Speakerphone not working - Apple Community

Level 1

4 points

Jul 20, 2010 7:03 AM in response to chrisam143

I had this problem too and ended up getting a replacement. The 'genius' was reticent to talk about the problem happening with others. They did a reset/restore which didn't clear things up and then pulled a new phone.

Curious bit - the phone was not in retail packaging - its hard to imagine that they have cycled very much reconditioned inventory already. Anyway the replacement seems to work fine although I learned the hard way that when you restore from your PC that any new photos taken are lost in the process.

I really wish Apple would consider a removable memory card.....

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Mr.C UK

Level 2

410 points

Jul 20, 2010 7:10 AM in response to uttrekr

Apple never replace hardware with retail stock when it comes to warranty related replacements. They always use brown box stock which is usually just the hardware itself and doesn't include anything else that normally accompanies retail stock. Whether these are new or refurbished products I couldn't say. I don't think it's ever been confirmed officially if they use refurbished items.

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armenjc

Level 1

5 points

Jul 31, 2010 3:31 AM in response to chrisam143

Same problem. For 2 days now, no one on the other line can hear my voice when I use the speaker phone. Also, when recording video, the volume in some cases is extremely low. Much lower than when I first bought the phone. I can take 3 videos in a row and two of them may be normal volume. I hope Apple recognizes this as big a problem as the antenna fiasco.

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Aug 3, 2010 4:54 AM in response to armenjc

This just happened to me yesterday....all of the sudden the mic used for FaceTime, speakerphone and video recording stopped working (well not completely stopped, but attenuated the signal so badly that you could barely hear it). The mic used for normal calls and voice memos worked fine. I took it to the Apple store and the tried a couple of things (restarting, "hard" restart, restore) and nothing seemed to work....so they replaced it. I wish I could say that this is an isolated incident, but there were 2 other customers there because their iPhone 4 mics were messed up 😟

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Techwiz

Level 1

0 points

Aug 4, 2010 6:21 PM in response to Keytoe

I have the same problem "and" I went to the apple store and got a replacement. In 2 days, the same speakerphone problem. If the noise cancelling sw is the problem, Apple needs to fix it!! Thus far, the iPhone 4 has been a bust for me and a total embarrassment for Apple. Below is my running list of iPhone 4 issues:

1. Antenna issues. Lucky me, I now "have to" have a case.
2. Proximity sensor. My face mutes and hangs up calls regularly.
3. Speakerphone just not working which means video / memo notes also not working.
4. Acelerometer not working correctly. If you launch a video while the phone is in landscape mode, it will not auto-rotate. You have to stand the phone up in portait mode and then turn back to landscape for the acelerometer to kick in and rotate the video orientation.
5. Touch sensativity when trying to move an app from one page to another on the iPhone. I have found times where once I go into wiggle mode, I am pushing to go to the next screen it simply will not do it. I have to play with it more more than I had to on the 3G or 3GS.

If not for the easy of itunes and mobile me, I would move to another phone. Still the best "integrated game in town". I hope apple corrects all these problems.

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copper01

Level 1

0 points

Aug 10, 2010 12:50 PM in response to chrisam143

I too am having a speaker problem, people can't hear me when i call them and i have to put it on speakerphone just to have a conversation! This is my 2nd iphone 4 so no way can it just be a one off.
It is really starting to p1$$ me off and i think i'm going to ask for my money back and get something else if they can't sort ASAP!

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Oct 29, 2010 2:51 PM in response to chrisam143

Hey guys,

I don't know if this issued has been solved or if anyone has solved it on their own, but for some reason, I believe it is software, people can't hear me when I put them on speaker-phone and also when I try to record a video sound is extremely low.

What I have found out though is that phone calls and audio on video recordings still work when I use them with the Apple headphones/mic that was provided with the iPhone 4. When I make a video recording while wearing the headphones and then removing the headphones and playing the video on the phone's speaker sound comes out loud and clear.

Again I believe this is a software issue does anyone know if Apple is working on this?

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Tom078

Level 1

0 points

Jul 5, 2011 10:03 PM in response to chrisam143

Same problem here folks and I just solved it! No need to swap phones etc..

I originally thought it to be a software problem too, very faint audio on my iPhone 4 when using the mic on top of the phone for speaker and video. I too tried compressed air to no avail, so for the heck of it I just stuck the absolute SMALLEST, TINIEST gauge wire ever...I mean like the size of a human hair but more rigid (ideally like a fine strand that would be braided into a copper wire) and while looking through a magnifying glass put it into the mic hole on top of the phone next to the headphone jack and swished it around and - PERFECT audio on speaker and video!!!! To test that it worked, just film a video of yourself speaking and play it back and it should work. I keep the phone in my pocket and the smallest piece of dust or anything microscopic getting stuck in that mic hole will cancel out your incoming audio and make it sound real faint. This problem has been bothering me for months, and on multiple iPhone 4s. From the looks of your posts, it is common so skip the trip into apple for a refurb fru phone and use the smallest gauge strand that you can find and you will be all set. Your welcome!

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Jul 16, 2011 9:40 PM in response to Munak

My name is Farhan.. My speaker phone is also not working and i purchased from Saudi Arabia now returned back to Pakistan. Now again i am looking for someone to return it back in Saudi Arabia from the vendors. Its shocking that its speakers does not work

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Tom078

Level 1

0 points

Jul 16, 2011 10:21 PM in response to Lostmymind

To Lostmymind and others:

The reason your voice isn't getting picked up for speakerphone and videos is because those features employ a different microphone than the one being used in voice calls. The mic giving u the problem is on the top of the phone near the headset jack (microscopic) it's clogged see my above method to clear it(not compressed air it just jams the debribin farther). I successfully fixed mine several times, along with many other iPhones, it was driving me crazy! Guaranteed to work...

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Sep 2, 2011 5:39 PM in response to Tom078

Tom078, right on the money. Unclogged the mic at the top of my wife's phone using your method and presto....calls with speaker turned on, crystal clear again. Thank you. Saved me a 2 hr round trip to the nearest apple store.

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Sep 12, 2011 11:43 AM in response to Tom078

Tom, i had the same problem, and voila! perfect working microphone after using a tiny wire to clear out top mic hole. thanx again. i'm surprised the aftermarket case makers haven't put a cap or something to cover the headphone jack and mic when not in use. many people, myself included put their phones in their pockets occasionally, and they're a magnet for dust. trouble is, now that i've pushed whatever was blocking the mic into the phone, how long will it be before it rears its ugly head again. my wife and I love facetiming our grandkids, and we've actually used a landline for audio while facetiming. not anymore!

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crea2k

Level 1

8 points

Oct 24, 2011 8:15 AM in response to stevefromfarmingdale

That fix worked perfectly for me too, I had 100% zero sound before the fix, found a very small fine pin and picked away at the grime in the tiny hole next to the headphone jack, then used a hoover to suck away anything left, if you pick at it to loosen it up until it starts to fall apart, but not push it in further you can actually suck it out with a hoover, this gets rid of it for good instead of a temp fix by poking it and pushing itwards. That is certainly the problem though, they have made the hole so small that it easily gets full of gunk.

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jcs2000

Level 1

14 points

Nov 21, 2011 5:26 PM in response to Tom078

Want again to thank Tom078. He was right on the money in terms of cleaning out the microphone to fix the speakerphone issue. I have found that using a 30g needle (the size diabetics use to inject insulin) is a perfect fit. As creak2k says, be delicate--don't jab aggressively.

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goskid

Level 1

0 points

Jan 25, 2012 1:23 PM in response to chrisam143

A HUGE thank you to Tom078!!!! Your idea worked for me too! I have been so frustrated working with Apple support to try to get this problem resolved. Their solution was to restore the phone, which did nothing. I took a small pin and very softly scraped out the debris from the tiny hole next to the headphone jack. My speakerphone, Facetime and video recording all work perfectly now! So simple... why don't the Apple support staff know these kinds of things??? Anyway, I am very grateful that you took the time to share this info on this message board!

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