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

I had the same problem with two iPhone 4s.  They were on 5.0 and i ended up returning them as I use my cell for conference calls and it was basically unusable.

anybody have any idea as to whether 5.1 addresses the problem? Has anyone installed the beta?

i went to the genius bar today the genius tried to call from my phone the echo problem happened there and they just replaced the phone new one seems to be fine

I have been testing the 5.0.1 iOS for a couple of weeks now and based on my experience the echo issue that comes into the call at random times like you are talking at the bottom of the well is gone or at least since updating to 5.0.1 - as i did a lot of testing with the first 4 iPhone 4s's that i had that were all running 5.0.0 there was the echo.

HOWEVER - it is clear that some poeople were referring to "echo" to describe the problem of when you talk directly into your own microphone you can hear yourself talking through your own headphones. THIS HAS NOT BEEN FIXED.

the phone is at least able to be used as a phone since the 5.0.1 update but this is now a minor issue, one that apple will not return my calls on now. and as far as i am concerned i think i will consider waiting a long time until i ever buy apple again. the customer service that used to be fantastic has now gone to the dumps. giving staff the script of "i have never heard of that" when the issue is documented on your own forums and even multiple media sites picking it apart the apple staff in store still tried to tell me that they have never heard of it. that is just wrong, annoying and a very easy way to lose customers.

This is completely outrageous! There are so many threads in the Apple forums, several 3rd party forums and websites and whatnot, and Apple still hasn't released a fix for this? So not only do we have to deal with battery issues, but now echo issues? I love my 4S, but it sounds like iOS 5 is to blame. This temporary fix with the speakerphone is ridiculous. I would love to hear what Apple has to say about this. Are we still holding it wrong? Or perhaps we're wearing our headphones incorrectly. No wait, I got it, I answered the call the wrong way!

Apple, hear your customers woes! Fix the voice calls and battery issues!

I'm having the same problem.  I actually went up to a store and was blaming my ibeats when one of the employees told me that her boyfriend has the same phone with the same problem.  I didn't believe her at first but she told me to check the apple forum website, that apparently a lot of people had the same problem.  She was right, I couldn't believe that my iphone 4s was having this problem but I was really glad that I hadn't been rude. 

Anyways, my question is whether anyone knows if the 5.1 beta seems to have addressed this issue.  I noticed the previous post and how 5.0.1 hasn't addressed it.  I really hope that they fix this because I have really gotten used to my headset, I was actually just telling my girlfriend how nice it is to not have to hold the phone up to talk. 

Ours is the opposite.  Caller hears the echo.  I just hear interference and dropping in and out volume. 

i just got my phone yesterday 16gb white factory unlocked and i have the echo problem -.- when i dial a number or call someone i hear myself instead & i have to open the loud speaker and close it to fix it so can anyone confirm if this is software or a hardware problem i hope its software

You kidding me Apple? Brand new iPhone 4S and this? PLEASE hurry up and fix with a new software update. I've waited patiently through all other issues from the first iPhone to this one...and THIS is the most annoying!!!

FIX THIS! I already sold my iPhone 4 or I would just return the 4S and go back to the 4 until the 5 comes out...

I have been following this thread for quite some time and I wanted to chime in my personal experience with this issue. I do believe that this is a software and not hardware issue if I go by my own experience. I had the echo with  supplied headset when I first got my 4S running 5.0. The echo was occurring for the receiving call and I would hear interfernece noises. Hanging up and recalling would alleviate the issue for a brief period as would toggling the speaker phone. If the call was incoming, I would not have the issue on the headset. Immediately after updating to 5.0.1, I reset all settings and then did a hard reset of the device. Since then the issue has never occurred. Others have tried this fix to no avail. I have had the 'raise to speak' option for Siri toggled off since I bought the phone. After extensive testing with and without the  headset, I can confidently say that the problem is resolved for me. However, I do believe that if the cause of this issue is not properly addressed by , then it could return in a future update. I really feel sorry for those with the issue on an ongoing basis. Sadly, my experience may be of no help to anyone, but I will hazard to guess that this is a software issue and not related to hardware. It seems more like a lottery to get a phone replaced. You may have the problem again and you may not. I wish I knew defintively why it went away for me so that I could avoid it in the future if it happens again. Reading about this issue with iOS 5.1 beta testers, it seems the lottery continues. Some say the echo and audio issues are fixed, others say it continues. Good luck to all of you, I know the frustration as it marred my intial experience with the phone and I was ready to return it. Since the ghost fix, I can say that the 4S has amazing call quality and is the best phone I have ever had. I really hope 5.1 puts an end to it for all of you. Regards.

I believe your observations to be correct.  It is very easy to demonstrate that this is a software issue:

iPhone cell call:  'sidetalk'

FaceTime call:  NO 'sidetalk'

If this was a hardware issue, then any time the microphone was engaged there would be bleed to the headphones; and the problem would exist in FaceTime.  I haven't tested Skype. 

MightyMac wrote:

 

I have been following this thread for quite some time and I wanted to chime in my personal experience with this issue. I do believe that this is a software and not hardware issue if I go by my own experience.

Same phone and same problem.  This is pretty sad, I'm hoping it gets fixed soon. 

I usually don't use my phone to make too many calls honestly, until recently and it extremely frustrating.  It's actually a lot worse when both the callers have an iphone since each one has to continue doing the speakerphone fix.  This doesn't seem like a big deal when you're just reading about it, but if you're actually experiencing this I would have to agree that it is a deal-breaker.  I know that some people have had the fix since upgrading to 5.0.1, however there are too many problems I have read about 5.0.1 to make the upgrade.  People having problems with WiFi, email, etc.   I just hope that this gets fixed in the 5.1 release, although it seems like it's still a hit or miss.

Please let me know what phone you purchased and whether you enjoy it, my girlfriend is actually looking at the S2 right now since she's fed up and doesn't really care to stick with the iphone because of the problems the recent software has created.  I'm curious to know what someone that previously had an iphone thinks about the other options.

I took my Iphone 4s back before xmas! Folks at apple and verizon play dumb and act like theres nothing wrong with the phone when I told them there are audio issues. I could hear myself talking when on wired headset. The mic on the phone would be on while im on the head set and would create an echo effect sounding like im talking into a trash can or something. Not too mention making outgoing calls(regardless whether I was on wired headset or no headset, There was no sound on the phone yet the clock was ticking on the phone like the call went through. It was only the 2nd day I had the phone did I go on line and start researching feedback from other 4S users and found it to be a problem all over regardless of carrier. Apple/Carriers call this the most amazing Iphone yet? Are you kidding me??? I always thought the primary purpose of a phone was to talk to people?? Maybe not anymore. After I took my Iphone 4S back to verizon I reactivated my LG flip phone. My flip phone has better quality then almost every smart phone on the market not to mention excellent signal. The day apple can fess up to the audio issues and make a phone that actually has decent call quality, I will be sticking to my ole flipper phone thats never failed me yet and sounds like a landline with or without the headset!!!

I experience both kind of echoes: the one where I hear myself (always when the headset is plugged and almost every time without it...) and the one where the other person hears it.

I have iOS 5.0.1 and I never really tried the phone with 5.0 as I upgraded almost as soon as I got it.

I am looking at options for getting a replacement from apple... I really don't feel like dealing  with this problem or waiting for them to sort it somehow... 

g