How did I not know my iPhone is also a white noise machine?

iPhone 'hacks' do the rounds all the time, and more often than not, they're really not that impressive. Most of the time, it's a headline feature that Apple has been shouting about for months or years – but here's one that's taking users by surprise (before sending them to sleep). 

There are plenty of white noise apps available for the iPhone, designed to help users relax or drift off to sleep. But it turns out iOS 16 already has an in-built white noise feature – and like me, plenty of social media users were none the wiser. (Before you nod off, why not take a look at the best iPhone 14 deals?)

Indeed, Apple Support itself shared the feature on Twitter a few months back (above), but it seems plenty of fans missed it. To activate the feature, all you have to do is head to Settings > Control Centre and add the 'Hearing' icon to Control Centre. Then, you can activate Control Centre and tap the Hearing icon and tap Background Sounds. There, you'll find options including rainfall, ocean and more. 

Many users had no idea that there was no need to download a third party app for white noise. "Did you know iPhone has its own white noise app? This is why I need to talk to my friends' teenagers every so often. They know all the cool stuff technology can do that I don’t," one user tweets, while another adds, "As a daily user of white noise, this is a game changer!"

From 'magic' photo cutouts to, er, Harry Potter spells, we've seen plenty of weird and wonderful iPhone hacks over the last few months. Check out our roundup of the best iPhone hacks, and if you want to try them for yourself, take a look at today's best iPhone 14 deals below.

Read more:

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• Apple just revealed 10 (surprisingly useful) iPhone hacks
• The 21 best iPhone apps for designers