iPhone 7 Plus Phone Call Sound Quality

We have a fleet of around 40 iPhone 6’s and 7’s. We’ve had frequent call audio issues with the iPhone 7, where the recipient of a call from the iPhone hears broken audio.

Through testing, we have managed to replicate the issue. If the caller is talking, and moves the handset away from their face (as shown in the images below), the call recipient hears broken audio, every time! This does not happen at all with our iPhone 6 handsets.

We’ve tired adjusting the noise cancellation settings to no avail.

We have found a temporary fix. By covering the rear mic (in between the camera and flash) with tape the problem disappears, every time!

We’ve been to the Apple store and gotten nowhere with the “genius”.

We also have just bought an iPhone 8, and it’s even worse than the 7!

First, make sure the plastic covering on the display to protect it during shipment has been removed. If you have your iPhone in a case, try removing it and making a call. If you still notice the volume isn't quite where it should be, use the steps in the article linked below for further assistance.

If you can‘t hear a person on a call or voicemail or if the sound isn‘t clear on your iPhone

iPhone 7 Plus 256GB here.

Bought in Spain (Corte Inglés)

Carrier: Yoigo (Spain)

Problem: I hear the called as the sound came from back part of the device. It seems the speakers are on, although they aren't. The other person hear me clear. If I put the volume down, fix it but partially. I have to use a very low volume for having a near-to-normal experience with audio calls.

I've tried:

• Use the phone without case
• Use the phone with case
• Configure the phone with iCloud backup restore
• Configure the phone as new iPhone
• Use whatsapp call

In every case, I still have the low audio quality issue.

I returned the Phone to the seller (El Corte Inglés) and they have opened a ticket with Apple Support. About 15 days to answer.

I've read the entire thread. It's really incredible that this problem showed up in the middle of september 2016, and by now has no clear solution.

I too have this problem. iPhone 7, 32gb purchased directly from Apple in Australia and on the Telstra network. I am famously loud on the phone. Co-workers laugh at me for talking so loudly. I have been using smart phones since 2003 and 'normal' candy bar phones since the very early nineties. Working as I do in the tech industry, I have had way over 50 phones in the last 25 or so years. I have never had any issues. However, since buying my iPhone 7 a month or so ago, it seems that no-one can hear what I am saying when I speak with them. They complain I am muffled, quiet and very hard to hear. I have always held my phone with the front speaker up tight against my right ear, with the microphone about 6 to 8cm away from my mouth. If I hold my iPhone this way, the person who I am speaking with cannot hear what I am saying. I have to push the phone hard against my face (which is awkward and uncomfortable) before users can hear what I am saying. I took the phone back to the Apple Store where they tested it and said it was fine. However, they issued me with a replacement device and guess what, it has exactly the same problem. You can repro the issue by calling your voicemail and leaving yourself a message whilst holding your phone in a 'normal' position and then pushing it hard against your face. The use of a flip cover makes the problem worse (even though it is not obscuring any microphones). The device has been reset, I have applied all the suggested changes around $g data only, turning off noise cancellation and the hearing aid setting. Nothing works. This is the first Apple product I have bought, It costs twice as much as other phones that I have previously used and quite frankly, it is useless. The primary reason I have a phone is to make calls. My iPhone 7 cannot do this. I need to explore how I can get a refund.

Same problem here. I'm on my 3rd iPhone 7 Plus (long story) When I got the first one, I had this problem so I called Apple and they told me to call Verizon since I noticed the problem the same day I got it. They had no answers so they sent me another one. So I get the second one and guess what, same problem! After I got the second one restored, I went back the the first and the problem some how solved itself and I have no idea how. Same exact thing happened with the second, fixed itself! I was sure it was a hardware problem the first time but having this happen 3 times now and it was fixed twice, it's obviously a software issue. My 3rd one is currently having this issue but I'm hoping it's going to fix itself soon! So annoying! I really wish I knew how it got fixed so I could share but unfortunately I have no clue. Fingers crossed! I hope this helped in some way 🙂

**UPDATE** It seems that I have SOLVED the issue It was really starting to get frustrating to read and experience this annoying problem without any solution!! I first turned off Bluetooth (I'm not sure if this was crucial to the fix but it's what I did) then went to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Enable LTE > Data Only

then Settings > General > Accessibility > (under hearing) Phone Noise Cancellation to off. I don't know if I did it in that order or not cause I was just fooling around with it. I listened to a voicemail and it's FIXED!! Then I went back in and turned the data back to LTE and Voice and checked again, still fixed. Then I went back in and turned on the Noise Calcellation and it's still fixed. Finally I turned Bluetooth back on and... still fixed! Hallelujah!!

I would LOVE to know if this works for anyone else, please let me know!

Hi Mellow & Everyone. I'll try your method. But I just want to say that the intermittent problem - of not being heard by someone on the other end of a voice conversation - is also a problem for me while driving and making a hands-free call using Bluetooth (and not using any of the phone microphones).

And today, I had called an office and - while communicating with a synthesized voice on the other end - had to use the phone's numeric keypad to make choices. At a number of critical moments, those key entries did not reach the make-pretend person. I had to move all around to different parts of our home, switch repeatedly between to-my-ear and speakerphone, and had to presss the keys for my choices again and again and again, to eventually accomplish successful keypad touches.

My hunch is that the process you described isn't going to solve all this, but I'll sure try.

Meanwhile, my complaint (regarding my second 7+ phone) has been referred to a "senior advisor" at Apple, but he won't answer my emails.

Apple bosses, you need to solve this very soon!

No idea. But I called Verizon and they had a slew of returned iPhone 7's with the voice issue too (they searched in their system)... they were ready to waive the 15 day return and let me return for an entirely different phone..... until they realized I already swapped it out at Apple. Guess Apple was supposed to warn me that if they swap it out and I bought it from the carrier that the carrier can no longer swap it out or take it back (has to be the identical serial number to the one the carrier sold you). So I'm stuck with it unless I sell it on eBay.

UPDATE>>>>>> I ran the diagnostic software for 24hrs after which the log was sent to Apple. I'm waiting for Apple Engineering to get back to me with a report. One thing that became apparent during the conversation with Shane is the fault on my phone seems to be to be most evident when my Peli Vault case front is folded back over the rear microphone. During further investigation I made a number of calls with various other materials covering the rear mic including my hand and quality was fine, so it seems the Peli Vault case is to blame. I have intimated to Shane that whilst we've tied it down to this case the fault was present on my first 7+ and this one before I purchased the Peli Vault case. At the end of the day normal plastic, leather or silicon case material shouldn't affect the call quality of a mobile phone. I don't know if I'm imagining things but call quality seems better though not perfect since I ran the diagnostic software, I wonder if the diagnostic process incorporates some form of repair or setting algorithm which acts on the diagnostic results...

UPDATE>>>>> This morning I received a phone call from an Apple EMEIA Senior Specialist who's been managing my case. He informed me his department are aware of two faults I've reported those being poor quality muffled sound during calls and my voice breaking up. He informed me this was more than his department could handle and it's been escalated alleged as high as this can go to Apple Corporate Engineering to ascertain if it's software or hardware. The gentleman concerned said he has read this thread and feels some of the fixes people have found will be temporary which suggested he perhaps new more than he was saying and when I dug a bit further he informed me he couldn't say any more. I found it interesting that during the conversation he touched on the potential for the call quality issue to be batch specific and had the report for my first phone in front of him but again couldn't say any more. I feel as though I may getting somewhere it's now a case of saying watch this space to see what happens next. It's unbelievable the lengths I'm having to go to in order to get Apple to understand there is an inherent call sound quality fault with some 7 series Iphones.

Update:

So after 2 weeks had passed since i had put my 10 day old Iphone 7 plus in for repairs, i got my phone back from Vodafone AU, tested it out now for 2 weeks, and it has the same issue. My employer has called me numerous times now and says my phones breaks up and goes quiet here and there whiles others i talk to them on speaker phone. That is 2 phones now, not happy, do not have time to deal with it. Lucky my contract allows me to replace the phone in a year, back to Android i guess, more so just disappointed that Apple hasn't acknowledged the faults.

Apple called me again this evening first on my land line then my 7+. During the call to my 7+ I was informed my voice was as clear as when using the landline and they suspected the Peli Vault case I use was causing the fault when the front cover is folded back during a call. I noticed a difference after using the diagnostic App on my phone and sending the diagnostic log to Apple. I disagreed the case was the cause as I the fault was evident on the original and replacement 7+ before I purchased the Peli Vault case. I've been advised to monitor call quality during the next few calls and report back if the fault re appears. Something happened to improve call quality during the 24hrs I ran the diagnostic app, I don't know what but the fault remained during two full resets then suddenly it disappears when Apple ask me to install and run their diagnostic app. Maybe everyone experiencing this fault should get on to AppleCare and request their phone be diagnosed via the app and see what the outcome is..

I'm on my third iPhone 128gb 7 Plus. Apple has been gracious in replacing the first two. It's all about the poor audio quality, on the receiving end, whenever I use the speaker. I use the speaker a lot. Neither T-Mobile or Apple told me that other users were having the same issues. I love everything about the 7 Plus, except the actual phone.

I'm switching back to AT&T. I would have gone back to a 6s Plus, but I can't pass up the free 7 Plus offer, for AT&T/DirecTV customers. Hopefully, the fourth time will be the charm.

I bought 2 iPhone 7's, 1 for myself and 1 for my daughter, three weeks ago. My VERY first call sounded awful like my phone was in a trash can on speakerphone. My daughter had no problems with hers. I took it to the dealer and they did something with noise reduction and sent me on my way. I called them while leaving the parking lot and it sounded terrible. They ordered a replacement that I got about 5 days later. I was so excited thinking that I would finally have a normal call....to my surprise...I got another one that is just like the first one!!! I'm so disapp