Learn how to use the Voice Isolation feature for your standard iPhone phone calls to filter out background sounds and make your voice clearer.
iOS can make your voice sound clearer during cellular calls by prioritizing what you’re saying and blocking out the ambient noise around you.
Until iOS 16.4, this feature was limited to VoIP calls, such as those from FaceTime and WhatsApp. But now, the background noise-blocking Voice Isolation feature also works for cellular phone calls.
While this feature won’t make cellular calls sound as clear as FaceTime ones, it’ll suppress ambient noise to make your voice stand out. You should give it a try.
Related: How to use Voice Isolation to reduce background sounds and noise in FaceTime calls on your Mac
How to reduce background sound during phone calls on iPhone
- Go to Settings > General > Software Update and make sure your iPhone is running iOS 16.4 or later.
- Make a phone call.
- Open Control Center while you’re on the call. You will see two additional tiles on the top. Tap Mic Mode.
- Select Voice Isolation and return to your call.
Your phone will now block the background sounds, and the person on the other side will hear your voice clearly.
If you ever want to return to having the default voice, follow the above steps and select Standard.
iPhone models that support Voice Isolation
A support document on Apple’s website explains that the Voice Isolation mode prioritizes your voice during a call, while minimizing the sounds of traffic, dogs barking, and other ambient noise around you. The feature requires Apple’s A12 Bionic chip or later, meaning the second-generation iPhone SE, iPhone XS, iPhone XR, and later support it.
Wide Spectrum
The opposite of Voice Isolation is Wide Spectrum. It will include all the sounds around you. So, if you’re in a park with fountains or birds and wish the person on the other side of the call to hear these, then you can choose Wide Spectrum (if available).
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