Smartphones usually have two speakers. One is designed to output general sound, and it works when you turn on video or audio without using headphones, and the second outputs sound during a call, and only you can hear it. But it often happens that during a phone conversation you have difficulty hearing the other person or extraneous noises come from the speaker.
The reason can often be a bad connection, of course, but in this article we will look at all the ways to solve the problem if it is in your phone.
Phone check
Before we move on to trying to fix the problem, let’s first check how things are with your phone. You won’t need to go into the system settings, often the reason why you can’t hear the other person on your iPhone is all sorts of little things.
Volume level
First of all, check that you have a good volume level. Often the reason why you can’t hear the other person is because the volume is too low. You can raise it right during a call using the buttons on the side panel of your smartphone.
You can also check the sound in other applications. For example, you can contact the person you are talking to not via “Phone”, but via FaceTime, Telegram or WhatsApp*. If the volume is fine there, but you can barely hear the person you are talking to via the standard application, then the problem is systemic and will be easy to fix.
Well, there is one more check that wouldn’t hurt to do – just call the other person. If the call is audible and there are no extraneous noises, then the problem lies with the specific interlocutor and you can’t do anything about it.
Connecting to other devices
It would also be a good idea to check the connection of your smartphone to other devices. For example, if you were listening to music on headphones, then put them aside and try to take a call, the sound will go to the headphones, but nothing will be heard from the speaker. So if you want to talk on your smartphone without other devices, turn them off first
Cellular signal
Well, the last check that can explain the cause of the problem is the cellular signal. If the coverage is poor or you are in a room with thick walls / below ground level, then the signal can often be weak.
Fixing this is easy – find a place where the connection is better and try calling again. The problem should resolve itself.
How to fix
Software glitch
First of all, the cause may be a software glitch. In this case, you need to perform a number of checks and fixes to get rid of it.
Adjust the sound
Go to Settings → Sounds (or Settings → Sounds & Haptics) and drag the Ringtone & Notification slider back and forth a few times. If you don’t hear any sounds, or if the speaker button on the Ringtone & Notification slider is grayed out, your speaker may need service.
Turn off silent mode
Silent mode can also cause problems when making a call. If your iPhone has a special Ring/Silent switch, you need to move it forward so that the orange mark disappears. You can also swipe down from the upper right corner and go to Control Center, then turn off silent mode there.
It would be a good idea to go to your iPhone settings, go to the “Focus” section, and check there that you have disabled the “Do Not Disturb” mode.
Update iOS
Go to your smartphone settings and check if iOS needs updating. If so, install the new version of the system. This is especially true if you haven’t updated the OS for a long time and missed important changes.
After this, you must restart your iPhone for the changes to take effect and iOS to work correctly. This usually happens automatically, but sometimes you need to force the reboot. You can do this by holding down the side buttons of the smartphone.
Restore iOS
If iOS crashes are not resolved by simply updating the version, then the problem is much more serious and you need to perform a system restore. To do this, you will need a PC and iTunes installed on it.
Here’s how to do the recovery:
- Create a backup copy of your data;
- Connect your iPhone to your PC using a cable;
- Go to iTunes and connect to your device;
- Click the “Restore” button;
- Follow the instructions in the program carefully.
After that, check if the problem has been solved. If not, then it is not a software failure, but a physical issue with the smartphone. And there may be far fewer options here.
Speaker contamination
If there is sound and the problem is not on the other person’s side or in the cellular connection, then you can try to carefully clean the upper speaker of the iPhone, which is responsible for transmitting sound during a call. To do this, you can use a soft dry brush or a brush. You can also very carefully remove large pieces of dust with a thin needle, but make sure that you do not damage the protective mesh.
You shouldn’t use life hacks like pouring hot glue, blackhead mask or other sticky substances into the speaker. Not only can you fail to solve the problem, but you can also make it worse by damaging other components of the phone.
We also do not recommend trying to disassemble the iPhone yourself. If you do not have experience, you can easily damage the contacts or tear off the cable, and then the repair will cost more than a regular professional cleaning at a service center.
If nothing helped
If after all these methods noise, interference or complete lack of sound in the speaker persists, it is time to take the phone to a service center. Usually, professional cleaning is enough, but often the problem is that the contacts have oxidized or the speaker cable has come off. Repair of such problems is usually carried out in a couple of hours, and is inexpensive. But at the end you will get a working device and a solved problem.
In this article, we have covered all the options for solving the problem with sound during a call. Don’t forget to protect your iPhone from dust and moisture, and then you won’t have to contact phone repair services.