Apple completely transforms the quality of phone calls on its iPhones

Since the iPhone 13, Apple smartphones no longer offer noise reduction options during traditional phone calls. This is back, under the name of sound insulation. But beware, it is not available on all models.

Good call quality on a smartphone is essential. But in this little game, not all phones are created equal. Apple iPhones are often known for their good quality. In January 2022, the US media published 9to5mac I was alerted to the disappearance of a practical feature on the new iPhones.

“disappearance” of noise reduction

In fact, from the iPhone 13, Apple simply removed the “noise reduction” function. A decision therefore also related to the iPhone 14. This has not been formalized by the Apple brand, except through online support. We always find traces of this function on the Apple website, but not in newer iPhones. This allowed toImproves the sound quality perceived by the iPhone owner.

Apple describes it as follows: Air pressure is used to reduce ambient background sounds so you can hear better while holding the receiver to your ear during calls in some noisy environments. Noise reduction is available and enabled by default on iPhone 12 and later, and can be disabled for your convenience ».

So it seems that this function is limited to the iPhone 12 only … unless it is now activated by default and it is impossible to deactivate it. It is also a completely possible option.

Sound insulation access for all (or almost)

Perhaps to better mitigate the pill, Apple plans to add a new feature to improve call quality. This will arrive with iOS 16.4 as ported Mac rumors And the name is attached to sound insulation. Does this tell you anything? It’s normal, it’s already in iOS…but only for VOIP calls (FaceTime, WhatsApp, etc.) and not for traditional phone calls as we’ve already noted.

A great novelty, therefore, is support for sound isolation with traditional calls on cellular networks (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.). But upon closer inspection, it doesn’t do the same thing as the “noise reduction” function at all. Here’s how Apple defines “sound isolation”:If you want to be heard clearly during a FaceTime call and other sounds are filtered out, you can activate Sound Isolation mode (available on compatible models). This mode emphasizes your voice during a FaceTime call and suppresses ambient noise..

The difference between the two jobs

So we can see a big difference: the “Noise Reduction” function filters out the ambient noise for the iPhone owner So that he can better hear his interlocutor, in order to focus on his call. On the contrary, the “Sound Isolation” function removes ambient noise from the iPhone so that is done The interlocutor at the end of the line does not hear them.

And as we can see in this video posted on the occasion of the release of iOS 15, the sound insulation function is really powerful. It completely eliminates noise from crowds, hair dryers, or loud music playing around your iPhone.

Take the case of a concert: during a call with your iPhone, the “noise reduction” function will allow the person in the concert hall to hear less noise from the music. And, on the contrary, the “Sound Isolation” function will allow the interlocutor at the other end of the line not to hear music at all at best.

List of compatible iPhones

But beware, this new functionality is not compatible with all Apple iPhone devices. A list of compatible models is available on the Apple siteand includes all smartphones from the iPhone XS of 2019 to the iPhone 14, iPhone XR, and the second generation iPhone SE.

So this new feature will arrive with iOS 16.4, currently in beta state. This will bring more new features, such as new emojis, display consumption in “always on” mode as well as web push notifications.

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