Complete a quick setup to train your Apple device to recognize your name and alert you when someone calls you.
Imagine you can’t hear at all, hear partially, or are in your room with headphones on. Now, if your family members, friends, or roommates say your name, you won’t be able to hear it. Thankfully, Apple’s new Name Recognition feature in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS 26 can help.
Your iPhone, iPad, or Mac’s microphone can continuously be on alert to hear your name, and as soon as it picks up someone calling your name, it will alert you on the screen with a notification.
If you have spent some time with Apple’s impressive accessibility suite, you’ll know that this new feature is an extension of the Sound Recognition tool that alerts you to doorbells, dog barking, appliances, smoke alarms, and so forth.
We’ll show you how to set up Name Recognition and how the alert appears when your name is being called. Remember to update your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to the latest version of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or macOS Tahoe 26 before proceeding.
Set up Name Recognition on iPhone, iPad, or Mac
We’re using an iPhone for these steps, but they are similar on iPad and Mac.
1) Open Settings and tap Accessibility.
2) Scroll to the Hearing sub-section and tap Sound & Name Recognition.
3) Tap Name Recognition.
4) Tap Set Up Name Recognition.
5) Hit Next on the ‘Teach iPhone to Recognize Your Name’ screen.
6) Type your name and tap Next. Now, it’s rare for people close to us, like family or roommates, to call us by our full names. So, just type the first name or nickname they call you with. Don’t worry; you can add more names (i.e., your full name or other nickname) later.
7) On the ‘iPhone Will Now Recognize your name’ screen, tap the play button to hear the generated audio. If your name’s pronunciation is correct, simply tap Continue. But if how your iPhone currently perceives your name isn’t right, tap Record Your Pronunciation, then speak your name three times.
8) Tap Done, and now your iPhone is ready to listen to your name or nickname. If you get a pop-up on whether to allow Name Recognition to send your notifications, tap Allow without fail.
9) You’ll see your name or nickname under the ‘Names’ sub-section. Ensure the Name Recognition toggle is enabled, and then exit the screen. Or, tap Add Name to add your other name or nicknames.
Here’s how this looks on a Mac running macOS Tahoe 26:
What happens next…
Your iPhone, iPad, or Mac will keep its microphone active to listen for your name. When someone says your name and your device picks it up, you’ll get a notification, as seen below. In case you’re wearing an Apple Watch and your iPhone catches your name, the alert will appear on your wrist as well.
You don’t need to repeat this setup on all devices
Once you record your custom name pronunciation on one device, it syncs via iCloud to your other devices where you use the same Apple Account. Just keep all your iPhone, iPad, and Mac connected to Wi-Fi (this may not sync over cellular data on iPhone or iPad).
Add Name Recognition to Control Center
You may want to keep this feature active at all times if you can’t hear at all or hear partially. But if you only want to use it when wearing headphones or in similar situations, add the Name Recognition toggle to your iOS or macOS Control Center so you can quickly enable or disable it, without having to go into Settings.
This feature is buggy and inconsistent…
First of all, like the Sound Recognition feature, Name Recognition should also not be relied on in high-risk or emergency situations.
Secondly, even if you keep the Name Recognition switch enabled in iOS or macOS Settings, your device may stop recognizing your name unexpectedly. Toggle its feature off and back on to make it active again.
Tip: An orange dot at the top of your iPhone or iPad screen and the orange microphone icon in your Mac’s menu bar confirm an app or service is using your device’s microphone. You’ll see these orange indicators continuously when Name Recognition is enabled and is working fine. If the dot or icon disappears, chances are Name Recognition is paused, and it won’t alert you when someone calls your name.
What do you think of this new OS 26 feature?