Did you know you can listen to private conversations with your AirPods ?

Did you know you can listen to private conversations with your AirPods ?

Apple is known for its commitment to accessibility, and its devices come with a range of tools to make them usable by individuals with various disabilities. One of these features is Live Listen, a feature that is designed to help people with hearing difficulties, however it can also be used to listen to conversations with your AirPods.

How does Live Listen work? Apple introduced the Live Listen feature to iPhones in 2014, with its primary purpose being an accessibility feature that uses the iPhones microphone to capture ambient sounds and transmit them to listening devices, such as the AirPods. This has the function of helping individuals hear more clearly, and able to listen to both nearby conversations and those across the room. 

How to spy on people with your iPhone? However, this feature can also be used to eavesdrop on private conversations. Obviously, this is not how Apple intended this feature to be used, however in the settings, there is no explicit disclaimer stating "not to use this to spy on people". As a results uses have the flexibility to use the technology as they see fit. Given that the feature requires a connected listening device like AirPods, users can place their iPhones within Bluetooth range (approximately 30 feet) and listen to sounds captured by the device.

You are not limited to using your iPhone, which could draw attention (most people don't leave their phone's unattended), instead you could leave an iPad, as this is more commonly left behind than an iPhone. 

Here's how Live Listen works:

Compatibility: First, ensure that your iPhone and hearing aid are compatible with the Live Listen feature. Both devices need to be relatively recent models and should support Bluetooth technology.

Accessibility Settings: Enable Live Listen in the Accessibility settings on your iOS device:

  • Go to "Settings."
  • Select "Accessibility."
  • Tap on "Hearing."
  • Turn on "Hearing Devices" if it's not already on.
  • Select your hearing aid under the "MFi Hearing Devices" section.

Connect to your headphones: Make sure your headphones are paired with your iPhone via Bluetooth. 

Activate Live Listen: Once your hearing aid is connected, you can activate Live Listen:

  • Open "Control Center" on your iPhone. (For iPhone X or later, swipe down from the upper-right corner; for iPhone 8 or earlier, swipe up from the bottom of the screen.)
  • Tap the "Ear" icon. If you don't see the "Ear" icon, you can customize Control Center in the Settings app to include it.
  • Your iPhone will now pick up and transmit the sounds around it to your hearing aid.

Adjust Settings: You can adjust the volume and sensitivity of the microphone using the on-screen controls in the Live Listen feature.

Now you will be able to use the Live Listen feature for whatever purpose you see fit.