A few seconds delay on phone calls-iPhone 11

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Level 1

56 points

A few seconds delay on phone calls-iPhone 11

I have had an iPhone 11 for a few years and over the years I have had a recurring problem where on some calls-not on all, there is a delay on a call where I will speak, but the receiver only hears what I say seconds later. And vice versa. And so there is always a lag/a few seconds of quiet, when neither of us are speaking because there is a lag after we each speak. I raised this with Three, my mobile network provider who have been unable to resolve this for me. Their solution is always to replace my SIM card which I've done twice over the past few years but this does not resolve the issue.

At first when the issue occurred I thought it only happened when I was a on a call longer than 30 mins. but just this morning, it occurred while I was on a call with DHL for no more than 5 minutes.

Has anyone else experienced this? Specifically in the UK? I am confused as to whether this is an Apple issue (i.e., my phone) or whether it's a mobile network provider issue.

The Phone App is the only App I am having an issue with.

Thanks in advance.

iPhone 11, iOS 18

Posted on Oct 9, 2025 12:56 AM

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Answer 1

Psych13 Author

Level 1

56 points

Oct 10, 2025 8:51 AM in response to KiltedTim

Thanks, Tim. I actually phoned my network carrier today and they really don't have anything of value to add/suggest. I then checked Three's community forum and noted that there are messages since early 2023 describing this very issue-from many customers. I don't know if you will be able to read this thread if you're not a customer/logged in but in case you can, here it is:

https://community.three.co.uk/t5/Network/Why-does-phone-lag-when-talking-to-business/td-p/11572

And so given the fact that when I phone Three all they suggest is resetting network settings, checking for phone updates, and changing my SIM card, it tells me they don't have a fix for this. I have yet to test out whether the delay kicks in when I have my cellular data on, as you suggest. Three have given me the option to leave/cancel my contract free of charge, but my concern is will I have the same issue with other carriers (EE, Vodafone) etc. if the problem originates on the VOIP side? I have also observed that this only tends to happen when I speak with large companies and not with friends, so as you all seem to be suggesting (and as the Three customers suggested) it is a problem when phoning large companies. I'm at a loss as to what to do. I shouldn't have put my mobile/cellular data on every time I want to make a call to a large organisation who might have a VOIP system. That seems unreasonable.

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Answer 2

KiltedTim

Level 10

231,270 points

Oct 10, 2025 4:38 AM in response to Psych13

When you do that, you're forcibly inserting another layer into the call transmission. All calls are Voice over IP now.

Turn your cellular data back on. See if that removes the problem.

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Answer 3

KiltedTim

Level 10

231,270 points

Oct 9, 2025 3:37 PM in response to Psych13

That's an artifact of the cellular network. The phone is not at fault. It is more likely to happen on calls from one carrier to another, and especially on calls from a cellular provider to a landline provider.

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Answer 4

Oct 9, 2025 3:45 PM in response to Psych13

Agreed with KiltedTim. The symptoms you describe almost certainly indicate an issue with the carrier’s network.

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Answer 5

Oct 10, 2025 4:39 AM in response to KiltedTim

You beat me to it. It’s the latency in VOIP.

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Answer 6

Psych13 Author

Level 1

56 points

Oct 9, 2025 11:58 PM in response to KiltedTim

Thanks very much for this, @KiltedTim and @JeffDonald. Do you happen to have any suggestions for how I might word this, to my cellular provider given I have approached them at least twice about this issue in the past, and their only solution is to replace the SIM or reset Network settings (both of which I've done, and neither have solved the problem).

And just to emphasise-this happens when I am at home (where I am mostly) when I use wifi (my cellular data is off at the time). I just thought I'd mention that in case you thought this happens when I use my Mobile/Cellular data.

Many thanks!

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A few seconds delay on phone calls-iPhone 11

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