Can't hear calls on my iPhone

Hey harderfaster,

Thanks for the question. The following article provides additional troubleshooting steps that may help to resolve your issue:

iPhone: Receiver and call audio quality issues

http://support.apple.com/kb/ts5196

Follow these steps to resolve the issue:

1. Increase the volume during the call.

2. Make sure nothing is blocking the receiver. If you're using a protective case or display film, remove it and try again.

3. Make sure nothing is plugged into the headphone jack or the dock connector.

4. Check the receiver opening to see if it is clogged with debris. If necessary, clean it with a clean, small, dry, soft-bristled brush.

5. Try another location with better signal. If the audio issue happens only when on a call, it could be due to the location.

6. If the iPhone is paired with a Bluetooth headset or a car kit, try turning off Bluetooth on your device. Learn more about troubleshooting Bluetooth connections.

7. Restart the iPhone.

8. Make sure your device is up to date.

9. If the issue is not resolved after restoring the iPhone software, contact Apple Support.

Thanks,

Matt M.

I know this question has been answerd but I have had this problem with my iphone4 on and off for two years and I wanted to offer the solution to my problem. I tried banging on the speaker and it didn't work. I have tried everything and found the solution when I had to reset the bluetook sync on my car's audio system. The problem was definately related to the bluetooth. I deleted the bluetooth connection from both the car and and the phone, resync-ed the bluetooth connection and the problem went away. Somehow, I think the misconnected bluetooth settings turn off the incoming volume in the phone. I have, I think, had the same problem when I did not properly turn on or off the bluetooth connection when linking other devices to my phone, like a bluetooth headset.

So before you give up, and you think you have used a bluetooth device with your phone, try deleting the bluetooth settings and resyncing them and that may restore your incoming volume.

I have an iPhone 6. Nothing in this thread worked for me, but by reading everything here and some things elsewhere, I gradually got smarter about this problem. The reason it works for some people to press on the front camera is because there's a sensor near there that can turn off the ear speaker (I think somebody said that in this thread). OK. So I wondered if my front camera was working. Turns out it wasn't working either (rear was OK, front showed a black picture). Knowing this I called a local repair shop, and they thought they knew exactly what it was and they were right. On iPhone 6, the front camera is integrated into a cable that also makes the ear speaker work. That cable/speaker/camera assembly had gone bad. They charged me $50 to open it up and replace the assembly. Took an hour. Everything works now.

So if you notice that your front camera is _also_ broken, perhaps this is your problem.

Dude, thank you so much! Pressing hard on around the front camera area worked for me. I kept seeing people recommending the insert/remove headphones trick, hard reset, restore, etc. It seemed weird to me that I could hear audio when playing music or ring tones, but during voice calls or playing voice mails, I could only hear audio with headphones plugged in. If you can adjust volume and the volume level dialog does not say "Headphones" (even though you don't have headphones plugged in), then possibly the solution mentioned here is for you. This had nothing to do with headphone jack nor was it a setting - pure hardware issue - loose connection or short somewhere. Maybe this will help someone else.

This is I fixed my issue.

Go to voice memo application and record a voice memo. While listening to the recorded voice memo increase the volume.

Random fix for the same issue with my new-ish 6s plus, only a couple of months after I got it. I couldn't hear during calls and unless my phone was either on Speakerphone or connected to Bluetooth or headphones. There was also no volume when watching videos unless headphones or Bluetooth was connected. It was a two second fix that is so random that was an accidental fix. I was recording my 8 year old talk on the voice memos app and played it back to show him there was no volume. When I turned the volume up while it was playing, the audio started working again with calls and videos too. For some reason that stopped my iphone from acting like headphones were plugged in.

Thanks. Even though I have never used a Bluetooth device with this phone, simply turning off and on Bluetooth in settings solved the prob.

Stevedurko solution was AMAZING.

I saw where someone said not to follow his advice and rudely said his suggestion was "idiotic."

That person even asked to remove his suggestion from this site.
I am so glad it was not removed because I spent hours at the Apple store, waiting for my appointment and then working with the technician.

He thought it was dust in the headphone ear plug hole, because he was able to hear my voice memos.

I found that odd because I had tried all the headphone jack dust clearing suggestions and even used a can of air to blow out that jack and that did not help.

But my phone began properly working again after he accessed voice memos, so I thought he cleared the jack better than I has tried to do.

But that was not the fix, because when I got home the problem returned.

I guess when he accessed my voice memos that corrected the problem but only temporarily.

So, I was going to either mail my iPhone back to Apple for repair (a cost of $269.00 dollars, if I correctly recall their costs as posted on their repair site).

If I did not do that I was considering buying a new phone.

But I recalled I had used my "Square Reader" before the trouble began and since that connected to my headphone jack, I decided to see if I could find any posts about that program (which uses the "Microphone setting) as being the cause of the problem. In doing that I chanced upon Stevedurko's solution.

I was Stevedurko's solution which saved me as it worked perfectly.

Naturally, using common sense,I did not press hard enough to crack the screen, and I heard the faint click he spoke about.

Now my I can hear people I call or who call me without needing to go on the speaker mode.

I needed to post this to thank Stevedurko and also to be sure his post remains for everyone to see since, as odd as it seemed, IT WORKED !!!

(Actually it isn't all that odd because in reading up on this it seems there is some sort of headphone sensing wire which runs right in the spot he said to press and that wire causes the phone to act as if headphones are plugged in.)

Bob

This solution worked for me. I haven't tried re-syncing the devices yet, but deleting them from my list of Bluetooth devices fixed the problem. Thank you!

I am using a 4S (model A 1387) iOS 9.3

hi,

you need to push hard on where front camera area, you'll hear a click sound. that's all.

Thanks so much..... I just pressed hard on the front camera and I could hear voice calls again.

I know the question has long since been resolved. But I had the same issue with not being able to hear when making and receiving phone calls unless I put the phone on speaker with my iPhone 6s Plus. And tried to fix the problem myself and ended up voiding the warranty because I damaged the ports on the bottom and it cost me $150 via my phone insurance with Asurion. So if anyone has this issue I'd highly recommend calling your phone carrier and see if it can be replaced under warranty instead of trying to fix yourself.

Beware! DO NOT LISTEN TO STEVEDURKO's ADVICE. He is instructing you to break your screen.

Can a member of admin take this idiotic suggestion off this thread asap. His instructions caused me to break my screen. That click he refers to is the snapping of your screen. Avoid his advice everyone.

try turning ur vibrate on and off

Thank you so much. This actually did it for me. I tried everything from pushing on the front camera to almost stepping slightly on the front camera and everything in between but this solved it, so thank you !