Level 1

7 points

iPhones 6S Plus Earpiece Crackling When on Call

Has anybody with a new S noted a "crackling" or resonance noise when you are on phone calls especially with your earpiece (not speakerphone) volume set to 75% or higher? It seems to occur mostly if the person on the other end of the line speaks louder than usual or raises their voice. It's almost as though the metal grill inform of the the earpiece is vibrating from excess sound coming through or that it's loose.

At first I though it was a blown earpiece speaker but I noticed I was able to resolve it even at 100% volume by turning ON the Hearing Aid feature under General>Accessibility menu selection. BUT it makes the caller on the other end sound bass heavy and there is zero treble and makes them sound muffled.

So it's either bad earpieces or software. Any ideas?

iPhone 6 Plus, iOS 9.0.2, 128Gb

Posted on Oct 6, 2015 1:42 AM

81 replies

dsc888 Author

Level 1

7 points

Nov 1, 2015 9:02 PM in response to Ruben dog

Rubin dog,

Thanks for your feedback. It was very helpful to know that you went through 4 new phones and had no success. Odd of getting 4 phones and a new earpiece and having the same exact issue is pretty low in my book.

I had an iPhone 5 and it never did this. But then I never used it with iOS 8.3 so would have never known. I'd have to agree with you that the sound quality is mediocre at best on my 6S+. It was crystal clear when I had my 6 while calling someone else on T-Mobile with HD Voice. It sounded like a landline. The new 6S+ lacks treble. Someone really messed with the tuning of the phone for the worse. Apple may not care or may not do anything unless more folks complain. And with fewer people actually using their phones to make voice calls, I doubt enough folks may care to report it.

Nov 2, 2015 4:37 AM in response to dsc888

dsc888,

I still believe that it is an hardware issue.

My wife has an iphone 6 running os9.1 and the sound is super clear.

the bad quality speakers or amplifiers do exactly the same when you highen up the volume to certain level. it is normal that with hear aid you don't hear any crackling as the aid lowers so much the volume cuts all the sharp notes..

i have an appointment with genius bar this thursday, but i don't think they have a lot to offer.

Nov 2, 2015 8:32 AM in response to osmanisik

In that case we are waiting your feedback, good luck

Nov 22, 2015 1:48 PM in response to Bronco the great

They changed the phone and the problem is still there..

manno3

Level 1

0 points

Nov 24, 2015 11:43 AM in response to osmanisik

I have exactly the same problem with my iPhone 6s plus. Is there any solution to solve this issue?

Nov 24, 2015 12:47 PM in response to manno3

I'm afraid no. I have tested 8 phones (6S plus) and all had exactly the same defect. 5S works perfectly well. Apple support cannot help and do not admit anything. Cuppertino must be aware of this but does not do anything. Any software updates have not solved the problem. Therefore I think the problem must be hardware. The earpiece itself does not have the problem as the voice recorder does not have craclling at all when played through earpiece. The defect is probably in the hardware of the phone functionality. It is strange that this "Crackling Gate" has not been raised by any media as far as I know.

Nov 24, 2015 12:59 PM in response to Ruben dog

AS already mentioned before, the problem exists since the release of IOS 8.3. I also tried different 10 different iPhones 6 a few months ago already. And the problem occurred with IOS 8.3

It's a shame that Apple hasn't fixed this problem yet. They are quite ignorant about this issue.

manno3

Level 1

0 points

Nov 24, 2015 2:40 PM in response to Ruben dog

Yes I can confirm, that records with the voice recorder sounds good via the earpiece. I have configured my phone as a new phone and also from a backup (from 5s). It makes no difference. The "crackling effect" is very strong, if I call to a phone (landline) via VOIP.

If i call via mobile network (here in Germany for example from vodafone to e-plus) is the effect in most cases not so remarkable, but he is still there.

Every word and every ringtone begins with a "crackling" noise.

dsc888 Author

Level 1

7 points

Nov 24, 2015 7:53 PM in response to osmanisik

Thanks for the feedback! This is just tragic. How can such a simple issue not get caught in the testing phase?

dsc888 Author

Level 1

7 points

Nov 24, 2015 7:56 PM in response to manno3

Yes. I've noticed that it is completely eliminated with a T-Mobile to T-Mobile call where HD Voice is used. The person on the other end can be screaming and it doesn't crack. But call to landlines and other carriers will crack when the line I'm calling rings and with almost each word the other person speaks. I can turn down the earpiece volume and it is still there buy just quieter. So I still feel that it's somehow software related since turning down the volume should lessen the effect.

Nov 25, 2015 9:55 AM in response to dsc888

Guys, the strange in the story is that we are only few who complain about this issue, how come nobody other has mentioned It? And so of you has already swiped his phone but the issue is always there?

manno3

Level 1

0 points

Nov 25, 2015 1:03 PM in response to dsc888

I have read, that since IOS 8.3 support for voLTE (voice over LTE) is included. May be, that our issue has something to do with that?

My provider doesn't support for me this feature, but the network firmware on my phone is the latest and can be used for that.

Nov 29, 2015 9:29 AM in response to dsc888

I do have the same crackling issue on the brand new 6s+. I'm a bit disappointed, call quality was perfect on my old iphone 5.

When I record a voice memo and play it via ear speaker, the sound is OK. So, the ear speaker itself seems to be OK.

manno3

Level 1

0 points

Dec 2, 2015 12:40 PM in response to dsc888

Is there anyone, who have got success with exchanging the iphone?

And received a iphone without this issue?

Today I checked a SIM from another provider, but the issue is still there. (not so strong, but noticeable)

Now I'm thinking about an exchange.

manno3

Level 1

0 points

Dec 5, 2015 3:06 AM in response to manno3

Yesterday I have checked an iPhone 6 plus 16GB from my friend. On outgoing ringtones I have heard the same crackling like on my phone (6s plus 128GB)! The quality of phone calls with this phone alltogether are not better than on my phone.

Not comperable with my old 5s.

Could it be, that the phones have problems processing the incomming signals correct?

Software or hardware issue?

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iPhones 6S Plus Earpiece Crackling When on Call