How to use iOS 15’s improved mic isolation and mixing modes in FaceTime and beyond

Apple added a way to switch between audio input modes to remove noise or mix the background.

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You can adjust how the multiple mics on the last several model years of iPhones mix sound to reduce noise or boost the background starting in iOS 15. Apple adds so many features in its release that you might have missed this one until now, as it's available without being emphasized.

You can change how foreground and background sounds are mixed or emphasized through the Control Center when placing or receiving calls in several apps. That includes FaceTime, naturally, and many others, such as Webex, WhatsApp, and Zoom.

In an app on an iPhone that supports these modes, when you swipe to reveal Control Center during an active call, you'll see a Mic Mode option in the upper-right corner as a light-gray lozenge with the mic in orange. Press and hold to select among three pop-up options:

  • Standard: Foreground and background sound is mixed as it would before this option appeared, emphasizing the foreground speaker without fully removing the background sound
  • Voice Isolation: Background noise is identified and highly reduced, the audio equivalent of blurring the background in a Portrait photo taken in the Camera app
  • Wide Spectrum: Background sounds are mixed evenly with foreground, useful for sharing ambient sound, such as at an event or concert
Control the mix of foreground and background sound in apps that support it via the Mic Mode option in Control Center during an active call.

Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum require an iPhone with an A12 Bionic processor or later: the iPhone XS and XR models and later and the second- and third-generation iPhone SE models.

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