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

So true

@ghostwheel I have the same problem, and others can also hear themselves.  Almost bought new headphones but glad I googled it.

Really frustrated.  My only known problem is the debilitating echo on the call recipient side.  At&T user with an iPhone 4S.  Problem occurs all the time with Etymotics HF3 but strangely does not occur with Klipsch S5i.  I've had mutiple sets of HF3's and had the iPhone 4S replaced without any luck.  The person on the other end hears the echo, I disconnect the HF3's and talk via the speaker, phone, or Klipsch S5i and there's no issue.  I plug the HF3's back in an instant echo.  Never hear it on my side - only the recipient and it doesn't matter what phone or service the recipient uses (landline, different carrier, different phone).

I think I've got it figured out.  Got new (very quiet) tires on my car, turned down volume on headset, and echo disappeared completely.  Nothing else changed, same drive to work, talking to same person, etc.

I just purchased my first iPhone 4S through Sprint and my lady said tonight that she keeps hearing her voice echoing back since I go this phone. Not all the time, but on a fairly regular basis. Neither of us are using a headphone, so it's not a headphone issue. After reading pages of this thread, it appears that receiver experiencing an echo is an issue. I hope they do come up with some sort of fix.

A FIX FOR MY IPHONE 4s!

ok, so anyone/everyone i talk with has heard their voice echo each and every conversation i've had for months.  i went to Sprint 3 times and they kept telling me the cell towers were being updated & my phone would eventually work fine!  all i had to do was shut it off and restart it, then i would be at the head of the line for cell tower usage (????? wth ???)  low and behold, i just returned from FL for a week, and guess what — echo...echo...echo...  so either every cell tower i happen to hit is being update or, maybe, just maybe, someone doesn't know what they're talking about.

so i make an appointment with an Apple Genius (still have a hard time with that term - how could they call themselves a "genius" no matter what they know...but that's another topic)

i go to my appointment, tell the "genius" the problem i'm having.  she asks if she could take my phone in the back to make the call since it's saturday afternoon and louder than a nightclub in the store.  "absolutely, please do."

she comes back in 5 minutes with my beloved Trident iPhone case removed.  she tells me she a call and the person she spoke with heard the echo.  she THEN took the cover off and made several more test calls.  after removing the cover there was no problem with anyone she spoke with hearing the echo, and she said she was able to hear better. 

i smile as nicely as i can - thinking she is bs-ing me - i say, "that's great, could i make a call or two?"  i do, and both people i speak with on the phone (who in the past few months wouldn't talk to me on my iPhone due to that **** echo) say that everything is crystal clear and they have no echo!  i'm shaking my head in disbelief as i talk to them.  could it be that simple of a solution?  it's my case causing the echo?

the "genius" told me about that little black dot next to the headphone plug.  that thing is called something like the noise-cancelling "pinhole" microphone.  if it is blocked - which my case was slightly doing - it will mess up the quality of the phone.  whaaaaatttt!??!  all these months all it has been was my case???  that is really difficult to believe.

i thanked her, shook her hand and left.  i left knowing that she had to have done something else to my iPhone to temporarily fix it...and in a few calls it would mess up again.  guess what...

during the afternoon and evening yesterday i made 37 phone calls to different people.  i did a little experiment with each of them (all friends, so i could do this).  i talked with them with the case on and everyone of them say, "ric, my voice echos".  i took the case off, "how is it now?"

"my voice is not echoing anymore."

every single person i spoke with was able to hear me and hear themselves.  i am overjoyed - with the exception that i need to find a new case. it is unfortunate because i really, really like the Trident case and it protects my phone extremely well.

i don't believe that this might fix EVERYONES problem, but if you do have a case on your phone, try taking it off and see if your phone works.  there is no way it is such and easy fix, right?!?  parden my over-enthusiasm and this long reply.

good luck

Same problem, Apple iPhone 4S 16GB on Rogers (soon to abandon Rogers). Except my problem isn't with headset use - just ear to phone. I hear my own voice in a 1-second delay echo. Almost impossible to talk on the phone. I've had this with previous iPhones too - it seems to be chronic. Rogers says they can't help, and Apple Store is stumped. I'm not trading in the phone for a new one this time (have done so in the past) because I doubt it will fix the problem. I'm hoping it's software because if it's inbuilt hardware problem, no amount of swapping phones is going to help. I never had any of this bad reception/audio on my previous Motorola phones.

To fix voice echo on iPhone 4s you need to cover the noise cancellation mic it's a small hole on top of the phone next to the headset hole....cover it with your finger during a call and make sure the person at the end of the line can't hear their echo and then use clear strip tape or clear silicon and cover that mic permenatly and enjoy your IPhone 4s since apple doesn't seems to know what case or how to fix this frustrating issue.

I have exactly the same issue. When calling somebody without a headset, the person on the other side always complain about some echo. It does not appear directly, only after a few minutes. Turning the speakerphone on and off seems to solve the problem temporarily.

This is not acceptable. This is the most expensive phone on the market and this problem is really serious! I am really frustrated about this.

What can we do about this?

My mom and I both purchase the iPhone 4s from AT&T in May 2012. Up until very recently neither of us have had any problems. We purchased new LifeProof cases for our phones recently and they were working fine for the first few weeks. Then a week or so ago mom's phone started having an echo on the recipient end of any call whether outgoing or incoming. We thought it might be the LifeProof case so we took the case off but the phone is still having the same echo problem....with no case on it. We read all the posts where it says the temporary fix is to turn on the speakerphone and then turn it off but that doesn't work. The only time it stops echoing is if the speakersphone is on throughout the conversation, but then it sounds a little muffled on the recipient end. I haven't had the echo problem......so far. We are very frustrated with Apple.

Mom called Apple and explained the problem and they said it was a software problem and if she has a computer to log into that they could fix it while talking to her on the phone..........but she'd have to pay a fee of $59.95. We had purchased the Applecare insurance for $99 and we thought it should cover such issues with the actual phone, but alas NO, OF COURSE NOT!!!!  But the worthless Applecare insurance is another topic altogether.

Apparently Apple will fix the problem, but only if you're willing to pay the fee. I think Apple should be putting out a new fix for this problem for FREE since these freeking phones are SOOOOO expensive. I wouldn't doubt if if they programmed a lot of "bugs" in the phones so that they can make "more" money off their customers to fix Apple's problems.

If anyone hears of a way to fix this problem, without having to pay Apple to fix their problem, I would be very interested. Frustated here too!!

Same issue here but we're not even using a headset..just head to phone. Very frustrated here and beginning to get annoyed with Apple for their lack of care or concern with this issue. See my post below for more details.

I was in the same boat as everyone, having replaced my 4s white factory unlocked for more than 8 times. SOld my phone and moved to Android (Samsung Galaxy S3). Happy now.

I got ****** off as Apple could not acknowledge this as an issue and very negligent at their end.

Same problem here with a 4s 16GB - if I have the phone connected to speakers no normal communication is possible - even if my speakers are nearly turned off, my voice partner always complains about some echo . With my 3GS no problems.

I have an iphone 4 and the original Apple headphones, and this problem was not happening until I updated iOS 6.. now i hear my own voice and the surrounding noise, which makes phonecall an unpleasant experience. I think this is a software issue, I regret having updated, this new iOS brouhgt nothing but problems to my phone..

I'm having the same issue, but ONLY when usign a wired headset with microphone. 

I use SkullCandy and the Apple headset, and my callers on the other line complain of bad echo.  When I mute my phone or unplug the headset, the echo goes away. 

My case is the Elago S4 slim, and isn't covering any of the holes on the phone. 

My phone is a 32GB AT&T 4S.

Any suggestions?!?!??!?