Tap With CareiPhone tips in plain English

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Make your iPhone louder and easier to hear

Missing calls, or straining to hear? A few settings can make your iPhone louder and clearer.

Turn up the volume

Make the ringer louder

  1. Open Settings, then tap Sounds & Haptics.
  2. Drag the ringtone volume slider to the right.
  3. Want the side buttons to change the ringer too? Turn on Change with Buttons.
  4. Optional: tap Ringtone and pick a sound that's easier for you to hear.

Check that Silent mode is off

When Silent mode is on, your iPhone won't ring for calls.

  1. Open Settings, then tap Sounds & Haptics.
  2. Make sure Silent Mode is turned off.

Some iPhones have a small switch on the left side. Flip it toward the screen to turn Silent mode off. Newer iPhones have an Action button there instead. Press and hold it to switch Silent mode on or off.

Hear calls more easily

During a call, tap Speaker (on some iPhones it's the Audio button) to hear the other person through your iPhone's speaker.

Read what people say: Live Captions

Live Captions shows spoken words as text on your screen: during calls, videos, or even a conversation in the room.

  1. Open Settings, then tap Accessibility.
  2. Tap Live Captions, then turn on Live Captions.
  3. A captions window appears when there's sound. To caption people talking near you, tap the captions window, then tap Microphone.

Live Captions works on iPhone 11 or later, in some languages. Captions can contain mistakes, so don't rely on them in an emergency. FaceTime video calls have their own captions too. See Make a video call with FaceTime.

Use AirPods or hearing aids: Live Listen

If you use AirPods or hearing aids made for iPhone, Live Listen turns your iPhone into a microphone. Set it close to the person talking, and their voice comes through your earbuds or hearing aids.

  1. Put in your AirPods or hearing aids and make sure they're connected.
  2. Open Settings, tap Accessibility, then find Live Listen. It's under Audio & Visual, or under Hearing Devices for hearing aids.
  3. Start Live Listen, and place your iPhone near the person speaking.

Related guides

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Where these steps come from

Checked in November 2026 against the official pages below, using the newest iPhone software. Your screen may look a little different, especially on an older iPhone. The official page always has the latest steps.