Apple released four public betas of iOS 26 on August 18, bringing call screening and more features to the iPhone for developers and beta testers. But you don’t have to be a developer or beta tester to use Voice Isolation, a hidden iPhone feature that can make your calls clearer to the person on the other end of your call.
Apple introduced voice isolation with iOS 16.4 in 2023. The tech company added the feature alongside a wide range of Facetime calls with iOS 15 in 2021, but at this time, only voice isolation is available for regular phone calls.
When voice isolation is enabled, it suppresses distracting background noise that interrupts your calls. That way, if you’re on a business call or catching up with friends, your dog barking or construction outside won’t interrupt you.
You must be on an active phone call to enable voice isolation, as this feature is not in the settings. Once enabled, voice isolation will remain on future calls unless you manually turn it off.
Here’s how to enable and disable voice isolation for phone calls. You can also check out Everything You Need to Know About iOS 18 Before iOS 26 is Released.
How to enable voice isolation
1. Tap your Phone App.
2. While on a phone call, swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen to access your Control Center .
3. Tap Phone Controls near the top of the screen.
4. Polish Soundproofing Area
To disable voice isolation, follow the same steps and tap Standard in the phone controls. This will return your microphone back to its default setting.
What is broad spectrum and automatic?
Along with voice isolation, you’ll also find wide-spectrum and automatic in the phone’s controls. These are different microphone modes you can enable.
Unlike voice isolation—which suppresses background sounds—wide spectrum amplifies background sounds without affecting your voice. Wide spectrum is useful for calls with multiple people on the same phone line. This way, everyone can be heard, not just the person holding the phone. Currently, wide spectrum is only available for FaceTime calls. Since the feature is still in the phone’s controls, it could become available for phone calls in the future.
Automatically chooses the mode that’s best for your call. “For example, automatic voice isolation to block out ambient noise during calls using the receiver, and it uses the standard microphone for calls using the speaker,” Apple writes online.
For more iOS news, here are my first impressions of the iOS 26 beta, how to enable call screening in the beta, and all the new features Apple said it will bring to your device later this year. You can get an early look at upcoming iPhone features with our iOS 26 cheat sheet.
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