Iphone XS Max Screech noise

I appear to have the same problem: high-pitched screeching noise occurring randomly in bursts 5 to 30 seconds long on many, but not all, phone calls on my Xs Max bought directly from Apple in October 2018. Weirdly, it seems to happen more often with some callers than others. I went to the Apple Store who ran diagnostics--no problems found--and did a cold boot. I also went to the local Verizon corporate store; they replaced the SIM card and reset network settings, and also removed and added the HD voice option from my account. For grins I updated to the latest version of iOS, 12.3.1. I'm still having the problem.

No one at the Apple Store or Verizon has heard of this problem before. Many thanks to whoever posted the sample; that got everyone's attention.

In my experiments, based on someone's comment here, I found that setting LTE to "Data Only" seems to make the problem go away. I can't be 100% sure though as my testing has been limited: had the problem with LTE set to "Voice & Data", set to "Data Only" and no problem with the same person; set back to "Voice & Data" and the problem came back. I'm going to keep it on "Data Only" for a while and see if that "fixes" the problem.

As an aside, and probably a red herring, but I'll mention in case it's relevant: anyone else having cellular network connectivity issues with their phone? I've had a few occasions where the phone kind of forgets its a phone: data works, but making and receiving calls doesn't work; I get an error making calls, and callers get sent right to voice mail. Rebooting the phone is the only thing that fixes it. Wondering if there's somehow a connection between these problems.

Hey so I found something that *might* be a solution. It looks like it might be a Verizon issue; the thread below says turning off Advanced HD Voice (which allows voice & data simultaneously) via Verizon, resetting the network in iPhone settings (Settings, General, Reset) and then rebooting is what solved it. I will try it and get back with results.

How to stop clicking and screeching sound on my... | Verizon Community

To be clear, I believe you should still be able to use the feature, it's just that you have to call Verizon to reset/re-provision HD Voice to fix this problem. Voice & Data off in your iPhone's cellular settings under LTE isn't be sufficient enough (supposedly).

I am the friend in Canada jarrettj is talking about/talks to when he experiences the screeching noises. Here are some solid facts about this very bad issue:

I am a programmer and a DSP programmer by trade. I program Audio and Video teleconferencing systems in office buildings and conference centers, so I feel like I can contribute based on what I know.

-- The noise happens EVERY phone call with jarrettj, and during a 15min conversation, there will be probably 5-8 instances of noise that can range from 1/2 second, to 6 or 8 seconds in length.

-- I live in Canada, Telus is the cellular provider

-- I do not hear this on my end when it happens to jarrettj, but rarely I can hear a couple of minor clicks or clicks of static.

-- The problem ONLY happens WHEN I am in a moving car. BE CLEAR to understand it is NOT my car that is the issue. I have traveled to Ohio, in a DIFFERENT car, and the problem was just as bad, with just as many instances. So the issue is not because of MY car, or because of where I live.

--The problem is NOT exclusive to Bluetooth connection. I have turned OFF Bluetooth, put jarrettj on speakerphone and the problem still persisted.

-- For most of the time, I attributed the issue to noise coming from my moving car (noise), BUT I have put jarretj on MUTE and the sound started and ended and started and ended while I continued to drive. Mute means that my car microphone is muted and did not transmit sound to the far end (jarrettj).

-- Because of the fact of above, could it be my moving phone traveling from tower to tower in approximation (35mph or faster), thus having some handoff transmission line feedback, which transmits to jarrettj's phone? I question this based also on the fact that I notice the sound happens to jarrettj in certain areas along where I drive, consistently.

-- Cellphone reception and signal strength on my end seems to be acceptably strong, as calls do not ever drop with jarrettj.

-- I AGREE with jarrettj, I do believe there may be an issue with the Intel chip, simply because this issue does NOT exist in previous iPhone models of the past.

-- As jarrettj said before, he has removed the sim card from his Xs Max, placed it into a 6s Plus, for about 4 days, and there were NO occurrences of noise!! He switched BACK to the XsMax, and the noise continued.

I think that any device designed to fire sound into your ears, particularly in a Voice Call mode, should NEVER produce this kind of sound. Even if this sound is transmitted to the iPhone, the DSP of the phone should filter it out and should NOT play it over the speaker/bluetooth however you are listening to it.

Remember to call Verizon to have them disable HD voice. That’s what supposedly fixes it.

This happened to me for the first time today on my XS Max. I've had the phone since April. I'm on Xfinity Mobile which I believe uses the Verizon network. When the screeching happened the first time, I was on the phone with a dentist office and when they put me on hold, right before they came back, it started. As soon as they started talking it went away. The next call I made was to a Webex conference line and I had to hang up and call back with a different phone to avoid the screech. I noticed my wifi calling was in use for both of these. I tried calling another phone and there was no screech. I tried turning off wifi, forcing the network, and haven't had the issue with other calls in the last couple hours.

Also recently, maybe since iOS 13 release, I've noticed that often when my wife calls me, as soon as I try to answer it drops the call or says "call failed." I either have to call her back, or just text. May be related? May not be, but thought I'd mention it.

Yup, on Berizon. I just set my Enable LTE settings to Data Only. I’ll post again if the screeching persists.

I have this exact same issue. I had the Genius Bar replace my phone and it made no difference. I have isolated the issue to background noise. If I call someone that has a fan on, is in a windy environment, is near traffic, or even turns on a sink with running water while we are talking I get this ear piercing high pitched noise in my ear that they can't hear.

I talked to these same people on my 8 Plus (before I turned it in) and never experienced any of this.

Apple Support told me it was normal background interference. I've had every iPhone model since iPhone 3G and never had this problem.

It's really embarrassing when I call a client and have to tell them to turn off their fan or AC so we can talk.

I seem to have the same symptoms. Occurs on my interal speaker, the iPhone Speaker, and on my AirPods. The next time it happens, I’ll notice if the person on the other end is in their car, not in their car but on Speaker, and if there’s background noise in their environment.

The volume of the screeching is deafening, especially on an Airpod. I swear that I could not have removed my AirPod fast enough, it would have caused eardrum damage. This is an intolerable condition that absolutely must be addressed ASAP.

I can confirm I also hear it on every speaker or device I use. I also have people complain of clicking noises if I make a phone call on my iPhone XS Max using Air Pods. This issue started the day I got the iPhone XS Max and continued after it was replaced. I wonder if there is a LOT # or Serial # batch that this issue is confined to. I'm not sure if different colors are made in different facilities or batch numbers but mine is the Silver. What color is yours?

The Apple Support response of "Feedback is expected behavior" is not acceptable to me. This is the only Apple device I have ever been unhappy with.

I've tried various settings from Apple and Verizon including turning the noise reduction feature on and off. That made no different. I switched mine to WIFI calling tonight just to see what happens. That of course is unless if I am driving and answer a call on bluetooth. The screeching noise over the car bluetooth is also extremely painful as well.

I may have already mentioned it, but my case was closed with Apple. They called it "expected behavior". It's sad that screeching feedback is expected behavior from a $1,200 phone.