When an iPhone’s speaker stops working, so do many of the features that make the iPhone so great. The music stops playing, you can’t make calls using the speakerphone, and you don’t hear a “ding” when you receive a text message or an email, or maybe your iPhone speaker is muffled. One thing’s for sure: Your iPhone uses its speaker a lot. In this article, I’ll explain what to do when an iPhone speaker is not working so you can fix the problem for good.
Is My iPhone Speaker Broken?
At this point, we simply don’t know. Broken and not working are two different things. You should try to do an iPhone speaker test just to see if no sound will come out of your phone at all or only a few sounds. Test your ringtones, media sounds, and check to see if your iPhone speaker is not working during calls.
To determine why your iPhone speaker won’t work, it’s necessary to understand the two things that happen every time your iPhone makes a sound:
- Software: Your iPhone’s software decides which sound to play and when to play it.
- Hardware: The built-in speaker on the bottom of your iPhone converts the software’s instructions into sound waves you can hear.
What Causes iPhone Speakers To Stop Working?
Software
If the software is malfunctioning, your iPhone may not be sending the proper signals to the speaker, so the speaker doesn’t work at all or your iPhone speaker is muffled. Here’s the good news: Most software problems can be fixed at home. Unfortunately, the hardware is a different story.
Hardware
The iPhone speaker is one of the most damage-prone components on iPhones. Speakers make sound waves when a very thin piece of material vibrates very, very quickly. If the material is damaged in any way, your iPhone speaker can stop working entirely, start to make static noises, or make your iPhone speaker muffled.
How Do I Know Whether It’s A Hardware Or Software Problem?
When I worked with customers with speaker problems, I would always try to fix the iPhone’s software before replacing the speaker itself. Software is free to fix and speakers are not, but that’s not the only reason why. If there is a software problem, we could replace the speaker again and again and the iPhone still wouldn’t play sound.
This happens all the time to people who replace their iPhone batteries and are surprised when their battery drains just as fast or even faster. Later, they realize the battery drain problem was being caused by software all along.
How To Fix iPhone Speaker Problems
1. Make Sure Your iPhone Isn’t On Silent
It happens all the time. A customer comes into the Apple Store and we fix the problem by turning up the volume and flipping the silent switch to the “Ring” position. Check out my article called My iPhone Won’t Ring if your speaker is making some sounds but doesn’t ring when you receive a phone call.
2. Make Sure The Volume Is All The Way Up
It’s easy to accidentally turn the volume all the way down on your iPhone or flip the silent switch if you’re using a big, bulky case. Unlock your iPhone and hold the volume up button until your iPhone is turned all the way up. I’ve worked with customers who say, “Oh! I was wondering where the volume buttons were!
If the volume isn’t turning up even as you hold down the volume up button, open the Settings app and tap Sounds & Haptics. Make sure the switch next to Change with Buttons is turned on (you’ll know it’s on when it’s green).
If you turn the volume all the way up and you hear sound playing very, very quietly, your speaker is damaged. Skip to the last step to learn about your repair options.
3. Make Sure Your iPhone Isn’t Stuck On Headphones Mode
When headphones are connected to your iPhone, all sound plays through the headphones, not the speaker. Here’s the tricky part: If your iPhone thinks headphones are plugged in but they’re not, your iPhone tries to play sound through headphones that aren’t there.
This usually happens when a piece of debris or small amount of liquid gets inside of the headphone jack and “fools” the iPhone into thinking headphones are plugged in. If you see Headphones under the volume slider when you turn the volume up or down, check out my article about why iPhones get stuck on headphones mode to find out how to fix it.
4. Make Sure Sound Isn’t Playing Somewhere Else (Yes, This Can Happen)
iPhones automatically reconnect and play sound through Bluetooth speakers, Apple TVs, and other devices as soon as they come in range. Sometimes people don’t realize their iPhone is playing sound through another device in their house or car. Here are two examples of how this can happen:
- You have an Apple TV that’s hooked up to your TV. At some point in the past, you used AirPlay to play music through your TV speakers. When you come home, your iPhone reconnects to the Apple TV and continues streaming music through it — but the TV, and the speakers, are off.
- You use a Bluetooth headset in the car. When you go in the house, your iPhone speaker suddenly stops working — or does it? In actuality, your iPhone is still playing sound through the Bluetooth headset because you forgot to turn it off. (Watch out for Bluetooth speakers, too!)
To make sure your iPhone isn’t playing music somewhere else, we’ll turn off Bluetooth, disconnect from AirPlay devices (like your Apple TV), and try playing sound again. You can accomplish both using Control Center on your iPhone.
To activate Control Center, use your finger to swipe up from the very bottom of the screen. Tap the Bluetooth icon (in the box in the upper left-hand corner of Control Center) to turn off Bluetooth.
Next, press and hold the music hub in the upper right-hand corner of Control Center and tap on the AirPlay icon. Make sure there is only a small checkmark next to iPhone. If your speaker starts working again, you’ve fixed your iPhone and discovered the cause of the problem.
5. Restore Your iPhone
There’s only one way to be absolutely sure your speaker is broken, and that’s to restore your iPhone. Back up your iPhone first, then follow my instructions in my article about How To DFU Restore An iPhone, and come back here when you’re done.
After the restore finishes, you’ll know almost immediately if the problem is solved. Make sure your iPhone isn’t on silent mode (see step 1) and the volume is all the way up (see step 2). You should hear keyboard clicks as soon as you start to type your Wi-Fi or Apple ID password as part of the setup process.
If you still don’t hear anything or your iPhone speaker is still muffled, we’ve eliminated the possibility that your iPhone’s software was causing the problem, and unfortunately, it means your iPhone speaker is broken. But don’t despair — there are good options available for repairing an iPhone speaker.
6. Repair Your iPhone Speaker
If your iPhone speaker is broken or your iPhone speaker is muffled or won’t work during calls, the good news is that Apple does replace iPhone speakers both at the Genius Bar and through their mail-in repair service at their support website.
There are less-expensive alternatives too: One of our favorites is Puls, an iPhone repair service that will meet you at a location of your choice in as little as 60 minutes and repair your iPhone on the spot. Puls also offers a lifetime warranty. If you go the Apple Store route, make sure you make an appointment first, because they can get really busy!
iPhone, I Can Hear You!
By this point, we’ve either fixed your iPhone’s software or we’ve determined that your iPhone speaker is not working because of a hardware problem and you know how to get your iPhone repaired. If you have time, share how you first realized your iPhone speaker wasn’t working and which fix worked for you in the comments section below—that will help other people with the same problem.
Thanks for reading, and remember to pay it forward,
David P.
Hello my iPhone 6 speaker is sounding low and it sometimes goes off when trying to access some app
Hello, My iphone bottom speaker dont work. How i can fix IT? Iphone 12 pro max
Hi! I have. A 12 mini the sound works perfectly fine but I can’t use my speaker phone I can’t talk into the mic on anything except for iMessage (voice note) WITHOUT earbuds also during FaceTime calls and regular calls (only speaker phone) siri also cannot be detected without me having to use earbuds also videos don’t have sound when I record. Can anyone help or does anyone know what’s wrong?
Hi! My notifications from all my apps (messenger, Whatsapp, etc) are not showing and not making a sound when received. All the settings are on and my phone rings when someone calls me. So I really do not know what the problem is here. Could you please help me out? Thanks!
Thank you VERY much for this article. My phone was trying to play thru my TV, I followed your instructions, and my speaker works again!
My iPhone 7 plus speaker just stop working now anvk tried all the options here but still same please what can I do
Hey guys I have a left speaker for series 2earbuds and a charger dock for sale at $50 each or near offer if anyone is interested please send me a email at [email protected]
Thanks for this post! Apparently I just had to toggle on my iPhone speaker through the control centre.
Hi, how do you do this?
I’ve recently updated my iPhone 8 to the latest update and now my speaker and loud speaker doesn’t work can anyone help me please
I just bought my iPhone 11 Pro Max , call can’t hear me when I put my phone on loudspeaker and also on WhatsApp calls why?
My iPhone 7 bottom speaker only works when I turn my phone sideways after my latest update
I just bought an iPhone 13 Pro brand new. After I updated to IOS 15.2, my bottom speaker does not make any noise when I make calls, watch videos, or play music. I tried to restore the phone but it still does not work. Any solution to fix this matter?
Same thing is happening with my iPhone xs
I just wanted to thank you for this helpful site. The first thing you said to check was exactly what was wrong with my cell phone. I have no idea how it got toggled off in the first place. My phone is working great thanks to you. I appreciate it more than you know!
My iPhone 13 Pro Max is new, and sometimes the speakers won’t work on a voice message or while watching videos. Tell me why and how to fix it. Thanks.
So I’m guessing that this is so but really haven’t a clue.
I believe my speaker is broken but not completely. It works with the translator when I hold down on a sent message. It will play in another language but no sound from my phone on both ends of calls. So is that message from another language from that particular app?
I hear the clicks on keyboard but not on phone calls.
My notifications say they’re off. I asked Siri, she says they’re turned on but I’ve got a thing on my screen. It shows that I have [email protected]. I have them off with a quarter moon shape. But it shows they’re on when I go to notifications and everywhere else about them. When I ask Siri, she tells me they’re off. She says “Let me know if you want me to turn them on”. Why can I not get them to turn on. This just started happening this week. My name is Rodger and I sure appreciate your help.
Hi. I have an iPhone XS Max 256 GB which I just bought a week ago. The stereo speakers on the top near the ear piece is not working when I play music or video. Kindly, let me know what can be done. Hope to get this fixed.
Calls are very soft. I can barely hear them. When I turned up the volume I still get the same.
I can’t hear clearly on my iPhone 12 Pro unless the loud speaker is turned on. I have tried updating the software, restarting my iPhone, and restoring it. Please help.
Hi, I have the iPhone 12 Pro Max and just noticed my bottom speaker isn’t working. I tried all the options on here and still nothing. My phone has never been damaged so I don’t know why this happened.
Hi Bianka, a common misconception about iPhones is that they have two speakers on the bottom (one on either side of the charging port). However, iPhones only have one speaker on the bottom, it’s the series of small holes to the right of the charging port. The holes on the left of the charging port are actually a microphone! Can you hear any sound from the speaker to the right?
iphone 6 – no working speaker. Tried everything, hard reset and replacing the speaker.. still doesn’t work.
Hi Tiago, did you have your speaker replaced by Apple or a third-party repair service?
I’ve replaced it myself.
I just had my iphone12 max fixed under warranty and while I was at Genius Bar the agent looked at my XR that I could not hear from the phone speaker, first he used putty to clean the speaker grill, then he went to the work bench out back and in his tools he had a specific brush to clean the speaker grill, voila I can now hear my phone speaker, it was plugged up!
You’re very good. Your instructions are very thorough and specific with your visual aides. I didn’t quite need that, but probably almost. ? Much appreciated I knocked my phone in the bathtub, and after setting out of over night seems fine except the speaker. Ran through and tried your troubleshooting suggestions. Headphones work. Sound Tests in settings worked, with headphones in or out, but nothing else. ??♀️Doesn’t seem to indicate stuck in headphone mode. I think I’ll power off and let it dry out longer(?) Thanks again for your clear non judgmental instructions. ?
I tried everything stated from the beginning of this website with zero change. I reset my phone & now have my speakerphone back! Thank you!!!!
My problem is my using my phone on google or an app and a call comes through I can press accept but can’t get phone on loudspeaker and I can hear it otherwise. I have tell caller to ring off and I’ll call back.if call comes when I’m not using everything is ok.
You should add that restarting the iPhone sometimes helps. Went through all your advice, then rebooted just to try it – and that’s what worked. FYI.
That’s what worked for me too. I tried all the other things then, on a whim, rebooted and it worked!
Really clear, easy to follow advice. Thanks ?
I had this problem and was about to buy a new iPhone and just did a reset (all settings) and everything started working.
my ipphone 6 plus speaker is not working…. its ringing but you can only hear someone if you put on loudspeakers
Ever since I got my iPhone, it seems like everything goes wrong with it but I had a Samsung that lasted for over 7 years and never one single problem. Just a thought
ive heard that Motorola are pretty good also
You might be interested in our article about iPhone vs Android ?
Try to sell that 7 year old Samsung and see how much $$$ you get for it. That is the beauty of iPhones even a broken iPhone you still get money for it…
Not enough to cover a repair… And if it worked with no problem for 7 YEARS, the iphone might be worth the $
Got 2 replacements for faulty hardware and this second replacement now has a busted speaker. Brought to genius bar and was told it has water damage with none of the water indicators changing color and knowing for a fact this phone has never touched water.
i set my phone down next to my deep fryer and I think I got some grease into my speaker
My I phone 7 Started the exact same thing today.
My phone volume seems a lot quieter than normal. Volume is turned right up and apps like Netflix are really quiet and aren’t clear to hear at all. Typing and notification sounds are really quiet too. Any ideas? Really worried
My phone volume seems a lot quieter than normal. Volume is turned right up and apps like Netflix are really quiet and aren’t clear to hear at all. Typing and notification sounds are really quiet too. Any ideas? Really worried
My external speaker on my phone works but today my phone stopped audio when I was making a call. I can hear the phone ringing but as soon as I answer I can’t hear anything. If I ring someone I can’t hear the ringtone or them talking. I can’t select the speaker button and it doesn’t work with headphones. This affects all kinds of calls (phone, Facebook, watsapp). I can still play sound from my phone so seems to only affect actual calls. I’ve restarted my phone and updated software and it hasn’t worked.
Mine is doing the same thing …. Did you get yours fixed ?
Same with me. All sounds works, keyboard, music etc but nothing ringing, can’t hear when I answer & speaker isn’t active to use. So crazy!! Please post any info you find. Thanks!!
Hi, so my iphone 8’s sound recently stopped working a month ago. The volume bar even disappeared. I tried resetting my settings and pretty much everything else that you could do. also at the same time that happened my camera app stopped functioning as well. I could open it just fine but the area that shows what your filming would pulse and not allow me to take pictures at all. But just the other day all of a suddenly everything started working again. But today my phone died and everything went back to the way it was. I have no… Read more »
thank you SO much for this :))))))
I can hear through the phone but I can’t talk into it. When I’m on a call I can hear others but they can’t hear ne
So I’m going to try and have this make sense as I attempt to explain what’s going on. The past few months I have assumed that one of my speakers were busted, and I just assumed it was the bottom left speaker (which I found out today is a vent – thanks for that info btw) and that the top ear speaker was actually considered the right speaker (This I also found out today! What?! Who knew!). Anyway …… Siri does not understand me when I speak to her, neither does the ‘talk to text’ microphone on the keyboard. Also,… Read more »
mine does the same exact thing… did you figure out what is causing this nonsense.
If hardware problem on my iPhone X, would I still hear Spotify, and Siri(if I use the side button).
The speakers don’t work .I cleaned with drayer return working a while but don’t work again !how can i solve it ???
I have an iPhone 8 Plus
The right speaker works but no sound out of the left speaker. What could the problem be??
As it turns out, what you’re seeing on the left is not a speaker, but a barometric vent! There is nothing wrong with your speakers. I do agree though, it does look like a speaker.
Please help! I read your instructions and don’t know what else to do for my iPhone X. Speakers don’t work unless I reset all the settings. Then it works and I hear clicks and such when texting, with music. Then after a few hours it goes back to no sound again. What’s interesting is that when I use my wireless bluetooth headphones, I hear sounds just fine…same for bluetooth phone calls on my car speakers but if I answer on the iPhone, I can’t hear them although the other person can still hear me. In addition, i get these “phantom”… Read more »
Yeah, that’s not supposed to happen, is it? If I had to take a guess, I’d say that maybe there’s something wrong on the hardware side. IF you want to be absolutely sure it’s a software problem before you think about getting it repaired by a professional, look into doing a DFU restore. That will completely reload iOS on the device. If that doesn’t work, then you can pursue your repair options. Best of luck to you!
Hello David,
Your Information on the Iphone Speaker is excellent. Thank You