iPhone 12 Pro - Voice breaking up on calls

I bought my iPhone 11 Pro Max when it first released in 2019. I have had this issue since then. There are 2 ways I have found to avoid this issue.

1. talk on the phone with headphones (I use my AirPods)
2. my sister actually discovered this method; when you are speaking to someone on the phone and they tell you they cannot hear you because you are “breaking up” if the person that cannot hear you, mutes their phones, the audio will come across clearly on their end…

I think that this proves this is NOT a network issue, it is an iPhone issue, and I can attest to the fact that I have been dealing with this for 2 years. I did not have this issue until I upgraded to the 11.

I am sorry to jump in, however I have been trying to fix the same problem on my iPhone 11 pro max. I have called Verizon, my provider and reset my network and everything they thought should fix the problem. Today after a successful couple of calls I was informed AGAIN, that I am breaking up and they could hardly make out what I was saying. My wife has the same phone with the Same problem and we also followed the identical procedures to fix hers with the same results-people still complaining she is breaking up!!! So frustrated as this has been a ongoing problem for awhile with numerous people complaining about it but Apple does not show many of them on their sites. Everyone keeps pointing fingers at the someone else without anyone able/willing(?) to actually fit it. Very frustrated.

Since this page is getting a little bit long, i’d like to try to at least keep track of some of the solutions, possibly put them in one place so that someone can have a quick work around or fix, I’m not excusing the fact that there is a problem, but it might help somebody to show some workarounds or possible solutions.

work arounds to try until Apple or somebody finally figures this thing out. These are only meant as short-term fixes as in you’re working from home and you don’t have time to reset your phone today from scratch using your computer.

1. One person noted that if they used their earbuds that seemed to clear it up. (Personal on other end can hear you clearly).
2. another workaround that I have used and it works so far is to enable Wi-Fi calling on my iPad (Once enabled you can make calls using the FaceTime app, you just hit audio call symbol instead of the FaceTime symbol shown under peoples info).

possible fixes

1. One person mentioned that if you do an entire update using your computer instead of doing it over the phone to the latest iOS it is supposedly more complete and they said it seemed to be working for them, this would possibly be a fix if there was something corrupted in the iOS.
2. Another person mentioned getting a new Sim card from your carrier, many of us seem to be on AT&T and Verizon might be worth a try if nothing else works?

sorry if I missed any but I I did a quick read of all four pages.

thanks for any updates or other fixes or workarounds.

OK quick "conspiracy theory". The iPhone is basically a radio. A handheld radio displaying the same issue results from the receiving part being fine, it could receive transmissions from a strong radio miles away (ie a cell mast). But if its transmitting power is weak, the cell mast won't get all of the transmissions from the radio (iPhone). Have Apple weakened the transmitting power of its later phones to avoid possible health litigation, the same way that my iPhone keeps telling me to turn the volume down because I've had it too loud for too long? The latter is incredibly irritating, not least because they're not interested in my health directly, just worried about being sued. Could someone with the right equipment measure this?

Settings < Cellular < Cellular Data Options < Voice & Data.

From there you can see that your phone is on 5G Auto, trying to switch to 5G during a phone call which makes our voice breaks up. I switched it to 5G On and since then I had no issue. Still can’t believe that apple is completely oblivious to this. Hope you read this and test it out yourself.

If you have a distorted Sound issue on your iPhone --> If you hear no sound or distorted sound from your iPhone, iPad

If you are not able to hear the other person, click this...>If you can't hear a person on a call or voicemail or if the sound isn't ...

If you only hear through speakerphone mode --> If your iPhone is stuck in headphone mode - Apple Support

If the other person is not able to listen to you then please click this--> If the microphones on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch aren't ...

If the above options do not mitigate the issues then Contact your carrier and then Contact Apple Support

Call Failed or Dropped Calls

In telecommunications, the dropped-call / Call-Failed rate (DCR) is the fraction of the telephone calls which, due to technical reasons, were cut off before the speaking parties had finished their conversational tone and before one of them had hung up (dropped calls or Call Failed). This fraction is usually measured as a percentage of all calls.

5 Reasons Your Phone Keeps Dropping Calls or encounter Call Failed.

1. Your Signal Is Weak.
2. It's Raining (Cats & Dog)
3. The Cell Tower Is Overloaded / Heavy Traffic (Telecommunication)
4. You've Misunderstood Your Signal Strength
5. You are moving and the signal weakens while changing from one tower to another

Options Are...

• Turn on Airplane mode, wait for 10-15 secs and turn off airplane mode.
• Restart your iPhone (Restart your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support)
• Force Restart your iPhone )Force restart iPhone - Apple Support)
• Check you Battery health
• Take the SIM out and Put it back again
• Change you SIM, if it is damaged
• Time to contact your Carrier / Change if required

Usually cheap phones demonstrate these behaviour because often they employ low-quality antennas that are vastly inferior to more expensive components, and at times battery quality impacts signal strength, too. And if you still encounter problems, calling your carrier's tech support line may offer clues as to reasons for your call failure or dropped calls.

Make a call with Wi-Fi Calling - Apple Support

So I have to bring my NEW Iphone 13 pro max to a repair shop ? Since day 1 with my phone I have not had a single good phone call with someone. I simply cannot use my phone as a phone since everybody on the other end keeps saying that I am breaking up no matter what day/time it is, its always like this. I can’t even use my new phone as a phone this is very frustrating and only makes me wanna go back to android.

The same thing started with me about two weeks ago. My iPhone 12 Pro max had been fine for months up until then. I can now only use FaceTime audio for calls. Got no help from provider (Verizon). If you find any answers, please pass them on. Thanks!

I’ve got same issue with iPhone 12 Pro & contacted Apple several times. Changes sim 3 times, even tried a different network sim and the problem persists. Finally Apple has admitted that iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro devices may experience sound issues due to a component that might fail on the receiver module. Affected devices were manufactured between October 2020 and April 2021. iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro Service Programme for No Sound Issues - Apple Support

I have the same issue with iphone 12. I purchased an iphone 12 and returned it because people were telling me I am breaking up. I did not have this problem with my iphone 8 which I just traded in for this. I now have a new iphone 12 and the same issue is being reported by friends when talking on the phone. This phone is not cheap and I am thinking of returning this iphone and not buying another one until there is a resolution. My friend has an iphone 11 Pro Max and she has the same problem. From the looks of this thread, it happens with different carriers because I am on AT&T. So there must be a problem with the iPhone 11 and up? Has anyone experienced this with the iphone X because I will definitely downgrade. This is unacceptable from Apple.