Video effects and Mic mode not showing

iOS 15 is finally here and like every year, Apple has brought in a slew of new features to its premium line of smartphones that enhance the way you go about your daily routine. If you have already updated your iPhone to the latest iOS version, you may have seen this new ‘Mic Mode’ label appear every time you access your quick controls from within the Control Center. But what is Mic Mode and more importantly, what does it do?

Contents show

• Mic Mode on iOS 15: What is it?
• How to Use Mic Mode on iOS 15
• What apps support Mic Mode on iOS 15?
• Why can’t I see Mic Mode inside Control Center?

Mic Mode on iOS 15: What is it?

Mic Mode is Apple’s solution to improving the way you sound to others while on a video or voice call. Although Mic Mode in itself isn’t a feature, what it packs within is what you should be interested in. For years, Apple devices have been known to deliver the best call quality in terms of audio by balancing the details of your voice and that of your surroundings.

With the new Mic Mode, Apple offers you a way to choose what others hear from your side during a video/voice call through machine learning. The new mode gives you two additional options besides the Standard mode – Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum. 

As the name implies, Voice Isolation will separate your voice from other noises in the background to ensure that your voice remains in focus at all times. This will reduce distractions that may happen around when you’re in calls on your iPhone. 

Wide Spectrum, on the other hand, does the opposite of Voice Isolation. Instead of filtering your voice out of the background, it will let in the ambient sound from your surroundings and amp it up so that even the slightest of sounds can be heard with clarity. 

Both these features serve different purposes. For instance, Voice Isolation can be used to make your voice stand out over other background sounds like when you’re in a crowded place and you want your voice to reach the other person. Wide Spectrum can be used when you want others on call to listen to every single detail that you have to share from your surroundings like when playing music in a live session. 

How to Use Mic Mode on iOS 15

In order to use Mic Mode, you need to open FaceTime or any other compatible app on your iPhone and start a voice/video call. Once the call has been initiated, swipe downwards from the top right corner to bring up the Control Center. 

When the Control Center pops up, tap on Mic Mode at the top of the screen. 

This should open a new overflow menu on the screen asking you to select from one of the three available options inside Mic Mode – Standard, Voice Isolation, and Wide Spectrum. Select the option that you want to set for your video/voice call. 

You can tap anywhere else on the screen to get back to the Control Center. Here, you should see the selected option appear as a label inside Mic Mode. 

You can repeat the above steps to change your Mic Mode setting at any time during a call. By default, Apple resets Mic Mode to ‘Standard’ every time you make a new call across any app so that you start your calls normally. 

What apps support Mic Mode on iOS 15?

During the launch of iOS 15, Apple demonstrated the new Mic Mode option with Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum on its FaceTime app. Although it is documented under “FaceTime” on Apple’s iOS 15 Feature List, the feature wouldn’t be exclusive to FaceTime. Depending on how app developers approach this new option, we may see Mic Mode appear on other voice/video calling apps on iOS. 

We tested Mic Mode on our iPhones and we found that, in addition to FaceTime, you can already use Mic Mode to switch audio to Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum when making video calls on Snapchat, Instagram, Zoom, and Google Meet.

There may well be more apps in this list by the time you read this since developers will look to take advantage of this option as soon as they can. 

Why can’t I see Mic Mode inside Control Center?

The Mic Mode option inside Control Center only appears when you’re on a video or voice call with someone in a compatible app. If you have a supported app open on your screen, it may still fail to show up since your microphone isn’t being actively used on the iPhone. While you may see the option appear on FaceTime without you being on a video/voice call, it may not work the same way on other apps. 

The new Mic Mode toggle is just a button inside Control Center. What makes it actually useful are the new Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum options iOS 15. If you’re using any of the compatible apps but still don’t see Mic Mode appear inside Control Center, chances are that you’re not on a video or voice call. Mic Mode won’t be accessible if you’re in any other Camera mode inside the aforementioned apps; meaning it won’t appear when you’re posting a video on Instagram or uploading a Story inside Snapchat. It’s specifically created for interactions over voice/video calls. 

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