Recorded playback vs. physical wear
Apple Health logs headphone audio output intervals—it does not detect whether headphones are physically in your ears with audio paused. System batching can also delay when recent listening appears.
iPhone · iOS 17+ · Reads Apple Health on device
Headphone exposure review, made legible
Your headphone exposure history, clearly read.
Your iPhone already logs headphone audio exposure intervals as you listen. Ear Limit organizes those recorded samples into a calm daily review, a 7-day history, a live room sound meter, and clean export summaries—all calculated on your phone.
Requires iPhone running iOS 17 or later. Currently distributed as an invite-only TestFlight beta (1.0.0 build 17); not yet publicly listed on the App Store.
How it works
Three calm steps. Grounded in what iOS actually records.
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Connect Apple Health
Grant read-only access to Apple Health audio exposure types on your iPhone. Ear Limit never writes back to Health and requires no account or cloud sign-in.
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Review recorded intervals
Inspect today’s recorded headphone listening duration, energy-averaged dB level, and your 7-day history. Understand how recorded sessions stack up over the week without fake real-time wear claims.
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Check room sound or share a summary
Use the foreground room microphone meter with manual calibration to spot-check ambient sound around you, or export a daily share card and 7-day CSV whenever you want a record.
Clear boundaries by design
Audio data in Apple Health has specific technical limits. Ear Limit states them plainly rather than overclaiming.
Empty data is not zero exposure
Because iOS hides whether Health read permission was denied or no samples exist, an empty day means no recorded samples are available to the app, never a guarantee of silence.
Room microphone is separate from headphone dose
The built-in sound level meter measures live room sound through your iPhone microphone while you are using the foreground room meter tab (it may start automatically when you reopen the tab after granting microphone permission; tapping Stop or leaving the tab ends measurement). It is never added to your headphone exposure record and never saved into Apple Health.
Headphone and Watch records never sum together
Headphone audio exposure and Apple Watch environmental sound levels measure different sources at different places. They are never combined into a single total dose.
Free vs. Ear Limit Pro
Everything needed for daily review is free. One-time unlock for deeper history.
Ear Limit Pro is a single one-time App Store purchase handled by Apple. No monthly subscription, no recurring billing, and no price tiers.
| Capability | Free | Ear Limit Pro (Current) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today recorded summary & daily share card | Included | Included | Current capability |
| 7-day recorded history & 7-day CSV export | Included | Included | Current capability |
| Live room microphone meter & manual calibration | Included | Included | Current capability |
| 30-day recorded history, PDF report & 30-day CSV | — | Included | Current Pro |
| Room meter whole-session energy average (Leq) & peak | — | Included | Current Pro |
TestFlight beta · 1.0.0 (17) · invitation required
Expanded Pro analysis in TestFlight 1.0.0 (17)
Now included in the invite-only TestFlight beta (version 1.0.0, build 17). Ear Limit is not yet publicly available on the App Store and there is no public TestFlight join link:
28-day & 90-day complete-day window comparisons
Compares the current 28 or 90 complete local days (excluding today) against the immediately preceding equal window—showing recorded duration, energy-averaged Leq, recorded days, and coverage-gated deltas.
Weekday × 4-daypart recorded listening grid
Maps total recorded headphone duration across Monday–Sunday and four daily time blocks so you can see where recorded listening time is concentrated across completed days.
Separate Health environmental sound interval history
When Apple Health contains environmental audio exposure samples (such as from an available Apple Watch), displays a separate parallel history showing sample coverage duration, highest recorded interval, and recorded interval time at or above 80 dB—never merged with headphone dose and without claiming whole-day continuous coverage.
Extended factual PDF & CSV summaries
Includes multi-window comparisons, daypart breakdowns, and separate environmental interval summaries in exported files.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Why does Ear Limit show no data after I grant Health access?
First, play audio through headphones connected to your iPhone for a few minutes so iOS writes headphone audio exposure samples. Second, check Settings › Health › Data Access & Devices › Ear Limit and verify the audio exposure categories are turned on. Because Apple Health never tells apps whether read access was denied or the database simply has no samples, the app shows a checklist rather than guessing.
Does turning on a setting in iOS make Health record every headphone automatic?
No single switch guarantees full fidelity for every accessory. iOS automatically records headphone audio exposure for supported headphones (with best accuracy on AirPods and Beats, and estimates based on volume level for other wired or Bluetooth audio devices).
How is the room microphone meter different from headphone exposure?
Headphone exposure comes from historical playback intervals logged by iOS in Apple Health. The room meter uses your iPhone microphone while you are using the foreground room meter tab to measure ambient sound in real time (once microphone permission is granted, it may start automatically when you open the tab, and tapping Stop or leaving the tab ends measurement). Audio is never recorded or uploaded, and room meter readings are never added to your headphone exposure.
Do I need an Apple Watch? How is Watch noise data used?
No Apple Watch is required, and there is no standalone watchOS app. Your iPhone logs headphone exposure on its own. If you wear an Apple Watch that records environmental sound levels into Apple Health, Ear Limit reads those samples separately—and Pro analysis in TestFlight beta 1.0.0 (17) displays a dedicated environmental interval history without ever adding wrist and ear decibels together.
How does Ear Limit Pro pricing work?
Ear Limit Pro is a one-time lifetime unlock purchased through Apple’s App Store. There is no subscription. Check the unlock screen in the app for the exact localized price in your region’s App Store.
Is Ear Limit a medical device or hearing protection guarantee?
No. Ear Limit is an informational review tool for Apple Health audio records. It does not perform audiograms, diagnose hearing loss, protect your ears from loud environments, or guarantee that any listening level is medically safe for you.
How can I get the app right now?
Ear Limit is not publicly available on the App Store yet, and there is no public TestFlight join link. Version 1.0.0 (build 17) is currently available via invite-only TestFlight beta—use the “Ask about the beta” email link on this page to request a testing invitation.