Is your iPhone listening to you? The 'live listen' setting you should check right now
Why everyone is panicking about iPhone’s 'live listen' feature — and what it actually does.
The iPhone's Live Listen feature, designed to assist individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, is often misunderstood as a covert spyware tool. However, Apple's introduction of this accessibility tool serves a different purpose entirely. Live Listen enables the iPhone to function as a remote microphone, transmitting clear audio to AirPods, Beats, or compatible hearing aids.
Its primary function is to amplify sound for those in noisy environments, such as a bustling cafe or lecture hall, rather than recording conversations for nefarious purposes.
The only legitimate privacy concern surrounding Live Listen stems from its Bluetooth range, which extends approximately 10 to 15 meters. This means a malicious individual could potentially leave an active iPhone nearby and eavesdrop from another room. To ensure this feature is entirely disabled and cannot be triggered or controlled remotely, users can easily turn it off within the iPhone's settings.
Navigate to Settings, then Accessibility, followed by Audio & Visual. Within this menu, locate Live Listen and toggle off Remote Control. This simple adjustment will prevent any unauthorized access to the feature.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Guide's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
