Sound issues can occur to any mobile devices due to many various reasons. Even the smartest brands like the Apple iPhone 6s are not spared. Sometimes they’re triggered by a defective sound component or faulty hardware but most of the time they appeared among other symptoms of random software glitches or improper configuration on pertinent device settings. But regardless of the underlying cause and associated symptoms, an audio problem is still deemed as a crunch that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. Keep reading to learn more on how to get this thing done.
Addressed in this post are relevant issues on the iPhone 6s device, wherein users are having trouble with the microphone, speaker, or other audio components of the iPhone that are not working, audio outputs are muffled or distorted, or giving no sound at all. If by any chance you’re facing the same dilemma on the same iPhone device and that you need help on how to fix it on your end then you might as well consider reading this entire content. Doing so will give you a hint about the possible causes and how they can be remedied accordingly.
What can cause your iPhone 6s to produce no sound, muffled, or distorted audio outputs?
Considering that there are no traces of damages to any of the hardware components, you then can rule out the possibility of hardware damage causing this problem to your iPhone 6s. Unless of course if there were previous instances of dropping or liquid exposure that might have resulted to some sort of physical damages to your device. In that case, you may need a professional aid to fix the problem. But if none of these has happened to your device, then it’s safe to say that the symptoms manifesting right now are software-related and therefore can be dealt with some workarounds. There are also other cases wherein users are hearing distorted sound or muffled audio from their iPhone due to the speaker port or lightning connector clogged with dirt and dust. That being said, you might as well spend time checking the iPhone’s speaker port and lightning connector and make sure they’re all clean. If necessary, you can clean them up using a brush with soft, clean and dry bristles. When cleaning the iPhone’s speaker port or lightning cable, be sure to do it gently to prevent causing any damage to the components. You can use rubbing alcohol, acetone or methylated spirits to get all extra dirt out from the lightning connector or speaker.
How to fix no sound or other audio problems on your iPhone 6s?
Software-related issues including no sound, distorted, muffled, noisy background, or other audio problems transpiring in your iOS device can be resolved using any of the recommended workarounds and troubleshooting methods. In order to increase your chances of acquiring a quick solution, you need to determine the underlying cause beforehand. The following walk-throughs can help you achieve it.
Note:
After completing each of the subsequent steps, be sure to test your iPhone 6s to see if the problem has already been fixed and that normal audio output has been restored. If not, then try other methods.
Step 1. Restart your iPhone.
Sometimes, audio problems can occur due to random software malfunctions. This is likely the case if the sound issue occurs while using certain sound apps on your iPhone. If this is the case, then performing a restart on your device might be able to fix it.
- To restart your iPhone 6s, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds until the red slider appears. Slide to power off your device completely. After 30 seconds, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the Apple logo appears. Your iPhone should then reboot.
After the restart, try to test your iPhone sound and see if it’s working fine now. If not, continue to the next method.
Step 2. Check and ensure that the ringer switch is not set to mute or silent.
Your iPhone 6s has a ringer switch located on the upper-left edge. This switch is used to easily toggle between ring and silent mode on your device. If the switch is in red position, then it means that your iPhone is set to silent. Therefore, you won’t be able to hear any sound from your device.
Given the placement of this switch, it’s very possible for it to be toggled back and forth unintentionally especially if your iPhone is place inside your pocket or in a bag that is full of other stuff.
- To ensure this is not causing your iPhone to produce no sound, check to see if the switch is set to silent or ring mode. If necessary, toggle the switch back to the ringing position. You should then see the silent/ringer notification screen pops up shortly.
If the switch appears to be stuck, then try to remove the case from your iPhone and make sure nothing is blocking the switch.
Step 3. Adjust the volume level on your iPhone 6s.
You can access the volume settings through the Control Center or by navigating to your iPhone settings and sounds menu. The audio or volume level might just be too low that’s why you are having trouble hearing your iPhone sound while playing games, streaming videos or during phone calls.
- To check the volume level through your iPhone settings, head over to Settings-> Sounds, and when you get to the ringer and alerts slider, drag the slider to turn the volume up. Doing so increases the sound or audio output on your iPhone.
Alternatively, you can quickly adjust the volume level through the Control Center.
- To open the Control Center on your iPhone 6s, just swipe up from the bottom of any screen. Once the Control Center opens up, locate the volume slider and then adjust or set the volume level as you prefer. Another way to access the Control Center is through Settings-> Control Center menu.
Other things to check aside from the volume level once you get to the Control Center are Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb, Mute and Audio Controls. These features can also affect the audio functionality of your iPhone when enabled.
Disable Bluetooth from the Control Center
For example, if Bluetooth is enabled and you’re not hearing any sound for incoming calls, texts, or email messages on your device, then it’s probably because your iPhone 6s is currently paired with a Bluetooth speaker, headsets, car audio components, or other Bluetooth-enabled audio devices. To eliminate this from the possible causes, disable Bluetooth by turning its switch off from the Control Center. Alternatively, you can go to Settings-> Bluetooth and then toggle the switch to turn Bluetooth off.
Disable Do Not Disturb (DND) from the Control Center
The same thing can happen with Do Not Disturb (DND) feature enabled on your iPhone 6s. This is usually the case when you cannot hear a ring for incoming calls or text from your iPhone, during certain times or at all times.
Do Not Disturb is used to set some restrictions for incoming calls, texts, or email messages sound notifications. Like for instance, if you don’t want to be disturbed by any text or phone call alerts during office hours then you can just set your iPhone to DND or enable Do Not Disturb and then set to silent all incoming notifications or alert sounds according to your preferences.
- To enable or disable Do Not Disturb through the Control Center, open the control center and then toggle the Do Not Disturb switch to disable or turn it off. Or access your iPhone Settings-> Do Not Disturb menu then disable the DND switch.
Disable Mute control from the Control Center
An active Mute control might also be the reason why you cannot hear a sound while playing a song or watching a video on your iPhone 6s. Should this be the case, check the Mute icon and ensure that it is not activated. If necessary, tap the Mute control to disable or turn the feature off.
After doing all these, try to open an app that has sound or audio effects and then see if it is now working fine. Or if you have other available devices, you can also try to make a test call and see if your iPhone 6s is now producing sound alert or rings for an incoming call.
Step 4. Verify and configure notification settings on your iPhone 6s.
There might be some recent changes made to your iPhone’s notifications settings, which has prevented your device from producing sound alerts for calls, texts, emails, or apps notifications. To ensure that everything is properly configured, go to Settings-> Notifications. From the Notification screen, you should see a list of different applications. To configure notification settings for certain app, tap the app or select the app which you are having trouble with the sound. On the next screen, verify and make sure that it is set to allow notifications from the app. If not, then toggle the switch next to Allow Notifications to enable this option. Alternatively, you can tap the Sounds option to configure sound settings for an app.
Step 5. Reset All Settings.
This can be a potential solution especially if the sound problem occurs after you’ve messed up with your iPhone settings and that you’re no longer sure of which options to enable or disable again. As remedy, you may resort to reset all settings on your iPhone and restore previous configurations. The only downside of this method is that all media files including music and some apps will be erased in the process. But if you can live with that, then head over to Settings-> General-> Reset-> Reset All Settings.
After the reset, reboot your iPhone and see if the audio is now working as it should.
Step 6. Factory reset your iPhone 6s.
If the problem on your iPhone’s audio system started after installing apps updates or major update to iOS, then probably it’s a bug that’s causing it. If none of the aforementioned methods is able to fix it, then you might as well consider performing a factory reset on your iPhone at this point. This reset is often used to deal with major software glitches that are tough enough to endure all prior solutions. But you have to take note that while this reset might be able to resolve the underlying cause, all your personal information and contents will also be erased in the process. And for this reason, be sure to back up your iPhone 6s before you begin. Once the backup is complete, you may then proceed with the reset.
- To factory reset your iPhone 6s, go to Settings-> General-> Reset-> Erase All Content and Settings. If prompted, enter the correct passcode to continue. Finally, tap the option to Erase iPhone to initiate iOS reset and restoring your iPhone to its factory defaults.
Alternatively, you can also use iTunes to restore your iPhone using a Windows or Mac computer. Just be sure to use the latest version of iTunes program to avoid software incompatibility issues.
Step 7. Update iOS on your iPhone 6s.
If you haven’t done this yet, then you should try updating your iPhone iOS to the latest version available right now. Software updates typically contain software enhancements as well as bug fixes including those affecting the iPhone’s audio function. So it might be able to fix the problem especially if it’s triggered by a buggy program in the iPhone system.
- To check if an update is available, go to your iPhone Settings-> General-> Software Update. If an update is available, then you should go for an upgrade this time. But then again before you start downloading and installing update, be sure to back up your iPhone first.
After that, you can update iOS on your iPhone 6s through iTunes by connecting your iPhone to the computer, open iTunes on the computer, and then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the iOS update installation.
Contact your carrier or Apple Support for other options
If the problem persists or your iPhone 6s still has no sound, distorted or muffled audio output, after completing all the above-mentioned solutions, then you might as well consider the possibility of hardware damage might be causing it. At this point, you should contact your device carrier or Apple Support to escalate the issue and ask for further assistance, other options and/or recommendations.
Otherwise, you can just head straight to an authorized service center in your place and have your iPhone 6s checked by a technician for possible hardware damage and have it repaired if necessary.