Apple’s Noise app for Apple Watch has literally changed the lives of a Texas family.
Scott Bennett had run out of ideas to get his youngest son Sam to keep his voice down.
Sam, 21, is on the autism spectrum, and though he’s the epitome of a social butterfly — “People just fall in love with him,” Scott tells PEOPLE — he’s long struggled with an exceptionally loud speaking voice.
“He just never had the ability to modulate it,” says Scott, 59. “For years we’ve been struggling with this, since he started talking… and the voice level is really, really, really loud… You learn to adapt, but it’s always tough, and especially for a guy like me who thrives on silence, I got blessed with the loudest human being on the planet.”
All that has changed recently for the Frisco, Texas-based family of five thanks to a helpful discovery Scott stumbled upon while scrolling through his Apple Watch… Scott says he was updating his apps one morning when he noticed the Noise app, which measures decibel levels of its users’ surroundings, and turns a corresponding color, flashing yellow when things are loud… Excited by his discovery, he woke his son… “He immediately saw that and started using his own voice to make it work, and then immediately started talking really quietly,” he says. “I was like, you gotta be kidding me. My wife [Cristy] is not gonna believe this. I don’t believe what I’m seeing.”
MacDailyNews Take: This could change the lives of many families with members who have autism.
Apple Watch will periodically measure the sound levels throughout the day while you’re wearing your watch. This uses the microphone but does not record or save any sounds. If the average sound level over three minutes reaches or exceeds a chosen decibel threshold, your Apple Watch can notify you.
These notifications are available with watchOS 6 on Apple Watch Series 4 or later.
How to turn on Noise notifications
1. On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app.
2. Tap the My Watch tab, then tap Noise.
3. Tap Noise Threshold, then choose a decibel level.
You can also adjust notifications directly from your Apple Watch. Go to Settings > Noise.
How to turn off Noise notifications
1. On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app.
2. Tap the My Watch tab, then tap Noise.
3. Tap Noise Threshold, then tap Off.
You can also adjust notifications directly from your Apple Watch. Go to Settings > Noise.
After you set up the Noise app, you can open the app to measure sound levels around you or add a Noise complication to your watch face to view this information at a glance.
This is a wonderful article! We will give it a whirl!
Will it help you notify people when they’re chewing their food too loudly?…
I have a non-autistic son that has no volume control. He is better as he is older but we still need to remind him. Gonna have to try this.
I’m not autistic, but have had a low announcer type bass voice. In fact, I was an announcer way back in college days. My wife asks me to lower my voice many times. I will have to try this.