Problem with the microphone on iPad2

Vacuuming the microphone brought the mic on my iPad 2 back to life. Such a simple, easy fix. Hallelujah

Vacuuming what a brilliant fix. Worked a treat.

The vacuuming works great. But only from a few hours to a fee days. Then back to the very faint far away sound. Since it works for a brief period of time with either the vacuuming or dust spray, it HAS to be dust, right? And like you, the Geniuses at Apple just offer to replace. What do you think? And should I go to a private repair shop? I have an ipad2 that is out of the warranty by the way.

It could be dust or it could be a dry joint on the mic connections. Vacuuming may just move the mic enough to make a good connection. I find it strange that so many units would be affected that way. It is a tiny opening for the mic and there is screen in front of it which will easily clog with the minutest particles, so my money is on the dust. If repaired how long would it last considering its a design fault.

So what do you think I should do? The vacuuming works for a short time. So frustrating!

Stick with the vac I think you will be wasting your money with a repair. Try blocking off some the vac hose to increase the amount of suck or try a stronger vac. I use a Henry. Good luck.

Do you also recommend the dust spray?

I have little knowledge of dust spray but I think squirting anything directly into a tiny mic like that may not be the best action.

Right. Ok, thanks for all of the help!! Hoping it's going to work!!

I have the same problem, I am out of warrenty over a few months and I am receiveing the same treatment that you are too.

I traveled around 50 miles on sataurday to get to my nearest Apple store for an appointment with a so called 'genuis' @ Glasgow - Buchann Street - with the hope that I would get it fixed.

I told her about the problem with the mic, what I've read online and what I've done so far to try and clean it. She never even attempted to try the mic, she just took my word for it and her response was bascialy 'Because they cant open it up, the only thing she can do is if I give her £199 pounds she will give me an replacement'.. So her genuis technial support was to replace it. Fantastic News!!!

Furthermore, after I refused this offer there and then in front of her. She offered to 'air compress' clean the mic, however I again refused. Informed Miss Genuis that if there is dust / dirt, I was it out now air compressed back into it.

I have tried the vacuum trick, however it did work but only for a very brief time. It wasn't working -> Then it was crystal clear -> second attempt to see and it wasn't working again. Just complete noise, If I blow into the mic I can see sound waves on my app and If I shout into the mic close I can faintly hear myself.

Ohwell !!!!!!!!!

I had the same problem, just keep at it try one with more sucking power, who knows how long the dust and dirt been there,it took me five mins to get it clean the best way i found was the two finger over the nozzel and the ipad moving back and forth so you get an on off sucktion effect.

I must say i love my ipad , but when and mic worked again i was reborn...wwwoooooooohoooo

Thanks again for this fantastic thread where you really can save money by reading first..........

So it took a long 5 minute "sucking" for it to work? And it's been good since? The most I have done was about a minute or so. But with the same result - works for an hour to a day. Then the volume went down! And I refuse to buy a new one when I have taken such good care of this, and have had it for a year and a half!!

Our mic has not been working for months. Just found this thread, and problem solved. Quite funny.

Ipad mic still ok

Remember once a year your gonna have todo this again just to keep it clean and working,

And if you tryed to suck it working and still does not work suck and suck again, its worth it.

Thank you very much for this post. The mic of my iPad2 was totally out since several weeks. I've tried to clean it with compressed air: the recorded voice came back, but very weakly. Then I tried with vacuum cleaning, using fingers to reduce the flexible nozzle, just to obtain a stronger sucking power (like kiwwi63 said above): well, the mic is now perfectly working.

I hope it will be not for a few hours...

The question is: it depends on a dry joint or on an unsufficient dust protection? Why a problem like this doesn't happen to iPad3, 4 ect.? If Apple Geniuses don't consider this solution as a good one, I'm afraid it would be a component defect.

Hi and thanks a lot!