Hi Charliesangel118
welcome to the Apple (user-to-user) Community!
Re: "How do I enhance volume on my iPhone 14?" "... even at the highest settings, the sound remains quite low, both through the phone's speakers and my earbuds".
It is not easy to pin-point the cause in order to suggest a solution. Wondering whether the low volume occurs when you are listening to music saved on your iPhone, streaming the audio, using websites in Safari, whether it is mainly during phone-calls, or, all of the above?
Also : There may be an iOS 17 update waiting to be installed in Settings > General > Software Updates. (NB: If so, It is wise to back-up your data, before updating.) Latest version is iOS 17.6.1
Else: You could try restarting your iPhone (Deletes temporary filers, re-establishes connections, may update recent setting changes, and often restores order if something is not working as expected.
Here are some tips from Apple Support:
How to: Customize headphone audio levels on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support
Change iPhone sounds and vibrations - Apple Support
and
You may need to adjust the volume : While on a call on iPhone – Apple Support
Else:
You might want to try working through the trouble-shooting steps in Apple support's online articles:
If you hear no sound or distorted sound from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch speaker - Apple Support
and
What to do: If the microphones on your iPhone aren't working - Apple Support
You could try turning off "Low Power" mode if you have it turned on, to see if that helps.
Use Low Power Mode to save battery life on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support
You might want to test the difference between using cellular and wi-fi
(eg: see if there is any difference in hearing and being heard on a call)
Make calls using Wi-Fi on iPhone - Apple Support
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Re: I have some hearing loss in one ear and am currently not using a hearing aid.
You may be able to: Use audiogram data in Health on iPhone - Apple Support
and / or
Use Your iPhone (and your earbuds, if Apple or Beats) as a Hearing Aid:
Live Listen (non-Apple) video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sspx7SVHUuU
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Re: "Additionally, I’m searching for reliable apps for dictation or conversation-style text-to-speech.
.. the built-in accessibility features on the iPhone aren't quite suited for conversational calls."
Sorry. With no experience of third-party (non-Apple) Dictation apps there's not much I can offer.
I guess you have tried the iPhone's Dictation tools.
Wondering whether you have also tried Voice Control (Voice Control isn't available in all countries or regions. Voice Control uses the Siri speech recognition engine for U.S. English only). It can take a while to get familiar with, and master all the possibilities. You can customize several settings under Voice Control, turn specific commands on or off, and even create custom commands..
Eg: Third-party (non-Apple) video:
20 Voice Control Dictation Tips: (although demonstrated on Mac, is similar for iPhone)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWx64HznFiU
All the best :-)
