This Elevator Ding Hack Lets You Know Which Direction It's Going “Just by Sound"

If you ever wanted to know which direction an elevator was headed in without having to check the triangular-shaped lights emblazoned in the lobby it resides in, then you might want to hear what this cruise enthusiast and TikToker has to say.

Jenn (@cruisinwithjenn) posted a viral TikTok where she demonstrates how there are two distinct sounds elevators make that ultimately let folks know which direction they're headed in. Numerous other users on the application who saw her video remarked that this information was ultimately news to them, while others gave their fellow social media pals a lesson in elevator compliance.

Jenn begins her viral video by recording in front of an elevator and stating:

"So if you're waiting for an elevator, and you push the down button, and an elevator comes, it's gonna make a sound. Let's see what the sound is," she says as she records herself in the lobby, "a down elevator."

According to the TikToker, elevators make a different noise depending on whether or not it's going up or down, and folks can tell which direction the mode of transportation is headed based purely on the noise it makes.

"2 dings means that elevator is going down," a text overlay in the video reads as she records the elevator doors opening.

Someone can be heard saying from what sounds like the interior of the elevator: "just go down," they mention. Her video then transitions to her showing what an elevator that is headed up sounds like. "Now let's listen for an up elevator," she remarks, before the clip transitions to her standing in front of the doors of another elevator that's travelling upwards.

Sure enough, the ding tone is different: there's only one ding, which Jenn denotes with another text overlay.

Jenn also detailed that despite the fact the majority of her content deals with cruise lines, that her elevator hack probably works with all elevators and not just ones on cruise lines.

There were some people who said that they have known about this elevator "hack" for years, but that they translated it differently for their ear: "I’ve known this for years. When the elevator is taking me up to my office, it is saying 'sad.' But when I am going home, it says 'happy.'"

Jenn also added in a caption for her video: "Did you know this? Having sounds is so beneficial for the visually impaired. Sometimes cruise elevators can be hectic. But this is so beneficial to knowing which way the elevator is going! *This is not just for cruise line elevators — but since I cruise —  I tie it to the content I make.*"

Someone else remarked that this type of indicator is a universal sound for all elevators and its meant to help folks who are visually impaired to know if they're getting on the right elevator or not.

If one makes a singular ding, it's going up, if it's going down, there's two dings — that doesn't change no matter where you are in the United States.

That's according to The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which stipulated all elevators follow these guidelines, according to the National Library of Medicine, which writes: "How do blind people, waiting for an elevator, determine, without help from others, which way it is going when it arrives? Most readers will struggle to answer this question, despite an answer that they should already be aware of: The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (U.S.) requires all elevators to produce 'audible signals [that] sound once for the up direction and twice for the down direction' (1, p 135)."

Access Advocates also wrote about the elevator ding rule according to ADA, adding, "The elevator must sound audible tones/bells or announcements that: indicate the direction of the elevator called – one ding for up and two for down. announce the passage of floors."

Other people on social media have discussed this fact as well, like Evan Fong in this X post here.

Due to the nature of how elevators work, there's actually a lot of regulation that goes into the maintenance and inspections of these devices.

HAI Group posted a list of different rules and regulations folks need to adhere to in order to ensure they're safe for usage, such as these operational compliance laws.

The more you know.