Useful App
I found the app to be incredibly helpful in detecting unexpected sounds and conversations. As someone who’s older, I feel more secure using this app to become more aware of my surroundings.
Free
In-App Purchases
About
This app provides visual and haptic alerts for various sounds, including speech, alarms, and weather warnings, designed for Deaf and hard-of-hearing users. It uses on-device machine learning to identify sounds, estimate their direction and distance, and offers real-time transcription of nearby speech.
✓Visual and haptic sound alerts
✓Real-time speech transcription
✓On-device sound identification
✓Directional sound guidance
✓Severe weather alerts
✓Apple Watch integration
✓Siri and Shortcuts support
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What's New in Vigilant Ear
1.0.18
August 25, 2026
NEW — Standing Watch. A small lamp now stands at the top of your screen, always on watch: cyan means a steady room, amber means something changed — a new voice, the room going quiet, or something approaching, with a direction when we can measure one. Red you already know. It counts voices that are speaking, never silent people. NEW — Parla italiano! The whole app now speaks Italian — tours and live captions included. NEW — Brazil severe-weather alerts (INMET), in Portuguese for Portuguese readers. BETTER — Who's talking. Voice identification is faster to notice a second voice and harder to fool in noisy rooms, and named voices are never crowded out. Every voice's dot now carries its number, so two similar colors can never blur two people together. BETTER — Battery & memory. The app travels much lighter in the background and returns instantly. Plus portrait polish everywhere: a full-width threat strip, smarter dialogs, tidier tutorials.
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In-App Purchases
$5.99
Power Pack+
One-time permanent unlock of premium features.
User reviews
FAQ
Does Vigilant Ear have ads?
Vigilant Ear does not contain advertisements. It is designed to be an unobtrusive aid for its users.
What sounds can Vigilant Ear detect?
Vigilant Ear can identify over 300 everyday and emergency sounds, including alarms, sirens, knocks, a crying baby, severe weather, and nearby speech. It also offers earthquake alerts.
Is Vigilant Ear a certified safety device?
Vigilant Ear is an experimental research and accessibility aid, not a certified or life-saving device. Users should always maintain their own situational awareness.
How does Vigilant Ear handle privacy?
All listening, transcription, translation, and sound classification run entirely on your device. Audio or telemetry data never leaves your device, except for a short audio fingerprint for Music ID to Apple's Shazam service.
What devices does Vigilant Ear support?
Vigilant Ear is supported on Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad, offering alerts on your Apple Watch even when your iPhone is asleep.
What are the 'Power Pack+' features in Vigilant Ear?
The optional Power Pack+ includes features like on-device translation of captions, Constellation for linking nearby iPhones for a more precise sound picture, and Music & Sound ID to name songs. It is free to try for 90 days.
How often is Vigilant Ear updated?
The latest version of Vigilant Ear is 1.0.18, last updated on August 25, 2026. Updates typically include new features, bug fixes, and performance improvements.
Can Vigilant Ear transcribe speech from multiple people?
Yes, Vigilant Ear's Speaker Mode provides live captions that transcribe nearby speech, separating it by speaker. This transcription is done entirely on-device.