iPhone Speaker Crackling or Muffled? Here’s How to Fix It

Signs of a Crackling or Muffled iPhone Speaker

You can tell if your iPhone speaker is crackling or muffled when you listen to music, watch movies, or make phone calls. Specifically, the call quality will be inconsistent, making it difficult or impossible to hear, which can be frustrating.

Common Causes of iPhone Speaker Crackling or Muffling

There are many possible causes of an iPhone speaker crackling, including both subjective and objective factors. Here are some of the most common:

1. Dust or Debris in the Speaker

As you use your iPhone, it’s inevitable that dust or debris will accumulate on the surface or get inside the phone. This can get stuck inside and affect the sound quality, causing the audio from the speaker to crackle or sound muffled. This can happen in one of the two speakers or both the internal and external speakers.

2. Water Damage

Similar to dust, water damage is another common cause of iPhone speaker crackling. Water can interfere with the sound waves and create an unpleasant crackling sound. This can happen if you use your phone in the rain, keep it near a pool or glass of water, or if it’s exposed to humid conditions.

3. Outdated Software

Sometimes, downloading apps to your phone can cause conflicts between software, resulting in speaker crackling. This is rare, but it can happen, especially if you download apps from untrustworthy sources.

4. Physical Damage

Physical damage is inevitable when using a smartphone. This could be minor bumps or major drops, which can impact the hardware and speakers, causing dents, deformities, or tears in the speaker diaphragm, leading to crackling sounds.

5. Manufacturing Defects

If you bought a brand-new, sealed iPhone but the speaker starts crackling after a short period of use, it could be due to a manufacturing defect.

6. Connected Headphones

If you previously connected your iPhone to headphones but didn’t disconnect them, this can cause the iPhone speaker to crackle or sound muffled, as it won’t be able to output sound properly.

7. Low Speaker Volume

Another possible cause is that you have the speaker volume set too low, which can make it difficult to hear the audio clearly.

8. Outdated Operating System

If your iPhone is running an outdated or old version of the operating system, this can also cause speaker crackling and other issues.

How to Fix a Crackling iPhone Speaker

Depending on the cause, there are different solutions you can try. If your iPhone speaker is crackling, you can troubleshoot using the following steps:

1. Clean the iPhone Speaker

If you notice dust or debris in the speaker, clean it immediately to improve the sound quality and reduce crackling. Cleaning the speaker is simple; you can use a small cotton swab dipped in alcohol and gently wipe the speaker area. Do this slowly to ensure the speaker is thoroughly cleaned. Once you’ve cleaned it, you can test it by playing a music track. If the sound is still crackling or muffled, try the other methods below.

Note: Avoid using too much alcohol on the cotton swab, as this can cause the alcohol to seep into the speaker. If you don’t have cotton swabs, you can use a regular toothpick and wrap a thin layer of wet tissue around the tip.

2. Dry Water from the Speaker

If your iPhone speaker has been exposed to water, dry it quickly to restore clear and loud sound and prevent more serious damage.

Hold the phone at a 45-degree angle with the speaker facing down. Then, use a lint-free cloth to absorb the water inside the speaker. Some people use the method of placing the iPhone in a bag filled with rice to absorb the moisture. However, this can affect other components or cause rice particles to get into the speaker and other small openings on the phone.

Another way to fix an iPhone speaker crackling due to water is to install the Sonic app. This app uses a 440Hz frequency sound to quickly remove water from the speaker in about 10 minutes.

To do this, go to the App Store, search for the Sonic app, and download it.

Next, open the app and tap Play, then turn up the volume to maximum and wait for the water to be ejected.

Note: This method only works for external speakers that have been exposed to water and not for earpiece speakers.

3. Update, Delete, or Reinstall Apps

If the speaker crackling is caused by app conflicts, update to the latest version or reinstall from more reliable sources. You can also delete unnecessary apps.

4. Restart Your iPhone

Restarting your iPhone is a common solution for many types of phone issues. You can try this to fix an iPhone speaker crackling as well. Restarting clears all current activities, refreshes the iPhone, and frees up RAM and other resources that may be causing the issue.

• For iPhones with FaceID (iPhone X and later): To restart, press and hold the Power button until the Apple logo appears on the screen. Your iPhone will then start to restart. If you don’t see the Apple logo, wait and try again as your iPhone may not have completely shut down.
• For iPhones with a Home button: To restart, turn off the phone completely, then press and hold the Power button (on the side or top) to restart. Similarly, you should see the Apple logo, and if it doesn’t appear, connect your phone to a charger to supply power as it may be out of battery.

5. Update the iOS Operating System

If your iPhone hasn’t been updated for a while, it’s essential to check for and install the latest version to minimize bugs and issues during use.

To update the iOS operating system, follow these steps:

Step 1: Go to the Settings app on your iPhone and select General.