You can stream sound from the microphone on iPhone to your MFi hearing devices, AirPods, or supported Beats headphones. This can help you hear better in some situations, for example, when having a conversation in a noisy environment.
You can also start, stop, or jump back in on a Live Listen session from your paired Apple Watch or another nearby Apple device.
Here’s how to use iPhone as a remote microphone with Live Listen.
Note: Live Captions in Live Listen isn’t available in all languages, countries, or regions. The accuracy of Live Captions may vary and shouldn’t be relied upon in high-risk or emergency situations. To use Live Listen with your AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, Powerbeats Pro, Beats Fit Pro, or Powerbeats Fit, you need an iPhone with iOS 14.3 or later. To use Live Captions with Live Listen, you need an iPhone with iOS 26 or later.
Use iPhone as a remote microphone with Live Listen
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Do one of the following:
- If you’re using a hearing device: Wear your hearing device and make sure it’s paired to your iPhone.
- If you’re using AirPods or Beats: Wear one or both of your AirPods or wear your Beats and make sure they’re connected to your iPhone.
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To turn on Live Listen, do one of the following:
- Go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Visual > Live Listen > then tap Start Live Listen.
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Open Control Center, then tap the Live Listen button.
If you don’t see the Live Listen button, add it to Control Center.
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Open Control Center, tap the Hearing Devices button, tap your hearing device or AirPods, then tap Live Listen.
If you don’t see the Hearing Devices button, add it to Control Center.
- If you’ve set up the Accessibility Shortcut, triple-click the side button or Home button, tap Hearing Devices, then tap Live Listen.
- If you’re using hearing aids, go to Settings > Accessibility > Hearing Devices, then turn on Live Listen.
- Position iPhone near the sound source, then sounds around you will become louder.
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In Control Center, tap the Live Listen button and tap Live Listen. Then do any of the following:
- View Live Captions: View captions of the Live Listen session in real time.
- Rewind: Tap the Go Back 10 Seconds button to go back to something that may have been missed.
- Skip forward: Tap the Skip Back to Live button to go back to the live audio.
- Stop Live Listen: Tap the Live Listen switch button to stop the Live Listen session.
Control a Live Listen session with another nearby device
While you’re using Live Listen on your iPhone, you can start, stop, or jump back in on a session remotely from your paired Apple Watch or another nearby Apple device, like another iPhone or iPad, that’s signed in to the same Apple Account. As your iPhone picks up audio, the text shows up on the other device in real time, too, so you can follow along on either one.
To use Live Listen on multiple devices, start a Live Listen session, then start a session on your second device.
