How to play Background Sounds like rain on an iPhone

By Saadat Rafiq · 2 min read · 6 steps · Published 6 October 2026 · ▶ Video demo

Device

iPhone

Shown on

iOS 27.0.1 (iPhone 14 Pro)

App

Settings

Path

Settings › Accessibility › Audio & Visual › Background Sounds

Real screenshots

6 of 6 steps

Checked

October 2026

Sources

1 official, linked below

Step by step

1. 

   Open Settings, then Accessibility

   Scroll down to the Hearing section and tap Audio & Visual.

   Done

2. 

   Tap Background Sounds

   It is under Headphone Accommodations. The word Off shows that it is not playing.

   Done

3. 

   Switch on Background Sounds

   The sound starts at once, through the speaker or your headphones. Switch it off on the same page.

   Done

4. 

   Choose the sound

   Tap Sound to pick another one. Ours is set to Rain. Drag the volume slider below it to set how loud it is.

   Done

5. 

   Decide what happens with music and videos

   With Use When Media Is Playing switched on, the sound keeps going quietly under music and videos. Volume with Media sets how loud it is then. Play Sample lets you hear the mix.

   Done

6. 

   Start and stop it from Control Centre

   Swipe down from the top right corner and tap the Hearing button, the one with an ear. Tap Background Sounds to turn it on or off. If the Hearing button is not there, add it when you edit Control Centre.

   Done

If you do not see this option

• Your iPhone may run a different version. The screenshots here show iOS 27.0.1 (iPhone 14 Pro). On another version a setting can have a different name or sit in a different place. See your version under Settings, General, About. Update under Settings, General, Software Update; back up first, plug in and use Wi-Fi. Source: Find the software version on your iPhone Source: Update your iPhone or iPad
• Search for it. Open Settings, tap the search field, type the name of the setting and tap the result. Apple notes that the sections in Settings depend on the iPhone model. Source: Find settings on iPhone
• It is greyed out. Screen Time restrictions can lock settings; Apple gives this as the reason when the Apple Account row is greyed out. Check Settings, Screen Time, Content & Privacy Restrictions. Source: If you can't sign out due to restrictions, or your Apple Account is grayed out in Settings

About this guide

Background Sounds plays steady noise such as rain to mask the sounds around you. The iPhone describes it as a way to help you focus, rest and cope with tinnitus. It needs no app and no internet connection.

The screenshots are our own, taken on an iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 27.0.1.

Good to know

Below the volume settings there is an Equaliser row, which is off on our iPhone.

Adding and moving buttons in Control Centre: how to customise Control Centre on an iPhone.

The same feature on a Mac: how to play background sounds like rain on a Mac.

In short: Settings, Accessibility, Audio & Visual, Background Sounds, switch on, choose a Sound. Quick on and off: Control Centre, Hearing button.