iPhone 5 bad call voice quality

Ok, so I'm back to let you know that the senior rep from Apple tried a number of things with my phone using itunes. Did not work.

Next and final step, I called Verizon and told them I would like to try swapping out my phone at a different Verizon store. They called a store 12 miles away to have the reps there save me a phone. They checked the serial number and it is quite different from the series I have. Hopefully, I will get a phone that is not defective.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

I live in Norway and I am experiencing the exaxt same problem with my new iPhone 5.

Extremely annoying!

Ok, so here is the update. I went to a different Verizon store to switch out a 3rd Iphone 5 with a new sim card as well. Didn't work, did not improve the poor sound quality of the iphone 5. I went to ATT and guess what ... problem solved. Crisp clear phone quality on new iphone 5 with ATT and they even threw in a case for the new phone. However, when I put the case on...phone quality got a little less then superb.

So after changing phones three times, working with verizon reps, and working with Apple reps, the poor call quality was due to the carrier not the phone. Verizon and ATT have very different ways of bouncing a cell signal off a tower it just so happens that the way the iphone is built, it only performs well on one type of carrier signal.

Just keep in mind that this is occuring in Illinois. In your state/country it very well may be another problem.

Good luck,

EHerrera in Illinois

Same here in Austria. (Three Network)

iPhone 5 with Three Austria works perfectly in 2G mode, clear sound as always before. As soon as a call takes place in 3G mode, sound quality is much worse. Like if the phone would be in a sock! No matter if signal is full or not. With all other networks here it just works great. I tried them all in 2G and 3G. Please fix, Apple! (iOS 6.1.2)

Same problem here in Germany using carrier "Telefonica O 2". Have the latest version of iOS installed on my iPhone 5. Really hope you guys will solve this problem ASAP!

Exactly the same problem here:

Based in Belgium, My colleague has the same problem, and my friend as well.

2 other people I know don't have any issue since they have the iPhone...

We are all using different carriers...

But I send back mine, to receive it 3 days later, with a nice letter telling me they couldn't reproduce

the issue I was mentionning (bad quality calls) so didn't solve teh problem.

So i called back and asked for replacement, wich I got.

BUT STILL THE SAME PROBLEM WITH NEW PHONE !!!

I'm really upset, because I love the iPhone, I used a Windows phone during the repairs and replacement,

but it is just not the same....

But why on earth they cannot solve this issue ??????

Disappointed ?? YES ! Swap for android or windows ? NO !!

iPhone is still the reference, may be I will be better off asking for a 4s 😉

Just giving an update on my situation, trading the phone for multiple new ones did not work, and getting a new sim card did nothing. Over the weekend I got a microcell from AT&T, which is apparently the only thing that was left that could be done. AT&T said if this didn't work then it is 100% the iPhone 5 that is causing the poor call quality & static.

It did not work. I also tried my sim card in my mom's Nokia 620 and it did not have the issue. So, I am certain the problem is the iPhone 5.

Apple please fix this! It's heartbreaking to spend this much on a phone and have this major of an issue. I'm at the end of my return window and don't know what to do. 😟

@ Boon@

I had the exact same problem, bad voice, robotic voice, dropped calls when I was with BASE.

Changed to TELENET (telenet uses the net from MOBISTAR) and all my problems are gone now, I had 2 months of frustration with BASE and now I'm a happy Iphone 5 user already for a couple of months since I changed from provider.

I had a support case open with BASE and they officialy told me via mail that they DO NOT support HD Voice and this is what apple is using on the Iphone 5.

As explained in an earlier post I also experienced the bad voice, robotic voice, dropped calls etc. and I'm also with BASE. I however do not consider this be a BASE problem at all since I could call perfectly well with my Blackberry with BASE.

The fact that Iphone 5 uses HD Voice and doesn't work with providers that don't support HD Voice is the fault of Iphone 5. Why on earth would I buy a phone that costs so much but is unable to call on one of the biggest providers here? And if I read the posts here I see that it is not only BASE that doesn't support HD Voice.

I also have the problem of bad voice quality and robotic voice. I contacted my provider Mobile Vikings (they use the BASE network). MV said they don't support the HD Voice and the HD Voice should improve the quality but not make it worse if you can not use it because your provider doesn't support it.

Apple needs to do something about it and clean up the mess.

For the Belgium/Dutch people, I copied the mail below.

Belkwaliteit iPhone 5

@ bulleuh

Blackberry does not use HD voice, so for sure your BB is working on BASE, I had a BB also before and no problems.

It is like you wish but for all Belgium guys if you want no more problems with your iphone 5, just change to TELENET or MOBISTAR (not sure if Proximus is ok but I suppose so, but they are expensive°.

I have no more problems with my Iphone5 and paying less a month for my calls, so this is twice an advantage :-)

Dear Desageda,

a friend of mine also has an Iphone 5 and he's also using Mobile Vikings.

He however NEVER experienced any problems while he made phone calls.

So apparently it is not with all the Iphone 5's.

Very interesting email you copy pasted in your post!

Please allow me to translate this one to Englisch, because there seems to be a very easy solution if you may believe the people from Mobile Vikings:

"Dear,

The Iphone 5 has foremost a bigger noise repression than other mobile phones on the market.

The HD Voice Quality should improve the sound, but the ones that don't have HD Voice Quaility should not experience any averse affects.

We have received some complaints from people concerning this issue and we have found a solution.

There have been some sound tests to compare the Iphone 4S and the Iphone 5.

The Iphone 5 has a noise reduction which is acting too strong at certain moments, causing parts of the conversation to drop reguraly.

What you can do is the following:

go to 'Settings > General > Access and activate the option 'Hearing aid mode'.

Normally things should be a lot better now."

it't possible that I didn't translate the menu description exactly because I don't have an Iphone at hand, but it should be more or less clear i guess.

Really hope this works.

Now just waiting to get my Iphone 5 back...

Hi Bulleuh,

I tried the settings MV mentioned in there mail. I don't want to disapoint you, but the call quality stays crapy. It's a little bit better, but still you can not trust the phone for calls.

I couldn't agree with you guys anymore. I have an iPhone 5, purchased in December, my first iPhone, after all the years of people showing it off in my face, and I cannot make a call for s***! It's really annoy me, because I have had no problems with Android phones in the past, on a different network. I have Verizon wireless now, and I am on my 2nd phone. I have had it up to HERE with this call quality on the iPhone! I want them to admit the problem and fix it. Verizon has the best call clarity out there and this is just crazy! Apple can blame Verizon all they want, but it's either the software or the phone that is the problem! I do not want a replacement phone when I go in there on Sunday! If they can't fix it, I want that to pay for another phone for me, I'm about to go back to a 4G LTE Android at this point! People still talk Apple, why can't you listen? Update your software or something! THIS IS CRAY CRAY!

Same problem here in australia using vodafone. Upgraded in December last year from an iphone 3GS. The call quality on this phone is rubbish.. I can hear the other person but they are always complaining of my voice dropping in and out. The calls drop out all the time. I really dont believe its a reception issue it has to be iphone 5... FIX IT APPLE!