do NOT have the toggle to turn off headphone safety notifications. Both my wife and I have the 512gb 12Pro Max running 14.2.

Well it was confirmed that a lot of our customers are disgruntled about the feature and my senior team as already raise the concerns but it was said that customers should also report there thoughts on the feature here as well ;

This way our engineers will have a tally of the amount of person that are dissatisfied with the feature and may the necessary changes in the new updates to come.

They said use Apple feedback so the engineers know everyone is upset. Plus that can show a case for this being a wide spread issue.

https://www.apple.com/feedback/

[Edited by Moderator]

Arguing this here on this user to user only forum is nice for debate. But debating something with users, all of whom have nothing to do with Apple, or have any ability to effect change make make you feel better, but won't accomplish anything.

Apple isn't here. Apple isn't reading these posts. Apple isn't going to respond here. I am an Apple Fan Boy for sure. In this case, while I live in the US and don't have the issues people are facing with Headphone Safety, I do see how the implementation of this leaves a bit to be desired. That said, you and everyone else needs to contact Apple and let them know the issues you're facing. Disagreeing with anyone here is a waste of time.

• You can call Apple.
• You can use the Contact Support button at the top of the page.
• You should at a minimum use this feedback link to get your message to Apple where it will actually be read --> Download iCloud photos and videos - Apple Support

Apple recently updated a Support Article on this topic. Actually, this came with iOS 14.4.

Turn headphone notifications on or off

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPod touch.
2. Tap Sounds & Haptics, then tap Headphone Safety.
3. Turn Headphone Notifications on or off.*

You can also turn on Reduce Loud Sounds to automatically lower your headphone volume when it exceeds your set decibel level.

*Due to regulations and safety standards, headphone notifications can't be turned off in certain countries or regions.

This indicates the assertion the option to turn this setting off is not correct. It does appear that in some countries and regions the setting cannot be turned off.

Did you buy your phone in a region or list your region in your phone as one which would prevent you from turning this setting off?

Read the full support article here --> Headphone notifications on your iPhone, iPod touch, or Apple Watch - Apple Support

I never heard about any Android users complaining about this. Can you point me to the relevant setting on Android with a screenshot? This is not a EU regulation. It's a WHO "recommendation". It was never enacted into law. EU restriction ALLOWS people to change their decibels from 85 to 100 if they *choose* to.

Sawyerclark21 wrote:

I’m a electrician and I need to have my music loud while connected to my job site speaker. I just bought an iPhone SE last week and this safety measure is such a pain while working on a job site. Would be great if it was an option for some people to turn this off instead of having their volume turn down every half hour.

You should tell Apple:

Product Feedback - Apple

No you are not understanding me. You can say you don't like the feature. You can ask if anyone knows how to change the feature. That's fine. Threatening to sue Apple, claiming Apple is breaking the law, campaigning to publicize this, that's what you all should be careful about doing here.

The actual purpose of this forum is for users to ask for technical support from other users. This is not a chat site. It's not a complaint site. It's a site to ask a question like "How do you turn off the headphone safety setting on iOS 14.2?" To which the answer apparently for many of you is, you can't. To which we would provide the feedback link for you to tell Apple your thoughts. This link in fact --> Feedback - iPhone - Apple

Coming and continually complaining and expressing anger at Apple however, is not the purpose of this forum. Everyone who participates here are users like you. Users who have NOTHING to do with Apple or have any influence into Apple features.

That's my point. It's more a point than a stance.

Personally, I do think if you want to destroy your eardrums with loud sounds, that should be up to you. I think if you want to smoke cigarettes and coat your lungs with tar and clog your arteries, that's also your choice. If you want to drink your liver into oblivion, your choice as well.

I publish a report on https://www.apple.com/feedback/.

I hope for a fix because it's unusable with bluetooth receivers. I didn't plan to change all my speakers for AirPlay ones...

And for information, we can't downgrade to 14.1 since Apple didn't sign this release... ahhhhhh

I do understand your point of view. For whatever reason I can turn this feature off on my iPhone 12 Pro Max. I get you're not happy with it. I don't personally listen to music so loud that I would need to be warned to turn the volume down, which is possibly why I can still turn the feature off.

I think you're missing the point. This is a user to user ONLY forum. Apple doesn't participate here. Just users. So, to keep complaining about this feature, which whether I agree or don't agree with, is simply pointless. Apple won't hear you here.

You need to complain to Apple directly. Use the feedback link --> Feedback - iPhone - Apple

Or use the Contact Support button at the top of this page

Otherwise, there is NO ONE on this forum who has anything to do with Apple, thus no one on this forum can change anything for you, no matter how many times you post your dissatisfaction here.

I know it stinks. Just another thing to do but everyone should put their thoughts on

https://www.apple.com/feedback/

not saying it helps but really what can it hurt? Eventually with enough shouting and screaming; maybe they have to glance at the issue

quattpequatt wrote:

Also, we should see about putting this in parental controls, as most of us adults already have sustained hearing damage thus far, this feature is a little too late.

Tell Apple:

Product Feedback - Apple

czito1 wrote:

iPhone should properly recognize what is headphones and what isn't. If that is not possible, then Apple should give opportunity to set it manually. I'm not using headphones with my phone at all. I connect it to amplifiers mainly, if volume on source device isn't maxed then switching to different channel is very dangerous as it will be insanely loud - somehow you need to compensate that decibels that phone is cutting out... This require immediate action from Apple.

Sounds. like an excellent thoughts to share with Apple:

Product Feedback - Apple