Video about eavesdropping feature using iPhone causes fever

"We can all be spies?", famous actress Elizabeth Henstridge shared in an iPhone video, attracting nearly 6 million views on TikTok.

In the 11-second clip, Henstridge, who stars in Agents of SHIELD , describes how to enable a hidden feature on the iPhone that allows users to listen in on conversations from up to 15 meters away.

Using an iPhone to eavesdrop also became a popular topic on the social network TikTok in November with many videos reaching hundreds of thousands of views. Instead of buying specialized eavesdropping devices, users only need an iPhone and AirPods headphones .

In fact, this is the hidden Live Listen feature available on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch running Apple's latest iOS 15 operating system. When you set your smartphone or tablet to "listening" mode, the device will capture sound from the surrounding environment and send it to connected wireless headphones such as AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, Powerbeats Pro or Beats Fit Pro. . A distance of 15 meters is the distance that Bluetooth technology can operate stably, maintaining the connection between the headset and the phone.

Apple instructions on how to turn on Live Listen.

 
 
 
To activate Live Listen, users need to go to Settings, select Control Center and press the Hearing button with the human ear icon. After saving the settings, this feature displays in the iPhone's Control Center next to the camera, flashlight, and calculator icons when swiping from top to bottom on the top right edge of the screen. To enable "listening" mode, the wireless headphones must have been previously connected to the iPhone.

In the user manual, Apple does not call this an eavesdropping feature but only helps users listen to conversations in noisy areas or want to listen at meetings and conferences at a closer distance. Because the iPhone's microphone has noise cancellation features, the sound when heard through headphones will be clearer and easier to hear than listening directly.