Are you going through an issue where the sound of your iPhone suddenly stops working? This may become noticeable during calls, playing games, or when listening to music. Often, this happens due to a software bug or changes in settings on your end. In this guide, we will explain what you need to do when sound is not working on your iPhone.
Table of Contents
1. Check the Volume Level
To begin with, double-check the volume level on your iPhone. If you have already taken care of that, also examine your phone case. We have read many stories where, because of the case, volume buttons are inadvertently pressed while in the pocket, causing the phone sound to go mute.
2. Clean Your Speaker and Headphone Jack
Often, dust and debris that build up over time in your iPhone’s speaker grill and headphone jack can cause the sound to stop working. Perhaps cleaning both the components may help you fix the audio issue on your iPhone. To do so, you can use household items, such as a toothbrush, cotton bud, or soft brush.
3. Restart Your iPhone
If, even after cleaning the speakers, the sound issue persists, consider restarting your iPhone. This action can resolve potential conflicts between apps or the operating system, allowing your speaker to function normally upon boot up. You can also refer to our guide on how to restart an iPhone in 4 different ways.
4. Check Your Sound Profile
If media or game sound is functioning normally, but there is no sound during incoming calls or app notifications, it’s possible that your sound profile is set to silent or Do Not Disturb (DND) mode. Here’s how to check:
To check if your iPhone is in Silent mode, check the Alert Slider status on the side of your iPhone. If you see the orange color, it indicates that the phone is in silent mode. Simply slide the slider upward, and your phone will be in ringing mode, restoring sound for your calls and notifications.
Additionally, it’s important to verify the volume level on your iPhone. Even if the Alert Slider is in Ring mode, you may not hear any sound if the volume has been set to zero. To check that, navigate to Settings > Sounds & Haptics. If you see the Ringtone and Alerts volume level set to low or zero, use the slider to increase the volume. Also, ensure the Change with Buttons toggle is disabled so that you don’t accidentally silence the iPhone.
As for checking whether the iPhone is in DND mode, swipe down from the top right corner of your screen to open the Control Center and then tap the Focus tile.
Now if you see the “On” status over the Do Not Disturb tile, simply tap on it to disable the DND mode.
TIP: Learn what happens when your phone is in DND mode
5. Check In-App Sound Settings
There are numerous apps and games available that allow you to adjust the volume independently within the application, without affecting the overall system volume. As shown in the screenshot below, the game I am currently playing has its volume set to low or zero, despite my iPhone volume being at maximum.
Therefore, make sure to verify whether you’ve unintentionally altered the in-app sound settings when watching a video, listening to music, or playing games on your iPhone.
TIP: Apple Music not working on iPhone? Here’s how to fix it.
6. Reinstall the App
If the sound is not working in a particular app on iPhone, there may be an issue with the app itself. It’s common for an app to have a bug, and updating it often resolves the issue. However, if that doesn’t fix the problem, you can reinstall the app from the App Store.
In case you don’t know how to uninstall an app, just tap and hold an app for a few seconds until a menu shows up, and then select the Remove App option.
TIP: Learn what happens when you reinstall an app on iPhone.
7. Turn Off Bluetooth
There’s a possibility that your iPhone has automatically connected to a Bluetooth device, such as headphones, speakers, or earbuds, causing you to not hear any sound. It’s also possible that the volume on the Bluetooth device is set to mute. Therefore, disable the Bluetooth on your iPhone to check if this resolves the sound-related issue on your device.
8. Check Notification Settings
If you are experiencing issues with notification sounds, it is likely that you have not granted notification access to the app or disabled the sound for notifications. You can check this by navigating to Settings > Notifications and selecting the specific app where the sound is not working.
In the screenshot below, you can see that the Facebook app has notification access, but the Sounds option is disabled. This is the reason why there is no sound when receiving a notification.
Enable the Sounds option to see if this fixes the notification sound not working on the iPhone issue.
9. Reset All Settings
We’ve observed that improper system configurations sometimes can cause a device to behave abnormally. This may be the case with your iPhone as well. We recommend resetting all your settings on your phone to see if this resolves the sound issue. To do so, follow the below instructions:
1. Launch the iPhone Settings app and then navigate to General > Transfer or Resest iPhone option.
2. Next, hit the Reset option and select the Reset All Settings option.
3. If asked enter the passcode and hit the Reset All Settings option again to confirm your decision.
After that, your iPhone will restart and it should most likely fix the ongoing sound issue with your iPhone.
TIP: Learn what happens when you reset an iPhone
10. Update Your iPhone
It’s possible that your iPhone sound is not working because of a bug in the iOS. Usually, Apple is quick to address such issues and delivers an update as soon as possible. So you can try checking for the new updates for your iPhone. To do so, go to Settings > General > Software Update.
If the update is available, hit the Install Now button. Hopefully, this will fix the sound issue on your iPhone.
11. Factory Reset Your iPhone
If resetting the settings or updating the iPhone doesn’t resolve the sound issue, the final troubleshooting step would be to perform a factory reset on your iPhone. This step should most likely address any persistent software glitches or configuration issues causing the sound problem and restore your device to its default settings.
NOTE: Resetting your iPhone will erase all media, content, and settings from it. Therefore, back up your files before proceeding.
Here’s how to factory reset your iPhone:
1. Navigate to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
2. Next, tap on the Erase All Content and Settings option and then tap Continue.
3. Enter the passcode, and on the following screen, it will back up all your data to iCloud. You can either wait for it to complete or choose the Skip Backup option.
4. Lastly, enter your Apple ID password and then select the Erase iPhone option to confirm your decision.
FAQs
1. How can I prevent iPhone sound problems from happening in the future?
You don’t need to engage in any high-tech stuff; simply keep your speaker grill, earpiece speaker, and headphone jack clean. Ensure your iPhone is up to date and exercise caution when adjusting system settings.
2. Why can’t I hear calls on my iPhone?
You may have accidentally muted the call volume, or unknowingly connected to a Bluetooth device during a call and that’s the reason you can’t hear anything while being on a call. If you want to dive further into this issue, you can check out our comprehensive guide on 9 fixes for ear speakers not working on an iPhone.
3. Why is my iPhone making a distorted sound?
There are several factors that can contribute to distorted sound on your iPhone. Some common issues include corrupted audio files, a loose audio jack connection, wireless interference with Bluetooth audio peripherals, or software glitches.
Let’s Make Some Noise
The above solutions should help you address the sound not working on the iPhone issue. However, if the speaker itself is damaged, none of the above solutions would be able to resolve the issue. In such cases, the only option remaining for you is to visit the nearest Apple-authorized service center to have your iPhone checked and get the speaker replaced.
Since we’re on the topic of sound, is Apple Music not working on your iPhone? Here’s how to fix it.
