How to fix the microphone on the iPhone

The microphone is one of the most important features of any smartphone, including the iPhone. Calls, audio notes, videos, and various applications depend on it.

If multiple people complain about not hearing you well on the phone or you notice that the videos you have recorded have bad audio quality, you probably have iPhone mic issues. Before you rush to the Apple service center to fix it, there are several things you can try out yourself. We want to save you time and repair costs. Therefore, we’ve collected the ways of checking the microphone on your iPhone and the solutions for coping with this problem on your own.

How to test the microphone

iPhone 8 to iPhone 13 models have three microphones in different locations: at the top, rear, and bottom.

You can check the front microphone by recording a selfie video with a sound. The rear microphone can be checked by recording a video on the back camera. As for the bottom microphone, you can check it by making a voice memo on your iPhone. If you hear your voice fading or cracking and the sound quality is poor, you need to fix the microphone on your iPhone.

How to troubleshoot the microphone on your iPhone

Restart your phone

The first and obvious solution to fix iPhone mic problems is to restart your device. Restarting your iPhone can solve microphone glitches and flush out any corrupt data that might be causing issues with your microphone. Just turning the sound on your phone on and off may not be enough to solve the iPhone microphone issue. We suggest switching your phone off completely and then turning it on again. After that, you can test your microphone again.

Clean your microphone

The microphone on your device can have issues because of the accumulated dust, dirt, or pocket lint. In this case, you need to clean it. Take a dry, medium-hard toothbrush and brush all the microphone spots gently.

Also, note that it is better not to use an alcoholic substance to clean your microphone. If it gets inside, it can lead to even more serious damage.

Update your iOS

Sometimes, iPhone 7+ mic issues may occur after updating iOS. To resolve this issue, update your operating system again to see how this will affect the built-in microphone.

The system update fixes bugs, introduces new features, and expands capabilities. Since you're having problems with the microphone, installing any pending software updates may help.

Reset your settings

Some glitches can be successfully fixed by restoring iPhone settings to default. If the mic on your iPhone is not working, a complete iOS reset can help. Don’t worry - it will not delete personal data such as photos, videos, music, or apps. Only the settings you have changed will be deleted. This includes home screen layout, Wi-Fi passwords, saved Bluetooth devices, privacy settings, notifications, and more.

To reset your settings, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings and click General.
2. Choose Reset.
3. Then select Reset all settings.

Turn Off Noise Cancellation

In some cases, you need to disable noise cancellation to fix your iPhone microphone.

Here is how to turn off noise cancellation on your iPhone:

1. In the Settings app, find Accessibility.
2. Click on Audio/Video.
3. Turn off noise cancellation.

You can test it when calling someone, for example.

Allow apps access to the microphone

Apps need your consent to access the iPhone microphone. If it’s the first time you open an app or make an action in an app that requires a microphone, you'll see a pop-up asking for your permission.

If you accidentally chose Do Not Allow, here's how to reverse that decision.

1. Open the Settings and choose Privacy.
2. Then select Microphone.
3. Turn on the switch for the application you want to allow access to the microphone.

Also, here is another way to allow access for the apps on your phone to the microphone:

1. Scroll down the Settings app
2. Click on the app name
3. Do the actions indicated above.

Then you need to force close the app. However, when you restart it, your mic will be enabled.

Disconnect paired Bluetooth devices

The iPhone mic issue may not be in the device itself. The reason may be that you forgot about the headphones connected by Bluetooth. As a result, you may try to watch a video, play music, make a call or send a voice note and find out that your iPhone microphone is muffled.
This may occur because the Bluetooth headset is connected to the iPhone and is sending voice to it, or you may be using the microphone on your headset. To fix this problem, you need to turn off your wireless headphones.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Microphone settings on iPhone and click Bluetooth.
2. Turn off its switch. This will disable all Bluetooth devices.

If you don't want to disable Bluetooth, click on the (i) located next to the wireless headphones you’re using. Then tap Disconnect.

Useful tip: If you're using AirPods, click on (i) and make sure the automatic ear detection toggle is on. This ensures that whenever the headphones are connected but are not in your ear, the sound and microphone will be disabled.

Also, you can click on Microphone and adjust the settings if necessary.

For wired headphones - turn them off. After that, you can use iPhone microphones to make calls and for other purposes.

Final Thoughts

So, there are three microphones in iPhone 8+ models. To fix your microphone on the iPhone, you need to test your microphone first.

As you already know, there are several ways you can fix your microphone issues. But if these ways don’t work, then you need to address a specialist in Apple Service.