IOS 15.6 can’t hear unless on speaker

For anyone wondering, after taking this into Apple directly they claimed debris in my speaker caused it to malfunction.

I still truly believe the update caused a firmware issue that caused my speaker to malfunction. I even asked the apple employee how a supposedly ‘waterproof’ phone could have debris enter the speaker enough to damage it into not working…. And was faced with a shrug.

They ended up replacing my speaker … luckily for free as I have apple care… but I really don’t agree with how this is handled nor how many people have had the exact same issue after the update and have no answers.

It should be noted I don’t really subject my phone to any type of debris that could cause damage and I also clean my phone and case pretty regularly.

Hi DSN9,

Thanks for contacting Apple Support Communities!

We understand that you're unable to hear your callers though the receiver of your iPhone.

Check out the troubleshooting steps in this article to help you to isolate this behavior further: If you hear no sound or distorted sound from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch speaker - Apple Support

If you want to try more steps on your own

If you prefer, here are some more steps you can try on your own. After following these steps, you might still need to contact Apple Support to discuss service options.

1. Remove all screen protectors, films, or cases from your device. 

2. Check the speaker opening to see if it's blocked or dirty. On iPhone only, make sure that the receiver isn't blocked or dirty. 

3. If necessary, clean the speaker or receiver opening with a small, soft-bristled brush. Make sure that the brush is clean and dry.

4. Go to Settings > Sounds (or Settings > Sounds & Haptics), and drag the Ringer and Alerts slider back and forth a few times. If you don't hear any sound, or if your speaker button on the Ringer and Alerts slider is dimmed, your speaker might need service.

5. If you hear sound, try making a call with your iPhone and turn on speakerphone. On iPad or iPod touch, make a FaceTime call. If you still can't hear, or hear static or crackling, then your network or reception could be the issue. Try to call again later, or from a different location.

We hope this helps.

Cheers!

That is exactly what mine is doing. I had it checked out, and was advised the speaker was bad, and I needed to pay $300 approx to get it fixed. The speaker is in the screen, so the entire thing has to be replaced. Seems like defective parts to me.

Hello All, I can confirm that the earpiece issue has been fixed on a iPhone 11 Pro Max with iOS 16.0.2

The problem I am having isn’t because my speaker is dirty or clogged, its silent when I answer the call. The call is connected and the timer is growing but the phone is completely silent. My air pods pro will connect just fine, speaker phone works, my apple car work just fine as well. If I try and just answer and use my handset its as silent as if it were turned off. I have reset my Bluetooth, checked my sound settings, hard reset it, tried airplane mode, and refreshing my cellular settings……What else do ya got?

i have an se 1st gen and was working fine for like two days after the update making calls and everything business as usual and then started acting up and then restarted phone and now my earpiece stopped working but speaker works just fine. Went through all the bs of checking settings and doing restarts and earpiece still won’t work. Great update Apple. So how about quickly fixing the issue and furnishing an update?

They ran diagnostics and said their was debris in the speaker causing damage… the concept confuses me since anything waterproof should surely be dust proof too.

They are replacing the speaker for me…. But unfortunatly I have to wait for the part to come in first.

I am a little suspicious if the solution here especially when I read about so many others having the exact same issue after updating iOS.

I’ll update in a few weeks, post repair.

I have been facing the same issue! So annoying!!! None of the solution the support team is providing is working.

Same here. Did it start happening after the latest iOS update?

Same problem. Phone (iPhone 11) updated to ios 15.6 sometime in the last week. Noticed a couple of days ago that stereo sound no longer works (e.g. when watching youtube) and then tonight I noticed I can't hear anybody when I phone them (they are super soft).

Bottom loudspeaker works fine though.

A restart was not performed. After the update was successfully installed, a test call was made and worked. However, the fix only lasted for a few hours. Earpiece is back to not functioning on iOS 16.0.2

Any resolution to this on your end? I am having the same problem after updating my iPhone and can’t find any help on the support page. Even though I know this is directly linked to the update! I’m going to the Apple Store on the weekend to try and have this resolved