Q: iPhone 4s, echo when using apple headset during a call

Jasonbogen writes:

>this issue is about the person on the other end hearing an echo

This is correct. I add that the problem occurs also without using the headphones jack. The person at the other end complains of hearing their own voice, even if you use just your 4S device, with no devices plugged into it. You notice nothing - they do. And it's very annoying.

A 'fix' has been suggested elsewhere: turn on the speakerphone (sounds counter-intuitive, as this should in theory exacerbate the echo problem) but it works, as the echo disappears. Your interlocutor no longer hears it. It is a hardly acceptable solution though, as others around you can hear the person you're talking to.

I suspect the various manifestations of the echo problem are related.

Incredible that Apple cannot get their act together to resolve this. Changing the handset, as reported here and elsewhere, does not help.

Before 5.0.1 my 4S caused the "other party hears a severe echo" issue on almost every call. It hasn't happened once since I applied the update a few weeks ago and I use my Apple headphones every day for work.

Also to put this issue in perspective ... Apple has sold several million 4s handsets already ... even if only 10% of all 4s customers had this problem, it would have been bigger than "antenna-gate". Yet, there is barely even 200 unique forum users on this thread and several of those reported that 5.0.1 fixed their phones. So for those who think there is some global conspiracy amongst Apple staff to hide the scale of the issue, think again.

I'm not sure who suggested any conspiracy, or who should think again. The fact is that this issue has been reported widely and globally, at Apple stores around the world: Apple staff refuse to acknowledge the issue, which has been reported by several thousand users in hundreds of forums, here and elsewhere. Apple staff even suggest that 'we are alone' in having this problem, which is frankly ludicrous.

As for the 5.0.1 'fix', it clearly didn't fix anything in terms of echo for many, as -again- the many forums here and elsewhere demonstrate.

Apple here is some additional info that may help you figure this out. When making a call with the 4s and the person on the other end notes that they are hearing their own voice echoing, if I press mute on my 4s, the caller stops hearing the echo. So each time when I stop talking, if I press mute, the caller can reply to me and not hear their own voice echoing back. I only have the echo issue when using a headset and I can solve the problem by janking out the headset. The trick of toggling to speaker and back works sometimes but not always.

CourtneyCox ... (or anyone else still reporting the "person at the OTHER end hears an echo" on a 4S)

• what version of IOS are you on?
• if you're on 5.0.1 have you powered down the phone at least once by holding down the power button since updating?

OnYourBike,

- 5.0.1

- Yes, several times

My wife just went from her old iphone 3G to the iphone 4S. She loves talking on her phone with the headsets while she is driving to work.

In the past two weeks, she has been complaining every day about the echo problem discussed in this post. I didn't believe until I experienced it first hand while I was on the call with her. Now she refuses to use the headset and tries to use the speakerphone. I haven't upgraded her phone to 5.01 yet, but I will give it a shot and see if it gets any better.

She wants to go back to the 3G as she is so frustrated with this echo issue!

I can confirm this issue with my 4S on Verizon, using a Schosche IDR305 headphone (purchased through the Apple Store).

I don't know if I'd describe it as an echo.  The mic picks up all the ambient sound around me and seems to amplify it a bit.  The mic is hyper-sensitive - if it brushes against my jacket or something I hear the sound...never had that problem and used this headset for several months with my 3gs.

Completely different sound experience than I had on my 3gs, where the noise cancellation mic worked beautifully. 

I'm running 5.0.1 and have done a power down/restart several times.

This is an entirely different issue, and one I suffer from with my Etymotic headphones as well. I think we need to start a new thread for this issue.

FYI, I'm on my 4th iPhone 4S, last update was because suddenly my mic button (to answer calls, stop/start iPod function), would cease to work, and also because of the ambient noise issue. After I received it I realized that the audio issue (where the noise cancelation doesn't work) was related to my Etymotic headphones, if I used the Apple headphones that issue didn't happen. However, so far, with the latest replacement I haven't had a reoccurrence of the mic button not working.

iOS 5.0.1 update solved my echoing problem (where the person I was speaking to would hear themself echo). My sister thought it had solved it for her, but after a period of time it started up again. That has not happened to me.

I have had the same problems with the echo issue. Am I have 4s 16gb, spoke to a senior apple technician. He says categorically its a hardware issue and there isn't much me as a user can do anything. All apple will do is try as blame something like a faulty batch of iPhones and give you a new one. You will and I bet have the same issues. It's not a carrier problem, nothing to do with your sim either. If I was you go to apple store and demand a refund. The latest smartphone on the market and it doesn't even work as its intended do.

I have no problem starting a new thread dedicated only to the ambient noise / mic feedback problem.  However, the reason both problems ended up in the same thread is that they are similar.  The mic feedback issue can be characterized as an "echo", but one that we hear on our side of the call.  I think if we started a new thread, there would likely be people with the other echo issue that would comment as well.

Also, since pretty much everybody has the mic feedback problem (in addition to whatever other audio issues are present), it is relevent to everybody.  Last week in the Apple store, a genius insisted that he didn't have the ambient noise problem, until I made him get his phone so I could test it for myself.  Low and behold, he had the problem and just never noticed since he doesn't use the headset to make calls.  As I mentioned in previous posts, I have tested over 20 iphone 4S's using a headset and have never once been able to make a call that didn't have ambient noise feedback.

But anyway, I am going to start a new thread to address the ambient noise problem.  Anybody who exclusively has this problem, please post to the other thread instead.  I will post a link momentarily.

Anyone who wants to discuss the ambient noise / mic feedback loop problem, please refer to this thread from now on:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3556584

Same problem !!

same problem here

Aftering upgrading the 4s to 5.01, it seems like the echo issue is resolved when using the apple headset. My wife has been using it for a few days now and hasn't complained. Before she was having issue on every single call when using the headset.

Let's wait and see if the issue is really resolved.