Level 1

113 points

iphone 8 poor/sensitive mic during call

Just got a new iPhone 8 (updated to ios 11.0.2) upgraded from iPhone 6. When making a call if not talking directly into the mic the person on the other end cannot hear me (or my voice volume is drastically lower). This occurs when even slightly moving the phone away from my mouth or rotating the phone slightly up or down. My father has the same problem with his iPhone 8, even returned it and got a new one, same problem. Switching to speaker phone solves the problem. Also noting it does not happen all the time and a hard reset can fix it for a bit but then it goes back to the bad behavior.

Has anyone else experienced this?

iPhone 8, iOS 11.0.2

Posted on Oct 5, 2017 7:48 PM

Top-ranking reply

bazilh

Level 1

51 points

Posted on Feb 20, 2018 11:14 AM

I found this interesting post on a similar mic issue thread for the iPhone X (thanks to brentwoodkennyg):

I sound muffled or underwater, but only sometimes. Other calls are perfect. Tried all of the fixes in this forum - Network reset, LTE off/on, full reset, wi-fi calls off. Noise cancellation off. With and without cover. Got a replacement phone from the Apple store. None of it helped and now I know why...

The issue turned out to be how I was holding the phone. There are three microphones on the X and one of them is located by the camera on the back of the phone. Even though I didn't cover it while holding the X (with fingers and thumb on the sides of the phone, I apparently was close enough to make that mic behave differently. When I move my phone-holding position in the same grip to the bottom part of the phone, the problems vanish. I have run through a series of test with my "complainers" and this seems to pinpoint the root cause. It's either user error or a design flaw, but there is a simple workaround. Hold the phone at the bottom of the case and definitely not near the top. Problem Solved!

Update as to why this works: Apple has designed noise cancellation into the talking side of the phone. (This is different than the noise cancellation in the Accessibility settings - those are for the listening not speaking). Anyway, there is a small mic on the back of the X by the camera. It's purpose is to listen for ambient noise (think crowded bar) and to cancel that noise from what it hears from the mics on the front at bottom of the phone. Those mics hear your voice talking plus they hear the ambient noise (crowded bar). The software "subtracts" the bar sound from what it hears on the front and the listener never hears the bar noise - just your voice. (You can test this by completely covering the back mic hole with your finger - then the listener hears the bar noise and has trouble hearing your voice).

Anyway, this is a really great feature - except that if you hold the phone near the top, it channels part of your voice into that back mic and it ends up canceling out all or part of your voice. So I have to hold my phone at the bottom and things work fine. This also explains problems with folding phone cases and issues when you are holding the phone between neck and shoulder.

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403 replies

Apr 5, 2018 10:56 AM in response to jánfromtrebišov

It will only get worse. My iphone 8 + sure did. Again, get a replacement asap and keep getting replacements from Apple. Make them pay to keep you happy. I was done after my 3rd replacement and all the stinking delays in the phones software. My camera started taking pics upside down as well. What the...Call into your carrier and talk with tech support and demand a replacement and if the replacement does it , get another one. Or leave Apple like many of us did and are doing for good!

Apr 8, 2018 5:42 PM in response to KeithJ80

I have a similar issue on my iPhone 7 , on VoIP apps (like whatsapp and viber) only though , on a regular call , people can hear me clearly , I googled that issue and I found that it’s apparently related to noise cancelation feature , even though it’s deactivated it can cause problem on 3rd party apps that use the main mic ... it’s a software issue for sure , at least in my case - iOS 12.2.2 here

Emcc61

Level 1

4 points

Jan 4, 2018 2:25 PM in response to lenafrombrussels

Just received a call from Apple Support and they are still referring to this BIG issue as a hardware problem . I despair!!!

Feb 15, 2018 7:11 AM in response to KeithJ80

I have the same problem. Using headphone mic also seems to help.

Feb 17, 2018 2:05 PM in response to Stockholmred

Good luck with that replacement. As I mentioned, it’s really hit or miss with these 8’s.... make sure the replacement is not updated past 11.1.2. As for that’s where the problem is.

Finny22

Level 1

4 points

Mar 21, 2018 4:23 PM in response to OrangeFive

I turned off VolTE too, it worked a short time. then problems came back.

May 6, 2018 3:44 AM in response to Eline2910

No solution yet , hopefully iOS 12 will fix that , the 1st beta will come in a month , just use an earphone until then

KeithJ80 Author

Level 1

113 points

Oct 6, 2017 5:42 PM in response to AppleJoe

Thanks. Yes, tried all that. Nothing is blocking the mic (I don't use a cover or anything). Mic seems to work fine for voice memo. It also seems fine when using the speakerphone. But in a call, not using the speakerphone, just the slightest movement of the phone away from my mouth and the caller on the other end has trouble hearing me. I've had the iPhone 4s, 5s, 6 and now 8 and have never experienced this. As I said, not isolated to my phone either. My father's phone (new iPhone 8) does the same. He even went to the Apple store and had it replaced, same behavior.

mnijaw

Level 1

9 points

Nov 8, 2017 11:24 AM in response to KeithJ80

EXACT same issue with my iPhone 8 Plus. It's not as though the mic CANNOT work, because when I switch to speaker phone, I can be a good distance away from the phone and people still hear me. But, when speaker phone is off, my mouth has to be RIGHT next to the speaker. Even the slightest tilt of the phone away from my face makes me unable to be heard, even when speaking loudly. Very frustrating!

Rachel_T

Level 1

13 points

Nov 11, 2017 3:15 PM in response to BrendanBeyer

Same thing on mine and my husband IPhone 8. I can’t get through a single call without this happening. I seriously hate my iPhone, Verizon and Apple won’t help me. They need to address this issue right away. What’s a phone if you can’t talk on it.

Nov 17, 2017 4:54 AM in response to hgt001

Well, I do feel a tad bit better because I’m seeing multiple complaints about the same problem. iPhone 8.... I have 3. 2 are terrible and the other is somewhat better. Very very hard to tell if it’s software/hardware but if you call yourself on another phone, mute the other test phone and talk, it’s a fading, buzzing, mumbling and distant sound instead of a clear voice. 15 calls were made to all different numbers and all the other lines said “hello” “sir”? “You’re terribly broken up” “you sound muffled and underwater”..... my 4th 8 is in transit for a swap. 4 8’s?????? I think it’s time for Samsung.

Nov 19, 2017 2:26 PM in response to KeithJ80

Exactly the same issue with the iPhone 7...We have had a number of them in my business and they are all the same.

We are so over the apple telling us that there is nothing wrong with the phones and have never heard of this problem.

My brother has just perforated the water proof membrane on his iPhone 7 and this seems to have solved the problem with his(not recommending it, but interesting).

This is a massive problem which does not seemed to be address honestly by Apple..

Is the iPhone x the same???

Nov 26, 2017 11:28 AM in response to Rachel_T

Mostly all 3rd party apps use either the rear mic or only one bottom mic, therefore an actual “in call” test will be the best because the os and hardware utilizes both mics depending what side of the bottom your closer to. It’s been a full week on my 5th 8 and no issue. Yet. ...

Dec 6, 2017 2:14 PM in response to KeithJ80

i'm having the same issue on my brand new (2 week old) iphone 8 plus 256gig....i'm very disappointed by that. i have tried everything. and experience the same issue..only with normal voice call. any vociecall via app over the intnert such as whatsapp call, facebook call seems to be working perfect.

Dec 11, 2017 6:23 PM in response to KeithJ80

Hi Keith I have the same issue with my Iphone 8Plus, purchased on 2nd November 2017. No one can hear me unless i have the headphone connected or connected to bluetooth. Speaker phone also works, but regular mic does not work everyone tells me they cannot hear me.. this is extremely embarrassing as I am calling clients and they almost hang up me as they cannot hear me. I have to shout very loadly for them to hear me and in an office environment this is very ofoff putting to my colleagues and down right embarrassing to me. Apple just told me to try and record on voice memo.. well this works fine, but still people I call cannot hear me.. Next idea was to download IOS 11.2, well did that this morning and still no good. I assume now they will tell me to reset the phone another waste of 45min of my time.. I can see that you have had a huge response to your post.. did you manage to get the issue resolved or do you still experience the mic issue?

Thanks

Paul

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iphone 8 poor/sensitive mic during call