My voice breaks up on iPhone 11 Pro calls — sometimes

On some calls but not all, the person I am speaking with will tell me I sound like I’m breaking up. When I remove my wired earphones and talk directly into the phone, my voice is clear.


I have had this in the past and know it can be caused by a dusty headphone jack. I have tried to clear out dust from the jack, but don’t see any.


This happens with two different earphones, one of which was brand new. So it’s not an earphone microphone problem.


My software is up to date. It doesn’t happen on every call. I will sometimes have long calls where my voice is clear. Then all of a sudden it becomes broken up.


Any suggestions for what to look at? The Apple phone support rep suggested I try removing the case. I have an OtterBox case so will see if removing it makes a difference.



iPhone 11 Pro, iOS 13

Posted on Jun 14, 2020 5:38 AM

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Posted on Jul 28, 2020 9:36 AM

Thanks for reminding me to follow up with this. It's resolved.


The real breakthrough was when I sounded distant/like I was talking through a speaker even using a Bluetooth headset. That ruled out the headphone jack and my wired headphones.


The rep suggested doing a restore, but being sure not to back up from my iTunes backup (to prevent putting any corrupted software back on the device), but instead restoring from scratch.


First I restored from scratch without adding my settings (backed up to iCloud). No problems. Then I added my iCloud backup to restore settings and things have been fine.


Since then I've had hours and hours of calls with the phone in my pocket and in a case, and have recorded many test voice memos, and have had no issues.

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Jul 28, 2020 9:36 AM in response to Carlu1214

Thanks for reminding me to follow up with this. It's resolved.


The real breakthrough was when I sounded distant/like I was talking through a speaker even using a Bluetooth headset. That ruled out the headphone jack and my wired headphones.


The rep suggested doing a restore, but being sure not to back up from my iTunes backup (to prevent putting any corrupted software back on the device), but instead restoring from scratch.


First I restored from scratch without adding my settings (backed up to iCloud). No problems. Then I added my iCloud backup to restore settings and things have been fine.


Since then I've had hours and hours of calls with the phone in my pocket and in a case, and have recorded many test voice memos, and have had no issues.

Oct 4, 2020 6:00 PM in response to sathishchenna

I see this issue only when I have my mobile case on. Particularly, the case that I was using was covering up left mic, only right one was open and available. When I dial in, people used to complain that I’m breaking up (happens only when my voice overlaps with them). And, removing my mobile case worked for me, no more voice breaking. I have got a different case which had slots open for both left and right mics. I don’t have this problem any more. So, I suggest you to get rid of your existing mobile case and try without that and if it works get a new case and enjoy. Hope this helps at least a few folks.

Oct 7, 2020 7:45 AM in response to sathishchenna

Great news guys, I think I figured it out. After having this issue with two iPhones, the 11 and the 11 pro max I figured out that It has something to do with the noise cancellation settings. If your turn that off, it would alleviate the cutting in and out.


Settings>Accessibility>Audio/Visual, then turn noise cancellation off.


This worked for me 👍🏾

Sep 30, 2020 2:58 PM in response to Nazarethii

Hi everyone. A lot of follow-ups since I resolved this for myself--again the fix that worked for me was to do a restore of the iOS from iTunes. I have not had the problem since. No guarantee it will work for everyone but since the problem happened even with Bluetooth headphones it was clearly not a headphone port issue.

Jul 7, 2020 5:47 PM in response to RKNYC

Update with lots of new info after extensive testing.


Summary: voice quality greatly degrades when iPhone 11 Pro is in my shorts pocket as opposed to holding it in my hand.


This happens without a case on.

it happens with Bluetooth as well as wired headphones (so the issue is not the headphone port)

It happens with Voice Memos (so the issue is not my cell or wifi connection).

it is replicable and consistent.

Checked all Accessibility settings and they are standard.


To see if the phone was changing the microphone in use, I recorded Voice Memos and tapped on different mics. With wired earphones, only my tapping on the microphone on the earphones was audible. So the phone appears to be using the headset mic when this problem occurs.


Speaking with Apple tomorrow, will update with any resolution.



Jun 24, 2020 10:11 AM in response to RKNYC

Update: the voice audio problems happened again with the Apple silicone case. After a few hours of calls without problems, I was talking to someone and then he said “you’re breaking up.” I removed the case, and he said I sounded dramatically better.


I called support and the rep I spoke to is sending my ticket to engineering and will follow up with me next week. To review what the problem is not:


Not dust in headphone jack —no dust is there, and the problem is only very sporadic and unpredictable


Not the headphones I was using— it happens with both the Apple headphones that came with the phone and the extra I bought


Not my location — it has happened in multiple locations at home and around my area


Not a Verizon network issue — again 98% of calls are fine and the issue immediately resolved when the case is removed


I’ll report back with further details when I can. Any suggestions also welcome.

Sep 17, 2020 11:26 PM in response to nkbaur

For me the issue stopped. The only action I took was to get a new phone case (I ordered a slim case from Pela) but I can’t be sure that solved the problem because I never know what goes into the software updates that install overnight. I can’t imagine it was truly the fault of the case, but worth a shot if anyone is desperate to resolve the problem!

Aug 28, 2020 8:40 AM in response to RKNYC

I bought the Apple iPhone 11 Pro and with every phone call I had, people said that the car was breaking up although I could not hear it. I would have three or four bars. After numerous calls to my cell phone carrier and two to Apple, I was sent a new iPhone 11 Pro. I still have the exact same issues. The last thing that I tried was a new Sim card and that did not help. I am very disappointed that there is no solution for this issue. And it is so frustrating as I use my phone for work like most people these days. I have done every reset, Went through every step multiple times and nothing fixes the problem. It is also not a cell phone tower issue is that was checked as well. I’ve taken to using Facebook messenger to talk to people now because this phone won’t work right. It has a fantastic camera which is why I bought it. I am hoping the 12 comes out before my one year exchange opportunity ends. I do not recommend this phone.

Sep 16, 2020 7:24 AM in response to RKNYC

I am having the same issue. I use speaker phone almost 100% of the time and upgraded from an 8plus to an 11 pro max. Every time I use facetime or the speaker phone, people tell me I'm breaking up. When I take them off of speaker phone, they tell me the sound is clear. Verizon replaced the first phone and the issue is still happening. Apple ran diagnostics and said there were no issues. Verizon then replaced the SIM card and that did not resolve the issue. There has to be some sort of software or hardware issue within this phone that is causing this. Has anyone been able to resolve this issue successfully? This is so frustrating.

Jul 28, 2020 9:27 AM in response to RKNYC

Thank you for your extensive research. Please keep us posted if you find a resolution. I saw some other posters ended up just trading the whole device in for a new one.


Pretty frustrating problem while in the work from home environment asthis is my only way to communicate with my coworkers. Also, for how much this brand new phone cost, the LEAST it could do is handle PHONE CALLS properly! Seems like table stakes to me...

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My voice breaks up on iPhone 11 Pro calls — sometimes

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