Ambient Noise guide

Build your first soundscape.

Everything you need to start listening, mixing, saving, and adding your own sounds.

1. Find a sound

Open Sounds and browse or search the library. Tap a sound row to open its continuous player. Touch and hold a row when you only want a quick preview.

Use the labeled Add button to put a sound into your custom mix.

2. Listen to one sound

The individual player starts the selected sound and gives you controls for Volume and Spacing. Spacing is the empty time after the recording finishes and before it plays again.

3. Create a layered mix

After adding one or more sounds, open Create. The field at the top shows every layer around a central listener. Drag a sound icon around the circle to change its direction.

Headphones make direction easier to hear. Left and right are clearest; front and back can be subtle on many devices.

Tap a sound icon or its timeline lane to edit that layer. Volume affects only that sound. Spacing controls the quiet after it finishes. The timeline shows when each real clip is audible and when its configured spacing is silent.

4. Save and reopen a mix

Give the mix a name and save it. Open Saved to play it again, edit it, duplicate it, rename it, or delete it. Mixes are stored on this device.

5. Record or import audio

In Sounds, choose Add your own. You can record a local loop or import an audio file from the system Files picker, preview it continuously, name it, and save it.

Imported files are copied into the app's on-device storage. Ambient Noise does not upload or sync recordings, imported files, or mixes.

6. Listen in the background

Playback can continue while you use another app or lock your iPhone. Use the system Now Playing controls to play or pause. Calls, Siri, alarms, and audio-route changes may interrupt playback.

7. Unlock and restore

The free download includes a selection of sounds. The lifetime purchase unlocks every bundled sound with one payment and no subscription. To recover an existing purchase, openSettings → Restore purchase while signed into the Apple Account that bought it.

Need more help?

Visit Support for troubleshooting and contact information.