Learn how to enable an accessibility setting that makes your iPhone play a tone when turning on or off.
Mac desktops and notebooks play a startup chime when you press the power button. Similarly, various Windows versions are famous for having iconic startup sounds. If you appreciate this little feature, you can enable it on your iPhone as well.
What’s the use of startup and shutdown sounds
iPhone startup and shutdown chimes are an accessibility feature designed to help blind and low-vision users confirm their device is turning on or off.
Even if you have no vision issues, you can enable these sound effects for fun. The tone isn’t too loud or distracting so it’s worth a try.
Compatible iPhones
You can activate power on and off sounds on iPhone 14, 15, and 16 series, running a newer version of iOS. Note that startup and shutdown sounds aren’t available on the iPad.
Activate the power on and off sound for iPhone
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Tap Accessibility.
- Select Audio/Visual under the Hearing section.
- Toggle on the switch next to Power On & Off Sounds or Turn On & Off Sounds.
After this, your iPhone will play a short, sweet tone when you turn it off or on.
Note: This sound may not play if your device reboots automatically after freezing.
Can you change the iOS reboot sounds?
You cannot.
Are both sounds the same?
No. Your iPhone plays different sounds during startup and shutdown. But both are very short, like 1-second max.
If more people enable this feature or if Apple makes it default, these tones could become as iconic as the Mac or Windows startup sound.
Does it play in silent mode?
Yes. I put my iPhone 15 Pro Max in silent mode and then shut it down. The tone still played. Similarly, it chimed in when I switched my phone back on.
What to do if you have an unsupported iPhone?
Startup and shutdown chimes are built into the processor bootrom of iPhone 14, 15, and 16 series models so they can be played even before iOS has loaded to run. Since bootrom is read-only, a software update cannot add boot chimes to older iPhone models. However, you can explore the jailbreaking route and use the BootSound tweak to set a CAF audio file as the startup sound on your old iPhone or even an iPad.