iPhone Microphone Not Working – How To Fix It

If the iPhone microphone not working, a lot of important phone activities will be disturbed. For instance, people cannot hear you during a phone call, FaceTime chat, etc. Also, when you are recording videos, there will be no sound. How to get rid of this annoying issue? There are a couple of things to try, all are pretty simple, including restarting your iPhone, cleaning the mic and the headphone jack, and updating the software. Without further ado, let’s move to the solutions.

Solutions To Fix iPhone Microphone Not Working Issue

Test the microphone

Before we go any further trying to do some troubleshooting technique, let test your iPhone microphone first. There are different ways to do that.

Using Voice Memos

Open the Voice Memos app that you can find on the Home screen.
Make sure your fingers aren’t covering the microphone.
Tap the record icon (the red circle) and start speaking. Once you finish recording your voice tap the red button.
Now, playback the recording voice by tapping the play icon next to the red button. Make sure you can hear your own recording voice clearly.

Siri

Try to access Siri and ask something. Press the Home button a bit longer until Siri shows up. Try to speak to Siri and ask her anything. If Siri doesn’t answer your request or question correctly, try again with a louder voice.

Use Camera app or FaceTime

You can also use the video feature on the Camera app or FaceTime to record the audio. Launch the Camera app and set it to Video. Then, record your voice and playback to check if you can hear your voice clearly or not.

Remove iPhone case

Try to remove your iPhone case, screen protector, and else that might cover iPhone speakers and iSight mic. Test your iPhone microphone following the above-mentioned steps.

Turn off Noise Cancelation

Phone Noise Cancelation is a useful feature you can find on your iPhone. It can help to reduce the surrounding noise when you are making a phone call. To turn off it, navigate to Settings and tap General. Then, select Accessibility, scroll down and you will find Phone Noise Cancelation. If you see the green button next to it, just tap it to turn it off.

Restart iPhone

The restarting process can kill the app that has a bug or keeps freezing. In many cases, iPhone issues can be solved by simply restarting the device. To do so, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until you see the red slider and slide to the right to turn it off. Wait for a few seconds, then turn it back on by pressing the same button until you see the Apple logo.

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Clean the microphone

If dust or dirt is covering your iPhone microphone, it can affect the quality of sound received by the microphone. It can block the sound to reach the microphone. You can clean it by using a dust blower to get rid of the dust from there. Moreover, you can also use a toothpick or needle to get off the dirt but do it gently and carefully.

Check headphone jack

Remove the headphone accessory from your iPhone and make sure there is nothing inside the headphone jack. You can clean it to make sure no dirt and dust are blocking it. Use the same tools and technique we mentioned before in the solution “Clean the microphone”.

Check iPhone Microphone Settings

If the issue happens only when you use certain apps, check your iPhone microphone settings. Make sure the apps have permission to access the microphone. Open Settings >> Privacy >> tap Microphone.

Update iOS

Check if there is a new update for iOS on your iPhone. Head to Settings >> General >> Software Update. If there is a new iOS update, it’s recommended to download it. This act may help you to resolve iPhone mic, not working issues. To get the update, simply tap “Install” on the Software Update window.

Reset All Settings

If you have done all the solutions above and the microphone won’t work on iPhone, try to reset all settings. This method will reset all the settings of your iPhone, including iPhone microphone settings. The steps are so easy. Hit Settings >> General >> scroll down and select Reset. Then, choose Reset All Settings. You may need to enter your passcode before continuing the process. Then tap Reset All Settings on a popup window.

Erase iPhone

If Reset All Settings didn’t fix your iPhone microphone not working issue, try to erase your iPhone. This technique will not only reset all of iPhone settings but also the apps and contents inside. That’s why it’s advisable to back up your data first before starting the process. To erase iPhone, navigate to Settings >> General >> Reset >> Reset All Contents and Settings >> enter a passcode >> on a popup window, tap Erase iPhone.

Restore iPhone

You can restore your iPhone to factory settings using iTunes. You will need a computer to do this method and also a good Internet connection. Here are the steps:

Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes.
Connect iPhone to Mac/PC.
Launch iTunes.
Hit Restore iPhone in the Summary panel.
Click Restore to confirm your action.
Let the process to complete.

These problems/solutions are found and effective on iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, and iPhone 7 Plus.

If the iPhone microphone not working even though you have tried all of the solutions we listed above, contact Apple or visit one of their stores.