Knocking sound on iPhone calls

So I’ve been having the same issue, I thought my friend I talk to all the time was doing major remodeling. Anyway, I also have Mint, so today I tried turning WiFi calling off and that seems to work, I’ve been on the phone for a few hours and the hammering is gone. Give it a try!

So this knocking sound has bothered me for over a year! I have an iPhone 13 Pro Max. I have always had the Fre cases to protect my phones! Will I read to take case off and I tried it and knocking went away!! I would have never believed it if I hadn’t tried it myself! I got a cheap case off Amazon and it’s been over a month and no KNOCKING! Give it a try and see what happens.

Chris

Just to keep this thread alive, I have the same issue with my iphone XR also with a t-mobile plan. Context: Just moved to the US and this wasn’t happening before with my other carrier in a different country. Description: knocking on background of calls to another iphone that the other person can’t hear. The tempo of knocks is consistent and they stop after 10 to 40 seconds, and come back a after a while. It’s annoying.

As almost all of you, I have a tmobile line, its looks to me like this is a carrier issue. By the way, as Mint’s service piggy backs connection from t-mobile infrastructure frequently (thats why they are so cheap) this might be why some Mint iphone users also experience the issue.

Ps: I noticed on some other threads back in 2015, that iphone 6 and 6S users with Verizon had a similar issue. No solution seems to have been found other than switching service, maybe we should do the same.

I think there’s a pretty good chance that this should be a class action law suit.

have no doubt that this is actually effecting far more people than those reporting it.

frankly it drives me nuts and by porting to Verizon - I was able to confirm that it’s T Mobile Network. BTW it also happens on Google Fi that is serviced by T Mobile.

Same thing happens to me on my iPhone 15 Pro. When I make a call sometimes I can hear the knocking noise as if someone is steadily hammering on the other side of the call. I also have T-Mobile as my carrier. It does seem to happen only when the other person has me on speaker phone, which is probably why on most calls its not an issue.

The solution I have found is to ask the other person to call me back. If I initiate the call I almost always hear the knocking, even if at a tolerably quiet level. However, if the other person initiates the call, I never hear the knocking. Hopefully this helps a few folks who are also experiencing this same problem!

Went back to T-Mobile today. They put in a new SIM card. They said that should fix it. That would be a hard no. Very next call knocking started. However, I think the knocking noise seems to happen when the person I’m talking to has me on speaker phone. Can someone else please help me test this theory? I tried this while in the phone with my husband tonight. Every time he would switch to speaker phone I would hear the knocking as soon as he stopped talking. Once he started speaking it would go away. Then I had him turn off speaker phone and there was zero knocking noise during our conversation. I then had him turn speaker phone back on and then the knocking started back up! Someone please try this! Let me know if same for you? Sounds crazy, I know, but the knocking noise is already crazy! Looking forward to “hearing” if this is same for anyone else. I feel like we are getting closer to figuring it out if my theory of when the knocking happens is correct??!!

Hello Techquestions_333,

We suggest trying the following steps if you're experiencing unexpected behavior with the speakers on your iPhone:

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.

You can find that information here: If you hear no sound or distorted sound from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch speaker - Apple Support

Should the issue persist, we suggest you contact Apple Support. They'll be able to look into this with you further, and provide service options if necessary.

Have a great day.

I have the same problem. I notice that it happens every time that I call out to certain numbers. They cannot hear the annoying knocking noise, either. I also have T-Mobile. I'm beginning to believe it might be a T-Mobile/service/network issue. No one else with iPhones with other providers are experiencing this issue (based on what I've read).

audiophile1970 wrote:

I’m on Verizon and don’t have any issue. My wife is on Mint mobile which is now T-Mobil and has the issue. I have an iPhone X and she has a iPhone 14 pro max.

Based on the anecdotal data in this thread, it's a TMobile network issue.

I know what it is. It happened because my iPhone was making a FaceTime call to my sibling. She evidently did not know about it. I did not call her, so it was a call made from my phone in some way. Outgoing FaceTime calls “knock!”

What I’ve experienced lately is that if the call is incoming, the knocking is not happening. It’s really screwed, but I text someone & request that they call me. INSANE, really but it has worked the past couple of days, so I will report that.

But yes, to whoever wrote last, it took forever for TMobile to open a ticket, and before I knew it they closed it & said it was resolved.

I had to start over again, but they do have the previous notes. This has been going on for over a year, but I hadn’t reported it back then because I was dealing with a surgery. And the problem began when I had an android phone, so it is NOT an I-phone/Apple problem. It’s a T-Mobile issue.

I encountered this knocking on Tmobile in January 2022, after I made some changes to the phone lines connected to my account. After recently switching carriers away from TMobile to AT&T, I can confirm I no longer have to listen to this distracting knocking noise on my calls. It was very noticeable when I was speaking to my mom on Verizon network calls, randomly on other calls, which I suspect may have also been Verizon subscribers.

I have iPhone 11 Pro Max with T-Mobile I have the same issue the knocking, perfect rhythm noise my boy friend thought I was cheating. 😂. He also has T mobile. You can only hear it on T-Mobile user ends. My bestfriend has Verizon she never hears it when I ask her as it is happening while we’re talking and the noise “tapping “ begins. T-Mobile customer service denies they know anything about it’s frustrating. But tech support was helpful with assisting me. I will update this post when I get a response.

I switched last week from TMobile to another carrier and knocking sound is gone. It’s a TMobile issue not a phone issue.

follow below

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.

[Edited by Moderator]