How to fix your microphone on iphone

Is the microphone on your iPhone not working as intended? Or, does your voice sound muffled during voice calls and video calls? There are several factors that could hamper the performance of your iPhone’s microphone, so let’s take look at how to resolve what can be a frustrating issue.

Although microphone problems are often hardware-related, software issues and changes to the settings on your iPhone can also stop it from working like it normally does. Sometimes, you may have trouble getting your microphone to work with a specific app. Or in some other situations, it could also be due to the simple fact that your iPhone is connected to a nearby Bluetooth device, or even plugged into a set of hardware headphones. Regardless, this is pretty easy to diagnose and resolve in most cases, so there’s nothing to worry about.

If you’re one of those unlucky iOS users who’re facing issues with the built-in microphone, don’t fret. In this article, we’ll be walking you through steps to troubleshoot and fix possible microphone-related problems on your iPhone, but the same tips would apply to iPad too.

How to Fix & Troubleshoot Microphone on iPhone

Regardless of what iPhone model you currently own, you can follow these basic troubleshooting methods when the integrated stereo microphone on your device stops working for some reason.

1. Clean Your Microphone

The first basic thing you need to do when your microphone stops working properly is to check the microphone grill at the bottom of your iPhone. See if there’s any sort of dust accumulation and clean the debris with a toothbrush or cotton swab if necessary.

If your iPhone got wet in the rain recently, or if you accidentally dropped it in the sink, place your iPhone with the speaker side facing down to drain excess water and then let it dry for a bit.

2. Disconnect All Bluetooth Devices

Now that you have a feeling it’s not a hardware-related issue, you’ll need to make sure that you’re not connected to any of the nearby Bluetooth devices. This is because connections to nearby Bluetooth speakers, headphones, and other devices can disable the built-in microphone on your iPhone and use the microphone on the Bluetooth peripheral instead. To do this, head over to the iOS Control Center and tap on the Bluetooth toggle once, if it’s enabled. This will disconnect you from all Bluetooth devices for 24 hours.

3. Disable Phone Noise Cancellation

This is a feature that’s enabled by default on all iPhones. It intends to reduce ambient noise on phone calls when you’re holding the receiver to your ear. Try disabling this feature and see if it resolves your microphone issue for now. To do this, head over to Settings -> General -> Accessibility -> Audio/Visual.

4. Enable Microphone for Specific Apps

If you’re only having microphone issues with a certain app, chances are, the app lacks permissions to access your microphone. This can be quickly resolved by going to Settings -> Privacy -> Microphone. Just use the toggle to give microphone permissions for the app that you’re trying to use.

If you have previously blocked microphone access for websites or for specific apps, this may be the problem.

5. Disconnect All Hardware from iPhone

If you have a physical set of headphones or speakers plugged into the iPhone (or iPad), try disconnecting those. Some iPhone headphones, like the earbuds, have built-in microphones, which are very convenient to use, but occasionally that headphone-set microphone can become damaged or dirty itself, and make the microphone not pickup audio, or sound muffled. This is an easy thing to check, so just unplug headphones if they’re plugged in and try again.

6. Reset All Settings

Consider this to be your last resort, because it’s a nuisance. Try resetting your iPhone to its factory default settings and see if that resolves your microphone issues. To do this, head over to Settings -> General -> Reset and tap on “Reset All Settings”. Although this doesn’t wipe all the data or apps installed on your iPhone, it will remove all your saved Wi-Fi passwords.

By now, you should’ve resolved the issues you were facing with the built-in microphone on your iPhone.

6: Force Reboot

If none of the above steps worked in your instance, you can try restarting or force restarting your iPhone and see if that fixes the issue. Most minor software-related bugs and glitches can be resolved by restarting your device. Keep in mind that a force reboot is different from a regular restart and requires a combination of key presses.

For iPhones with home buttons, you can force reboot by simply hold the power button and home button simultaneously until you see the Apple logo on the screen. For iPhones with Face ID, you can press the volume up button first, followed by the volume down button, and then hold the side/power button until you see the Apple logo.

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Still can’t get your iPhone’s microphone to work? Well, at this point it’s time to contact Apple Support or figure out how to talk to a live agent at Apple for further assistance and try to resolve the problem at the earliest.

We really hope you managed to get your iPhone’s microphone working properly again. Which of the troubleshooting methods we discussed here worked for you? If not, did you get in touch with Apple Support? Do share your personal experience in the comments section down below.

Related

If the Microphone on your iPhone is not working properly, you should be able to fix the problem using tips as provided below.

Microphone Not Working on iPhone

The current models of iPhone are equipped with 2 Front facing Microphones placed near the front speaker grill and 1 Rear Facing Microphone placed near the Rear Camera.

Once you are familiar with the placement of Microphones, you are in good shape to follow troubleshooting steps as listed below to fix the problem of iPhone Microphone not working.

1. Check iPhone Cover

If you are using a third party cover, make sure that the cover fits your device properly and it has the right openings for all the speakers on your iPhone.

The openings at the bottom of the cover need to be perfectly aligned and not covering or blocking the microphone in any way.

2. Clean Microphones

If your iPhone is suffering from muffed or low voice, the problem could be due to one or more of its Microphones being blocked by dirt or dust particles.

You can use any soft brush or a toothbrush to clean the top, bottom and the rear microphone on your iPhone.

Make sure you are not using excessive force or pressure while cleaning. Also, do not try to insert a toothpick or any other sharp object into the microphone.

3. Restart iPhone

Sometimes, the problem is due to stuck processes and unexplained minor glitches. This can be fixed by res

Go to Settings > General > scroll down and tap on Shut Down. On the next screen, use the slider to Power OFF iPhone.

Allow iPhone to completely Power OFF > After 30 seconds, restart iPhone by pressing the Power button.

4. Allow Apps to Access Microphone

If you are facing problems while using WhatsApp, Skype or FaceTime, the problem is usually due to these VOIP Apps lacking the permission to access the Microphone on your device.

Go to Settings > Privacy > Microphone and Enable Microphone Access to the required App.

After this, make a call using the VOIP App that you were having problems with and check if the Microphone is now working.

5. Disconnect Bluetooth Devices

The problem could be due to iPhone being connected to AirPods, Wireless headphones, Car’s infotainment system or to External Bluetooth speakers.

Go to Settings > Bluetooth > move the toggle next to Bluetooth to OFF position.

If you do not want to turn OFF Bluetooth, you can individually disconnect Bluetooth devices connected to your device by tapping on the i icon located next to the Bluetooth device.

6. Update iPhone

Make sure iPhone is up to date with the latest Software updates by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

On the next screen, tap on Install (if an Update is available).

7. Disable Noice Cancellation

Noise Cancellation, is enabled by default on iPhone to reduce ambient noise while the user is holding the receiver to ear.

While this works well in most situations, it can impact voice quality if you are using iPhone in speaker mode and lying on a couch or bed while speaking.

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Visual and switch OFF Noise Cancellation.

After this, call someone to check if the microphone is now working properly. If not, make sure you re-enable Noise Cancellation.

8. Reset All Settings

If above methods did not help, you can try to Reset All Settings on your iPhone to Factory Default Settings and see if this helps in fixing the problem.

Before going ahead with this step, make sure that you remember or note down the Password for your WiFi Network.

Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset. On the pop-up, select Reset All Settings option.

After iPhone restarts, rejoin WiFi Network and see if the Microphone is now working properly.

9. Check Microphones

You can check the Front Microphone by recording a short selfie video and check the rear Microphone by recording a video using the main or the back camera on your iPhone.

To check the bottom Microphone, open Voice Memo App on your iPhone and record a short voice note holding the bottom microphone close to your mouth.

If the voice is cracking, fading or breaking in any of these videos, you need to get the Microphone on your iPhone examined by Apple Support or any other trained technician.

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