Your IPhone 14 Has a Hidden Startup Sound
The Mac startup sound is rightfully iconic, but it’s an anomaly. None of the other Apple devices make sounds when they boot up, relying solely on the presence of the company logo to inform users when their iPhone or iPad is turned on. If you prefer an old-school chime or just love it when your device makes sounds, you’re in luck: for the first time, the iPhone 14 has startup and shutdown sounds. They are just hidden.
Twitter user and tech YouTuber Martin Nobel gave us a tip:
Before you ask, no: these calls are unfortunately not available on older iPhones. Your iPhone 13 will be forever silent on boot and shutdown, even after updating to iOS 16, while your friend’s new iPhone 14 might make noise instead. The reason for a new model’s exclusivity isn’t necessarily to push you into buying a new phone (although Apple would love you to buy an iPhone 14 for whatever reason); After all, the company isn’t touting this feature — it’s just what iPhone 14 users have discovered after diving into the device’s settings. According to 9to5Mac , calls are built into the iPhone 14’s A16 chip as part of the “bootrom” that runs when the phone is first started. At the moment, iOS doesn’t actually work yet, so the only way to get the bells to play right away is to build them into the chip’s firmware. If this is true, Apple cannot release an update for older devices to enable the same boot sounds. However, this explanation doesn’t take into account the fact that the non-professional iPhone 14 models, which still use last year’s A15 processor (albeit with “a little more grumbling” according to The Verge), also have this feature. Perhaps Apple programmed the sound into the A15 chip of the standard iPhone 14? Very mysterious. (I contacted Apple to check and will update this post if they provide an explanation.)
Whatever the case, Apple can’t release an update that allows your iPhone to beep when iOS boots up or just before the OS shuts down. I guess it’s not the same feeling as hearing a tone in sync with the appearance of the Apple logo, but it can still scratch the Apple itch. However, its presence on the iPhone 14 suggests it will likely be included on future iPhones as well, and as an accessibility feature it makes sense, allowing visually impaired users to hear an aural confirmation that their phone is turning on.
How to Enable Hidden Startup and Shutdown Sounds on Your iPhone 14
Enabling these chimes is simple. Open the Settings app and go to Accessibility > Audio/Video . Tap the switch next to Turn on and turn off sounds . The next time you turn your iPhone off or on again, you will hear these delightful ringtones. It’s not exactly a branded Mac “Bong!” but still very nice.