Photo: reddit user Jenny-Flanagan
While Apple is working hard on refining the experience with Apple Maps in an attempt to turn it into a more powerful rival to Google Maps, a feature that will actually show how awful traffic really is in a city will debut with the next iPhone software update.
iOS 14 will come with a sound recognition system that can detect environmental alerts, including car horns, and show a notification on the iPhone when such a sound is recorded.
How is this related to the traffic in a city? It’s pretty simple actually. A viral screenshot that was posted on reddit during the weekend shows that iOS 14 can detect every single car horn, and if you’re driving around in a city where such loud noises are super-common, you obviously get lots of notifications.
This iOS 14 screen capture shows the sound recognition system in action in Mumbai, a city that is often considered one of the most congested one in the world. And because drivers spend so much time trying to fight the traffic jams, Mumbai is also the city where car horns can be heard way more often that citizens would want to hear them in the first place.
In case you’re wondering how sound recognition works on iOS 14, Apple explains that the feature was designed as an accessibility tool that can help those who may have a hard time hearing certain sounds like sirens and alarms.
“Your iPhone will continuously listen for certain sounds and using on-device intelligence, will notify you when sounds may be recognized. Sound recognition should not be relied upon on in any circumstances where you may be harmed or injured, in high-risk or emergency situations, or for navigation,” Apple says.
The feature is currently in beta but is projected to go live for all iPhone owners with the public debut of iOS 14 in the fall.
How is this related to the traffic in a city? It’s pretty simple actually. A viral screenshot that was posted on reddit during the weekend shows that iOS 14 can detect every single car horn, and if you’re driving around in a city where such loud noises are super-common, you obviously get lots of notifications.
This iOS 14 screen capture shows the sound recognition system in action in Mumbai, a city that is often considered one of the most congested one in the world. And because drivers spend so much time trying to fight the traffic jams, Mumbai is also the city where car horns can be heard way more often that citizens would want to hear them in the first place.
In case you’re wondering how sound recognition works on iOS 14, Apple explains that the feature was designed as an accessibility tool that can help those who may have a hard time hearing certain sounds like sirens and alarms.
“Your iPhone will continuously listen for certain sounds and using on-device intelligence, will notify you when sounds may be recognized. Sound recognition should not be relied upon on in any circumstances where you may be harmed or injured, in high-risk or emergency situations, or for navigation,” Apple says.
The feature is currently in beta but is projected to go live for all iPhone owners with the public debut of iOS 14 in the fall.
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