Your iPhone has gone quiet. No ringtone, no notification sounds, no audio in videos, or you can no longer hear the other person on a call. It feels like a broken speaker, but most of the time it is a setting or a connection you can put right yourself in a few minutes. Work through these steps in order.
Step 1: is your iPhone on silent?
On models with a switch on the left side you see an orange line when it is set to silent. On newer models with an Action button you switch silent on and off with that button, and a notice appears at the top of the screen. In silent mode your iPhone plays no ringtone or notification sounds, while music and video usually still play. If you are only missing notifications, start here.
Step 2: check the volume and Focus
Open Control Centre and make sure the volume is not all the way down. Check there whether a Focus such as Do Not Disturb or Sleep is on, because that delivers calls and notifications silently. Then go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and move the ringtone and alerts volume up. Tap a ringtone in that list: if you hear it, the speaker works.
Step 3: is the sound going to another device?
This is one of the most common causes. Your iPhone sends the audio to AirPods in your bag, your car or a speaker in another room, and stays silent itself. Turn Bluetooth off for a moment and try again. If the sound comes back, the connection was the problem, not your phone.
If you see a headphone symbol when changing the volume while nothing is plugged in, your iPhone thinks headphones or an adapter are still connected. Shine a light into the port at the bottom: pocket lint can cause exactly this. Clean it carefully with a dry, soft wooden or plastic toothpick, never with anything metal.
Step 4: restart and update
A restart fixes a stuck sound setting more often than you would expect. Then check Settings > General > Software Update for a pending update.
Step 5: which speaker is it?
An iPhone has two speakers, and it helps to know which one is causing the problem:
- The earpiece speaker at the top, above the screen, used when you hold the phone to your ear. If you cannot hear callers but you can on speakerphone, it is the earpiece. Its grille can clog with skin oil and dirt: brush it gently with a dry, soft brush.
- The loudspeaker at the bottom, next to the port, which plays your ringtone, music and speakerphone audio. If it crackles, is very quiet or silent after the steps above, the problem is in the speaker itself or behind it.
If the sound is muffled or crackly after your iPhone got wet, do not keep charging it to test it; bring it in. With water damage, speed decides the outcome.
What it usually turns out to be
- Silent mode, a Focus or the volume. Fixed without a repair.
- Bluetooth or a stuck headphone mode. Fixed by disconnecting or cleaning the port.
- A dirty grille. Mostly on the earpiece, and cleaning is often enough.
- A faulty earpiece or loudspeaker. That means replacing the part.
- The audio circuit on the logic board. If no speaker works and the microphone also struggles, the audio chip may be at fault. We repair at component level, so your own board and your data stay in the phone.
In short
Silent mode, volume and Focus, then Bluetooth off, then clean the port and the grille, and restart. If your iPhone still has no sound, we diagnose it for free at Blue Apple in Amsterdam Zuid and you hear the price before we start. You will find us at Rijnstraat 76-H, or check the repairs and prices per iPhone model first.
