You Probably Didn't Know Your iPhone Can Do This

We know that our phones spy on us, because how else would we be getting ads for diet fads after googling weight loss once? We get it, and it's a bit annoying that iPhones do that, but sometimes, you can also find the best deals or literally life-changing products.

What is definitely creepy is that iPhones can listen to other people's conversations happening at a distance or in a completely different room! One of the first times we learned bout this disturbing iPhone trait was when a man (username @brycenor) shared this trick on TikTok on how to listen to other people's conversations using your Air Pods. It was in response to the question, "What's a piece of information that feels like its illegal to know?" (via Lad Bible). Not exactly what Air Pods were intended for. The video went viral because it showed you how to change your phone's settings to be able to listen to other people's private conversations. "You can leave it in any room, and you can listen to what anybody's saying at any time, if your phone's in that room, with just your earbuds in," added the creator. Cool trick but so sketchy, right?

When more people discovered this hack made possible by the Live Listen feature, it was only a matter of time until everyone on TikTok tried it and made a joke. But, the feature was originally created with intentions to help people.

According to Apple, with the Live Listen feature, your iPhone could act like a microphone that sends sound to your Air Pods so you could hear conversations in a noisy area or even someone speaking at a distance. So, you could listen to everything happening near your phone even if you were nowhere close to it. Of course, more people seem to be using this feature to listen to private conversations rather than use it for its actual purpose.

Despite the intention to help the hearing impaired, it went viral on TikTok as a spying tool. More people discovered this trick after an actress shared this feature and said, "So basically we're all spies on?" (via New York Post).

You can't do much to avoid this from affecting you entirely. If you are worried about other people listening to your private conversations, make sure there isn't a random iPhone or iPad lying around, and if there is one around you, be mindful of the things you say (via WKDQ). Or maybe it can help you choose your words carefully if you know someone is always listening.