How to use the new decibel meter on Apple Watch in watchOS 6

A brand-new Noise app for Apple Watch that features a built-in decibel meter along alongside an automatic notification is 1 of the few interesting hearing wellness innovations inwards watchOS six because it helps protect people from decibel levels that may easily harm their hearing.

Noise, a novel Apple stock app for Apple Watch, was announced every bit business office of the watchOS six update which was released for developer testing next the WWDC 2019 keynote on June 3.

It’s scheduled to unloose for everyone every bit a complimentary software update inwards Fall 2019.

Why make I postulate a decibel meter on Apple Watch?

Here’s your answer, straight from Apple:

Noise tin ascension to levels that may harm your hearing without your fifty-fifty realizing it. The Noise app senses when the roar of the crowd or the rumble of mechanism reaches a score that may pose a risk. So you lot tin pace out or plug upward to give your ears a needed break.

You may shrug off Apple’s warning, thinking your hearing industrial plant perfectly.

Unfortunately, hearing loss happens thence gradually together with over longer periods of fourth dimension that you lot don’t fifty-fifty notice it until it’s besides late. And nosotros all know or should live on aware of the fact that keeping your hearing inwards skillful status is telephone commutation to maintaining your independence every bit you lot grow older.

The Noise app uses the microphone inwards your spotter to periodically mensurate racket levels throughout the day. You tin also mensurate the racket score inwards existent time, a life-saver when inwards loud environments that could easily negatively impact your hearing.

How to role the decibel meter on Apple Watch

By default, your Apple Watch volition warn you lot when your average good score over a menstruum of 3 minutes reaches or exceeds ninety decibels. When that happens, you’ll experience a gentle buzz on your wrist together with an alarm volition popular upward on the Apple Watch display.

You tin tap the notification to opened upward the Noise app together with run into to a greater extent than details.

According to findings past times the World Health Organization, experiencing ninety decibels of racket for 4 hours per calendar week negatively impacts one’s hearing.

How to cheque racket score inwards existent time

To cheque your racket score inwards existent time, make the following:

1) Press the Digital Crown to acquire to the Home screen, thence tap the Noise app icon to launch the app. You tin also pose the app inwards your Dock for quicker access or role Siri to opened upward Noise.

2) As the racket score around you lot changes, the onscreen decibel meter moves dynamically, inwards existent time. The Noise app rates the electrical flow racket score every bit either OK or Loud. To acquire to a greater extent than virtually decimal ranges, scroll downward together with tap Learn More.

If you’re inwards a structure zone together with the Noise app has warned you lot of potentially damaging racket levels, movement somewhere else every bit presently every bit possible. The same goes if you’re at a sporting event, stone concert or some other venue that produces loud noises.

You could also endeavour putting on your AirPods. Better yet, role your Powerbeats Pro or some other noise-cancelling headphones to block out some of the environmental sounds.

Your hearing tin acquire damaged quite easily past times playing your favorite music, too.

Adjusting the racket score threshold

The app defaults to notifying you lot when the electrical flow racket score reaches ninety decibels. You tin alter that threshold to your liking, but are strongly discouraged from doing so.

1) Open the Watch app on your iPhone.

2) Tap the My Watch tab.

3) Choose Noise from the list.

4) Slide the toggle Environmental Sound Measurements to the OFF position.

5) Tap the plain Noise Threshold underneath the heading Noise Notifications, thence alter the threshold from the listing of the next choices:

• Off


• 80 decibels


• 85 decibels


• 90 decibels


• 95 decibels


• 100 decibels

According to onscreen instructions, existence exposed to a racket score betwixt ninety together with 95 decibels for exactly one-half an hr per twenty-four hr menstruum tin crusade temporary hearing loss. Similarly, a hundred decibels or higher volition crusade temporary hearing loss afterwards exactly x minutes of exposure.

For quick access to the Noise app, add together its complication to your spotter face.

Apple’s hearing wellness solution inwards watchOS six also includes a complication that you lot tin pose on your spotter confront to launch the Noise app alongside a quick tap, useful for those times when you’d similar to chop-chop mensurate the score of racket inwards your electrical flow surroundings.

Analyzing racket levels

Detailed analysis is accessible through iOS 13’s Health app for iPhone that includes a novel department inwards which all of the recorded decibel levels are listed thence ability uses could gain a improve agreement of the harm these loud sounds pose inwards diverse environments.

This is where you’ll run into some expanded information non available inwards the Noise app on the watch. The Health app also lets you lot edit that data, run into when you lot received notifications virtually loud racket together with browse a history of recorded n racket levels.

But wait, what virtually privacy?

Apple doesn’t tape your audio?

The Noise app doesn’t tape or relieve your audio.

The software exactly performs on-device analysis of the environmental racket every bit heard past times the device microphone to rails the duration of your exposure. This is all performed straight on the device. No good is recorded on the device, allow lone sent to the cloud.

Apple notes that H2O or current of air tin impact the accuracy of racket levels.

It’s worth reiterating that all information from Apple Watch’s Health features is safely encrypted on-device. And if you lot enable iCloud dorsum up, information is encrypted inwards iCloud, too.

watchOS six compatibility

Like watchOS 5, the watchOS six update is compatible alongside all watches except the master Series 0 model. watchOS six runs fine on Series 1, Series 2, Series 3 together with Series 4 watches but some features may require newer hardware.

To acquire more, read Apple’s press release or see apple.com/watchos/watchos-preview.

Need help? Ask iDB!

If you lot similar this tutorial, give it along to your friends together with acquire out a comment below.

Got stuck? Not sure enough how to make sure enough things on your Apple device? Let us know via help@idownloadblog.com together with a futurity tutorial mightiness render a solution.

Submit your ain how-to suggestions via tips@idownloadblog.com.

Share this post