Safe Headphone Volume and the Phone Settings That Help

Headphones are the most common source of loud sound for many people, and the damage builds up quietly. The good news is that your phone can do most of the work for you, if you switch the right settings on. This guide shows how much listening is safe, then walks through the settings device by device.

How much listening is safe?

The World Health Organization and the International Telecommunication Union set a global standard for safe listening devices (H.870). It treats listening as a weekly dose:

Louder means much less time. The WHO explains that at 80 dB you can listen safely for up to 40 hours a week, but at 90 dB the safe time falls to about 4 hours a week. The same standard asks devices to track your dose and offer automatic volume reduction.

For everyday use, WHO suggests keeping the volume at no more than about 60% of maximum. Treat that as a rough guide: the same volume setting can produce very different sound levels on different headphones.

iPhone and Apple Watch

Apple builds dose tracking into iPhone, based on the same 80 dB for 40 hours a week benchmark.

• Headphone Notifications. Your iPhone warns you when your headphone listening has been over 80 dB for 40 hours in the last 7 days. In some regions this cannot be turned off.
• Reduce Loud Audio. Go to Settings → Sounds & Haptics → Headphone Safety and turn on Reduce Loud Audio. Choose a level, such as 80 dB, and your iPhone will lower any sound above it.
• See your history. Open the Health app, go to Hearing and view Headphone Audio Levels for a 7-day picture.
• Apple Watch Noise app. Measures the sound around you, not in your headphones, and can warn you when your environment is loud.

Phone calls are not counted in the headphone exposure figures.

Android and Samsung

Most Android phones include a volume limiter for media, and Samsung phones offer a media volume limit in the sound settings. Menu names and locations vary by manufacturer, model and Android version, so search your phone's settings for "volume limiter" or "media volume limit." Set a limit and a PIN if you are setting it up for a child.

Headphones themselves

• Noise-cancelling or well-sealed earbuds reduce background noise, which can help you listen at a lower volume in noisy places such as trains and planes.
• Volume-limited headphones for kids are designed with a maximum output; check the stated limit.
• Earbuds versus over-ear matters less than how loud you play them and for how long.

Signs you have been listening too loud

• Ringing, buzzing or hissing afterwards
• Muffled hearing
• Other people telling you they can hear your music

These are warnings. Repeated episodes add up, and noise damage is permanent. Our guide to noise-induced hearing loss explains why.

A quick setup checklist

1. Turn on your phone's volume limit or Reduce Loud Audio.
2. Check your weekly listening history once.
3. Use noise-cancelling or well-fitting earbuds in noisy places instead of turning the volume up.
4. Take breaks; your ears recover better with rest.
5. For children, set a lower limit and lock it.

Myths worth dropping

• "The 60/60 rule is an official standard." It is a popular rule of thumb. The official benchmark is the WHO-ITU weekly dose.
• "50% volume is always safe." Output varies by device and headphones.
• "Noise-cancelling headphones protect my hearing on their own." They help only if you keep the volume moderate.

The short version

The safe benchmark is 80 dB for 40 hours a week for adults and 75 dB for children, and 90 dB cuts that to about 4 hours. Turn on your phone's volume limit, check your weekly history and use noise-cancelling earbuds in loud places so you are not tempted to turn up the volume. For how this fits with other loud sounds in your life, see how loud is too loud? and the decibel chart.