Your Phone Can Now Hear What You Can't: Alerts for Smoke Alarms, Crying Babies

A new feature for Android devices acts as a listening companion, alerting users to important household sounds even when they are wearing headphones. The tool, called Sound Notifications, uses on-device artificial intelligence (AI) to continuously listen for specific sounds. If it detects a programmed alert, it will send a visible notification to the phone and smartwatch. The system can recognize critical sounds like smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, doorbells, or a baby crying. It can also detect less urgent sounds, such as appliances beeping or dogs barking. This feature is designed to assist people who are deaf or hard of hearing. It also helps anyone who may miss alerts while listening to audio with headphones. Sound Notifications must be manually activated in the Android Accessibility settings. Users can choose which sounds will trigger an alert on their device.