Level 1

22 points

iPhone X, phone calls and Apple's Folio Case

I have an iPhone X with Apple's Folio Case, Great, right?

But ... when I made (or received) 'phone calls, people couldn't hear me properly - I was 'muffled'.

I tried voice memos. It worked.

I tried calling my own land line (with answering machine). Horrible, muffled.

The problem? I was folding the 'flip lid' all the way back so it was against the back of the 'phone. It seems the rear mic is relied upon and doesn't like being covered up. That's a concern for me as I reaaly wanted to have a firm grip on my 'phone. The only way it's going to work right now is to have the flap against my face. That's not the main concern (get a _good_ grip on an expensive device!).

The folded flap works just fine with "Voice Memos".

This is a SW issue. Yes, I disabled Accessibly "Noise Reduction" to see if it works.

This transcends the origami iPad case, where the inside rests on (e.g.) a mucky table. Then, it folds back up against the iPad's glass.

Well done. Could someone please look @ this?

Thaknyou,

Muggers

iOS 11.1

Posted on Nov 8, 2017 2:12 AM

Top-ranking reply

Lawrence Finch

Community+ 2026

Level 10

239,932 points

Posted on Nov 23, 2017 1:19 PM

The rear mic is used for noise reduction. If it is covered it will cause the symptoms you are describing, as has been reported by users of other models that have the noise reduction feature. It really isn't a software issue, as there is no software fix for covering a microphone. It doesn't happen with dictation or voice memo apps because they don't use noise reduction. If you turn off noise reduction in Settings/General/Accessibility the problem should go away. Or get a different case.

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67 replies

av4u001

Level 1

10 points

Dec 7, 2017 11:21 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

I am running 11.2, the very latest update and the problem persists. Too late now. My folio case has gone back for credit and I have the standard case

Thank You,

Roy

Dec 17, 2017 11:15 AM in response to Bobd111

Doesn't fix the problem. still exists. Unbelievable that Apple didn't test this folio case.

matt-g

Level 1

10 points

Nov 18, 2017 7:24 AM in response to tbone_GER

Returning our two folio cases today, last day in the 14-day repair window. In addition to the muffling problem (consistant on one phone; on the other, intermittent, for reasons explained below), I had another problem.

One of the two cases didn’t fit the phone as well as it shoud. This manifest itself in the phone’s volume randomly going up and down. The plastic volume up/down buttons in the case, which are intended to line up with those on the left side of the phone, were misaligned somehow such that they would occasionally press the corresponding phone button with no user interaction. The volume would go all the way up (usually) or down (occasionally). The only way to stop this was by removing the phone from the case and reinserting it, hoping it lined up properly. Over time (hours or a day or so), it would slide out of place again, and the same thing would happen.

I’ve owned pretty much everything made by Apple since the Apple II+, and this product has had more problems-relative-to-price-and-simplicity than anything I’ve ever bought from them before. It’s too bad, because the concept is great, but the implementation is terrible.

Dec 4, 2017 1:01 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

Here is the English translation for franch77 messages via Google.

***************************************************************************

Hi, I'm in France, I have the same problem that people complain about the same problem, when I flip the mobile party folio at the back I have a microphone problem

Hello, I solved the problem, Apple Store France reimburse me the product (even after 30 days.
I find a new case of the brand TORRO uk Who does not pose a problem, the Date Magnet is placed at another location.
the solution can also come with a holster without portfolio magnet to date Apple has no solution for this problem.

Some users reported that upgrading to iOS 11.2 solves this problem.

Thank you for your update on your experience with the Apple store.

(Any translation errors are the fault of Google Translate.)

***********************************************************************

franch77,

Thanks for the tip on the TORRO Uk cases. They look pretty nice. Not sure if "Date Magnet" translated right. Which case did you buy?

Thanks, David

MugWup Author

Level 1

22 points

Dec 5, 2017 7:16 PM in response to taubmax

Hey Taubmax (and others),

Quite right - I retract my last comment on 11.2 seeming to fix things, where I used only a sample of 1 from a potential population of billions (but my 'phone bill would be a tad large if I went down the latter option).

I don't know why the person could hear me properly with my initial try where I stuck a drinks coaster over a hole I'd punched in "my precious" folio case. perhaps it (not me) had too many drinks at the time?

So, I will stick with my case that's got a ~ 10 mm diameter (not radius - I made a misteak before!) hole punched through the flap to allow the rear mic to do its thing.

To those who wish to:

Advise all and quandary that one has to disable "Phone Noise Cancellation" for this to work, thank you very much, but this was one of the first things I tried. It doesn't seem to make a difference: not initially and not now (under iOS 11.2), but hanks all the same.;
Say (paraphrased): "Apple isn't forcing you to buy this thing, it's your problem, not theirs" ... my word, you lot don't seem to get it. This is a fundamental design flaw that should (and would) have been picked up through rudimentary testing. This is like saying Apple have a right to sell lemons (they're both fruit, right?), it's not their fault if the thing doesn't work as it should;
Repeat something akin to the "You're not holding it right" comeback, sorry - that's already been used, years ago. Those who did ate humble (Apple?) pie shortly thereafter.

Regards,

Muggins

Jan 12, 2018 2:35 PM in response to lapdabu

It has nothing to do with the magnet. If you fold the flap back all the way it covers the noise cancellation microphone near the camera; this is what causes the problem. If you don't fold the flap back all the way it should resolve the problem.

benyl

Level 1

4 points

Dec 7, 2017 11:24 AM in response to av4u001

11.2 works for me. without the case, if I cover the mic, the issue is still there. I think it is only fixed with the Apple OEM folio case

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iPhone X, phone calls and Apple's Folio Case