Where is white noise on iPhone?

Go to Settings, then Accessibility, Audio & Visual, Background Sounds, and turn it on. You can also add a Background Sounds button to Control Center. It needs iOS 15 or later.

Does Background Sounds keep playing when the iPhone is locked?

Yes, unless you turn on Stop Sounds When Locked. That is one thing it does better than the free version of our own app, which stops when the screen goes dark.

Is a white noise app better than Background Sounds?

Only if you need something it doesn't do, such as layering sounds at their own volumes, saved mixes or a nightly bedtime reminder. If you just want one steady sound, the built-in feature is free, has no ads and is already on your phone.

White noise on iPhone: Background Sounds vs an app

How to turn it on

Open the Settings app, tap Accessibility, tap Audio & Visual, then tap Background Sounds and turn it on. From there you choose the sound and drag the volume slider. For a faster way, add the Background Sounds button to Control Center: Apple’s steps are to open Control Center, then tap and hold the button to change the sound.

Two switches matter at night. Turn on Use When Media is Playing if you want it under a podcast. Leave Stop Sounds When Locked off, or it stops when the phone sleeps.

The timer, and what it needs

Apple added a timer in iOS 26. In Background Sounds settings, tap Stop Sounds with a Timer, turn on Timer, then pick a specific time or an amount of time. iOS 26 also added an Equalizer that shapes the tone. On an older iPhone that can’t update, use the Clock trick below.

Built in or an app: what each one does

Checked October 30, 2026, against Apple’s pages and our own app’s App Store listing.

	Background Sounds (built in)	Fall Asleep, free	Fall Asleep, Plus
Price	Free, no ads	Free, with ads	Paid (Plus Yearly or Lifetime)
Sounds	One at a time	3 each in the Rain and Beach rooms, mixed	All 30, mixed one room at a time
Volume per sound	No	Yes	Yes
Plays with screen locked	Yes, unless you stop it	No	Yes
Timer	From iOS 26	15 minutes, fades out	15 minutes to 3 hours, fades out
Bedtime reminder	No	Yes	Yes
Saved mixes	No	No	Up to 5

We make Fall Asleep, so read that table with care. For one steady sound and nothing else, the built-in feature wins on price, ads and lock-screen play. An app earns its place when you want a blend, such as a mix for a snoring partner with its own level on every layer. Eight sleep sound apps compared covers the other choices, including free ones with no time limit.

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White noise, flat across the spectrum

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Volume

Build your own mix in Fall Asleep

In the app each room layers its own sounds (rain on the roof with distant thunder, waves with a sea breeze), each at its own volume. Free gives you the Rain and Beach rooms with 3 sounds each and plays while the app is open; Plus adds all 30 sounds, saved mixes and play with the screen locked, on iPhone and iPad. A browser tab can also stop when your phone locks. Free vs Plus →

A sleep timer for anything else

The Clock app can stop whatever is playing, which also covers video and other audio apps. Open Clock, tap Timer, set a length, tap When Timer Ends, choose Stop Playing, then start it. It cuts the sound off, while a sleep sounds app fades it out, which is gentler if you are still awake. Spotify has its own sleep timer inside the app. For how long to set it, see how to use a sleep timer with sleep sounds.

Phone speaker limits

Whichever you choose, a phone speaker plays little deep sound, so brown noise and low rumbles come out thinner than they do on a real speaker. Keep the phone away from your ear and the volume low. For noise from next door, pick a sound by what comes through the wall.

Questions people ask

Where is white noise on iPhone?: Go to Settings, then Accessibility, Audio & Visual, Background Sounds, and turn it on. You can also add a Background Sounds button to Control Center. It needs iOS 15 or later.
Does Background Sounds keep playing when the iPhone is locked?: Yes, unless you turn on Stop Sounds When Locked. That is one thing it does better than the free version of our own app, which stops when the screen goes dark.
Is a white noise app better than Background Sounds?: Only if you need something it doesn't do, such as layering sounds at their own volumes, saved mixes or a nightly bedtime reminder. If you just want one steady sound, the built-in feature is free, has no ads and is already on your phone.