iPhone 4S low speaker volume

I continue to have an issue with low speaker volume out of the ear speaker. Speakerphone and headphone volume still loud as normal.


I have got 3 replacement iPhones from Apple, but the exact same issue happens everytime. The ear speaker volume is awesome when the phone is brand new, but over the course of a month or so, the volume continues to degrade to the point where I can barely hear the other party.


I saw the thread about a bug, and the fix was to go to 'settings' and lower the volume there, then manually raise it with the side buttons...that didn't work.

And the screen is NOT clogged up with dirt.


This is REALLY frustrating, as it's done this same issue with 3 phones in a row. Any help is appreciated.

iPhone 4S, iOS 6.0.1

Posted on Dec 5, 2012 8:57 AM

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11 replies

Dec 9, 2012 4:10 AM in response to maindrive

Wow! This is exactly my problem as well. Like you I am on my third 4s that is only 2 months old and speaker volume has degraded about 75%... I've searched the net countless times with no solution. Sorry, but I feel your frustration. Funny thing though, my wife and I both got our phones (4s's) exactly the same time and hers operates just as it did when it was new. I really hope someone can tell me if the problem is a bug or am I just doing something wrong? Anyways, looks like I'll be back to the Genius Bar next week...


PLEASE! -any help out there!!

Dec 10, 2012 5:28 AM in response to rig-n-jig

Finally someone who has the same problem! Just like you, with every replacement, it was about 2 months until the volume was really low. It's only the ear speaker, right? Speakerphone is still loud as can be?


I opened a case with Apple directly (not with the retail store), and they're sending me a new phone. I think this time, I'm not going go 'restore from backup'. Maybe that's reintroducing the bug each time.

Feb 17, 2013 7:02 PM in response to shredder777

Tried to call Apple direct to get my phone replaced, but that didn't work out. I made my usual appointment at the Apple Store (Genius Bar) to get another replacement. I had to travel almost an hour to go to the Apple Store to get my fourth phone. After getting it and going back to work, the phone completely died. I had to do a hard restart to get it powered back up. From that time on, it would randomly get really hot and power down on its own. I call the Apple Store and they said that I would have to come in again - I was definitely not very happy at that point! When going back to the Apple Store, they did not want to replace it but instead reset everything and sent me on my way. Before I left though, I told my Apple Genius that I lived an hour away and that it would be a big inconvenience for me to come back for another replacement. So, he gave me my case number and told me if I had any problems that I could call Apple direct and they would send me another replacement. Long story short... the phone failed again, I called Apple and they sent me a brand new phone (never in circulation or repaired) with a new one year warranty. So far so good! New phone works great. However, I did not restore it to my old back-up just incase something was corrupt/virus creating the problem with the low speaker volume. At this point only time will tell. Good luck, I hope this helps...

Feb 18, 2013 6:14 AM in response to rig-n-jig

Well, after opening my case with Apple, they sent me a brand new phone...and this time, I did NOT restore from backup, just to be safe. Well, it's worked fine for around 2 months, and guess what...it happened again: low speaker volume.


This is getting really frustrating. I guess I'll have to keep getting replacement phones until I'm eligible for an upgrade. Maybe the iPhone5 won't have these issues.

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iPhone 4S low speaker volume

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