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How to disable iOS 14.2 headphone sound limit?

Phat^Trance

Phat^Trance

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 9, 2009
553
47
So i noticed today after updating to ios 14.2 that when i listen to music via my headphones, iOS limit the sound by half after 15 min of listening to music.
How the hell do i disable this feature? Is really annoying!

PS: Ive tried to go here and disable it: Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Headphone Safety, but it doesnt work. It still limits the sound.

I have the iPhone 11 PRO Max on iOS 14.2
 
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I would like to know this as well. I looked around last night and apparently there is no way to disable it, this seems absolutly bonkers.
 
It’s super annoying. I understand why they do it but at least wait until the end of the song!!! Super annoying when you are really enojoying a song then just at the good bit it’s turns the volume down. I am not a child and am well aware of the risks. Let me decide.
 
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robotica said:
It’s super annoying. I understand why they do it but at least wait until the end of the song!!! Super annoying when you are really enojoying a song then just at the good bit it’s turns the volume down. I am not a child and am well aware of the risks. Let me decide.
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They don't need to do this, and we don't need to be babysat on how high we want our volume.
 
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fisherking said:
this is also being discussed on this thread: Is there a point you shouldn’t update?

and, as i mentioned there, it's off on my iphone, which is on 14.3. so probably a glitch on 14.2...
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This is now confirmed to NOT be the answer at least once the option to turn this off goes away. I am missing the option but my Wife’s identical phone (even the same color and delivered on the same day to the same address) has the option and it is off. Both phone were on 14.2.1 when the issue was noticed.
I just updated my phone to 14.3 beta 3 and the issue is still present that I cannot turn off this “feature”.
 
Rokair said:
This is now confirmed to NOT be the answer at least once the option to turn this off goes away. I am missing the option but my Wife’s identical phone (even the same color and delivered on the same day to the same address) has the option and it is off. Both phone were on 14.2.1 when the issue was noticed.
I just updated my phone to 14.3 beta 3 and the issue is still present that I cannot turn off this “feature”.
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there must be more to the issue; i can easily turn it on or off. anyway, hopefully it gets sorted out for everyone soon.

EDIT: something to do with the headphones/speakers used perhaps? altho it works here with my LG soundbar, my anker earbuds...

EDIT EDIT: in the new beta (2december), i can still turn these options on & off, just mentioning.
 
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According to people who have talked to Apple support this is the new normal and will eventually show up on all iPhones.

Judging by the looks and the wording of the "feature" in the settings, it is very much intentional ("...cannot be turned off."):
20201204_061944292_iOS.png


The thread on the Apple support forum has been gaining speed the past day - hopefully this makes more people write to Apple, because unless Apple changes its mind on this, it seems likely to stay.

Until then I consider 14.2 to have effectively destroyed the iPhone for me, given my usage. I'm only glad I noticed this before I upgraded to that 12 mini.
 
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Grey Area said:
According to people who have talked to Apple support this is the new normal and will eventually show up on all iPhones.

Judging by the looks and the wording of the "feature" in the settings, it is very much intentional ("...cannot be turned off."):
View attachment 1686373

The thread on the Apple support forum has been gaining speed the past day - hopefully this makes more people write to Apple, because unless Apple changes its mind on this, it seems likely to stay.

Until then I consider 14.2 to have effectively destroyed the iPhone for me, given my usage. I'm only glad I noticed this before I upgraded to that 12 mini.
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haha... what? according to which people, how many? i am on the current beta, and the on/off switch is there, and works. and i'm on a 12 mini.

there must be a common denominator for people with this issue; ie, are they all on apple earbuds? or...?

either way, i don't have that issue, and use earbuds, and 2 sets of speakers...

IMG_7420.PNG
 
Oh, I don't doubt that you can turn it off on your phone. There is some apparent randomness going on, or some pattern we don't know yet, and many iPhones are not affected (yet?). Regarding the talks to support people, I was just relaying what some said in the Apple forum. Does not mean it is true, I would not really be sure whether Apple's support folks necessarily know at this point.

Indeed I would expect some common denominator, but I have no clue what. Going by the self reports it can happen in all iPhones that can run 14.2, and as far as I can tell it has happened to iPhones in the US, Canada, various EU countries and Israel. For me it affects Bluetooth earphones, the car connected over Bluetooth, wired earphones over the headphone jack and wired headphones through a Lightning adapter (the latter only if I admit to the iPhone that I plugged in headphones rather than something else, so there is a workaround there for wired headphones).

Anyway, I think my screenshot shows that it is not a mere glitch, since Apple clearly spelt out their intentions there, and unfortunately it is working the way it is supposed to work according to its text.
 
Grey Area said:
Oh, I don't doubt that you can turn it off on your phone. There is some apparent randomness going on, or some pattern we don't know yet, and many iPhones are not affected (yet?). Regarding the talks to support people, I was just relaying what some said in the Apple forum. Does not mean it is true, I would not really be sure whether Apple's support folks necessarily know at this point.

Indeed I would expect some common denominator, but I have no clue what. Going by the self reports it can happen in all iPhones that can run 14.2, and as far as I can tell it has happened to iPhones in the US, Canada, various EU countries and Israel. For me it affects Bluetooth earphones, the car connected over Bluetooth, wired earphones over the headphone jack and wired headphones through a Lightning adapter (the latter only if I admit to the iPhone that I plugged in headphones rather than something else, so there is a workaround there for wired headphones).

Anyway, I think my screenshot shows that it is not a mere glitch, since Apple clearly spelt out their intentions there, and unfortunately it is working the way it is supposed to work according to its text.
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then perhaps fixed in 14.3? since i've been able to turn it on or off in the current & previous beta. anyway, the more people discuss it rationally, and post their observations, the more likely we'll find that common denominator.

or apple will just resolve it.
 
Assuming you have any of these:

  • Apple EarPods (with 3.5 mm Headphone Plug or Lightning Connector)
  • AirPods (2nd generation)
  • AirPods Pro
  • Powerbeats
  • Powerbeats Pro
  • Beats Solo Pro
You can tune your settings a little by going to Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Visual > Headphone Accommodations. Turn on Headphone Accommodations.

Go through the custom setup and choose your preferred options.

Admittedly, it can be subtle, however, using this I was able to get my AirPods Pro to the point where full volume was just painfully loud. YMMV of course but give it a go, what have you to lose.
 
I am wondering how some people have an option to turn this off. I do not. And I live in Florida.
 
I also have the setting here in Germany on 14.2.1.

Maybe for whatever random reason you need to have AirPods or Beats for that setting to appear?
 

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contacos said:
I also have the setting here in Germany on 14.2.1.

Maybe for whatever random reason you need to have AirPods or Beats for that setting to appear?
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I’ve got AirPods and I’m on 14.2.1 and don’t have the setting. My iPhone lowered the volume 3 times on a return journey in the car today. It’s not very good. However, if I could categories my car as a car... that might resolve it for me.
 
For the people in the U.S. that can't turn it off, I saw a post somewhere that said Apple support said it's a bug that will be fixed in an update.
 
I'm in the U.S. and have the 12 mini and I can turn all those settings on and off. I do have AirPods Pros as well that I use. I say if you have to turn your headphones all the way up then you might need to get your hearing checked and start to use earphones less as you are indeed damaging your hearing. If you have the volume up to max or just a tick away from max all the time then as a medical professional your hearing might be a little damaged and going bad.

If you are in loud environments I suggest noise canceling earphones and also earplugs if you have to work in such noise. This seems like a bug though.
 
maj71303 said:
I'm in the U.S. and have the 12 mini and I can turn all those settings on and off. I do have AirPods Pros as well that I use. I say if you have to turn your headphones all the way up then you might need to get your hearing checked and start to use earphones less as you are indeed damaging your hearing. If you have the volume up to max or just a tick away from max all the time then as a medical professional your hearing might be a little damaged and going bad.

If you are in loud environments I suggest noise canceling earphones and also earplugs if you have to work in such noise. This seems like a bug though.
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What about cars and Bluetooth input though. Can’t where noise cancelling headphones while driving and I’d rather use the car stereo.
 
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Super Sneb said:
Has anyone managed to downgrade to 14.1 and get the option back? This is driving me insane with the car Bluetooth...
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I don't believe iOS 14.1 is being signed at this point, so there wouldn't be a way to downgrade to that.
 
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