How to turn off Headphone Safety on iPhone
Hi, does anybody know how to turn the headphone safety setting off on the new iso update???
cheers.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
iPhone 11, iOS 14
Hi, does anybody know how to turn the headphone safety setting off on the new iso update???
cheers.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
iPhone 11, iOS 14
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]
Couldn’t agree more with scream106gti!
Particularly because the iPhone does not provide an option to distinguish between an actual headphone and another Bluetooth speaker device.
Not sure your purpose here other than to constantly bully people who are unhappy about this, seriously, if you have nothing constructive to offer why bother to keep being rude to people
So, just to clarify:
Telling a poster who seems to believe Apple is reading this forum (they are not) that a community of Apple users won't care what phone they buy in the future is "bullying?"
I’m in the US and can’t disable it either. I’m using the Bluetooth in my car and it still adjusts it.
I agree with you in the US, but certainly in France their hands are tied.
Headphone safety is not turning off my headphones, it’s turning down my car radio.
In France (or EU), the only obligation is to alert users and not tuned down volume!
doesn't fix the issue
Sadly my phone wasn’t shipped with 14.2, it is an iPhone 11, shipped with I can’t remember what, which I have upgraded through various versions to now 14.3 and can’t turn it off.
We need to let Apple know that we are unhappy and willing to vote with our feet and wallets.
What does that even mean? I’m am a user who
was trying to find a solution to a problem, and I have discovered there is no solution available, and it’s by design. Sorry if the truth offends.
There is no reason for your post to be edited or removed as you have not violated the forum Terms of Use in your post. Posts get edited or removed by forum hosts when the Terms of Use ARE violated.
That’s not true. When anyone suggests we actually do something about Apple’s inaction, like contact them, they often get their post removed for “petitioning” or campaigning.
« It’s not bug, it’s a feature! » xD
Well, surely that is a more sad type of help than what users coming here would be hoping for, i.e. a method to turn off the Headphone Safety? ;-)
How to turn off Headphone Safety on iPhone