iOS 14: iPhone can now alert you to dangerous sounds you might not have noticed with new software update

Feature can listen out for anything from fires to cats

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks on-stage during a product launch event at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California on September 10, 2019 (JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)

iPhones can now start alerting users when they hear a sound that could be putting them in danger.

A new setting in the upcoming software update – iOS 14, which was revealed this week and scheduled for release later in the year – gives the phone new "sound recognition" features.

It means that the phone will continuously listen out for particular sounds, and alert its user if it hears them.

Those sounds can include everything from a cat to a fire alarm.

The feature is part of Apple's wide accessibility features, intended to be used by deaf people who might not otherwise be able to hear important or dangerous events.

It can be found within the Settings app, and clicking into the Accessibility option from there.

The feature is explicit about the fact that all of the listening and processing will be done on the device, with no audio being sent off to Apple. The company does the same with its always-on "Hey, Siri" feature, to ensure that the microphone is not collecting private audio and sending it to Apple.

"Your iPhone will continuously listen for certain sounds, and using on-device intelligence, will notify you when sounds may be recognised,” the description reads.

“Sound Recognition should not be relied upon on in circumstances where you may be harmed or injured, in high-risk or emergency situations, or for navigation."

Users can pick through a long list of sounds, choosing which of them should be recognised and trigger an alert.

They include alarms, such as sirens or those for fires; cats and dogs; households noises such as doorbell being rung or running water; and "people noises", which includes babies crying and shouting.