Apple iPhone 7 Speaker Problems: Why is my iPhone speaker not working, sound keeps cutting out? [Troubleshooting Guide]

It turns out that not all iPhone 7 owners have the same positive impression on Apple’s new stereo sound implementation on this flagship smartphone. As a matter of fact, a few weeks after getting a hold of Apple’s new iPhone 7, some owners were already beginning to notice some issues with the external speaker including random stops as well as popping noises. Some have their iPhone 7 speaker suddenly becomes silent or the sound keeps cutting out.

iPhone 7 speakers

These problems have usually occurred when switching between apps or multitasking. Sometimes, only one speaker is affected but there are times when the problem occurs to both external speakers of the iPhone 7. When the iPhone speaker is not working, so as its many other features. You won’t be able to play music, cannot make calls with the speakerphone, no sound alerts for incoming texts or email messages. This means no good. Indeed this is so frustrating, given the fact that the iPhone’s condition is new and the sound technology is way more advanced than any other brands.

Could this be an issue on the hardware or a software glitch? If this is software-related, then how can we fix it? All these questions are what we are trying to address in this post. Hence, if you come across this page while searching for potential solutions to a similar problem on your iPhone 7 speaker then this content might be able to help. Read on to learn more.

For those who have other issues, however, make sure you drop by our iPhone 7 troubleshooting page for we support this device and we provide free support to our readers. You can always contact us by completing our iPhone issues questionnaire and providing us with sufficient information about your problem.

Possible reasons as to why your iPhone 7 is not working as it should or sound keeps cutting out

People would usually anticipate that it’s a hardware issue, given that the symptoms occur like sound keeps cutting out on the iPhone’s external speaker. Some might think that the speaker itself is defective that’s why the output is intermittent, not audible, or generally of poor sound quality. Nevertheless, many of the reported speaker problems on the iPhone 7 were software-related.

Software-related issues on the iPhone speaker

Remember that it is the software that decides which sound to play and when to play it on your device. If something goes wrong with the software, then definitely the hardware component will might as well not work.

If the software is malfunctioning, your iPhone may not be sending proper signals to the speaker thus sound keeps cutting out or the speaker will not work at all.

In some cases, iPhone 7 users found out that the speaker problem they had was triggered by a software bug particularly affecting the 3D Touch haptic response. This has resulted to a poor sound quality on the phone.

Hardware-related issues on the iPhone speaker

One of the most damage-prone components on iPhones is the speaker. Technically, these speakers produce sound waves when a very thin piece of material vibrates very quickly.

If the built-in speaker on the bottom of your iPhone is damaged, then most likely it will become unable to perform its main task which is to convert the software’s instructions into sound waves you can hear. If in any way, the material is damaged, the speaker may stop working completely or sound keeps cutting out.

Potential Solutions and Recommended Workarounds to deal with your iPhone 7 Speaker Problems

The following methods are comprised of generic solutions and recommended workarounds to deal with sound or speaker problems on the iPhone 7 device. Feel free to refer to any of these steps, if you are trying to fix a pertinent issue on your end.

Be sure to test your iPhone speaker after completing each step to see if the problem has already been fixed. If not, try the next applicable solutions.

First Things to Check on your iPhone 7: 

  1. Ring/Silent Switch – this switch is used to toggle between mute (silent) and ringing modes. Make sure it is NOT set to mute or silent.
  2. Volume Level– your iPhone sound may seem so low or no sound at all because the volume level is set to low. To rule this out, go to Settings-> Sounds and then drag the slider up. Doing so will increase the sound volume on your device.

Problem-Specific Solutions

Problem 1: Speaker sound is too low or No Sound at all

Some people have said the incoming audio sounds seemed distant or too low for them to hardly hear. To them, the speaker quality for phone calls is poor.

In order to fix this problem, you can try to configure the Sound settings, particularly adjusting the Ringer and Alerts slider on the iPhone 7. Here’s how:

  • Go to Settings-> Sounds.
  • Drag the Ringer and Alerts slider to turn the Volume Up. Doing so will increase the sound volume on the phone.

Other things to try if you cannot hear a sound from your iPhone 7 speaker:

  • Check and ensure that the Ring/Silent switch on the side of the phone is not set to Silent. You’ll know if it’s silent when it appears orange.
  • Make sure that your case is not blocking the speaker. Try to remove the case to see if there are any changes.
  • Ensure that the speaker is free from any dirt, dust or debris. Clean it up, if necessary.

Problem 2: Sound keeps cutting out or static noises from the iPhone 7 speaker

Static noises usually come from either the earpiece or the speaker on the bottom of your iPhone. There are rare occasions where a serious software problem can cause your iPhone to make static noises. In this case, restarting your iPhone might help.

To restart your iPhone 7 follow these steps:

  1. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds until the red slider appears.
  2. Drag the slider to power off your iPhone completely.
  3. Wait for at least 30 seconds.
  4. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button again for a few seconds until the Apple logo appears.
  5. After the restart, try to see if the speaker on your iPhone is already working fine.

Most of the time, static noises indicate the speaker has been damaged. This is usually the case if your iPhone speaker has been physically damaged from a drop or exposure to liquid. A repair would then be necessary for the speaker to work fine again. Either you take your iPhone to the Apple Genius bar or other authorized service center nearby.

Other workarounds you can try on to deal with speaker problems like sound keeps cutting out on your iPhone 7

Consider these methods before taking your iPhone to a service center for speaker problem check and/or repair.

Turn off Bluetooth. You won’t be able to hear any sound from your iPhone speaker if Bluetooth is enabled and that your iPhone paired to other Bluetooth-enabled audio device. Sometimes, you may not realize that your iPhone is playing sound through another device in your house or car. For that matter, watch out for Bluetooth headsets or speakers.

  • To make sure this is not causing you trouble, just turn off Bluetooth by heading over to Settings-> Bluetooth-> then toggle the switch to turn it off.

sound keeps cutting out

After doing so, check the sound again to see if it is now working.

Open an app that has sound effects or music and then adjust the volume through the volume buttons or slider in the Control Center. To access the control center, swipe up from the bottom of the home screen. Locate the volume slider in the control center panel and then drag it up to increase the sound volume.

Keep the speaker and Lightning connector clear from any debris. Sound quality of the speaker can also be affected with the presence of dirt, dust or debris. If necessary, gently brush these components using a soft brush with clean and dry bristles.

Remove any case. If you are using a third-party case or any iPhone case, try to remove it and see if there are any changes on the speaker sound output without the case. Some cases are bulky and therefore can block the iPhone speaker. This might affect the overall speaker sound quality or making no sound at all.

Update your iPhone 7 iOS. Should the speaker problem is triggered by a software bug, the best possible solution you can try on is an iOS update installation. Software updates usually contain bug fixes, so it wouldn’t hurt to try it this time.

  • To check for available software update for your iPhone 7, go to Settings-> General-> Software Update. You may opt to update your device wirelessly.

fix iphone 7 sound quality issues

Before you update, make a backup of your iPhone using iCloud or iTunes. After doing so, follow the onscreen instructions to proceed with iOS update download and installation.

Restore your iPhone 7. The best possible solution to speaker problems inflicted by software glitches is a system restore. Back up your iPhone first all your contents will be erased in the process.

After creating a backup, restore your iPhone 7 using these steps:

  • Connect your iPhone to a computer. You can use a Windows or Mac computer with the latest version of iTunes installed.
  • Open iTunes on the computer.
  • Go to the Summary panel and then click Restore iPhone.
  • Click Restore again to confirm action.
  • Wait until the restore is complete and then set up your iPhone as new.

 After the iOS restore, try to see if your iPhone 7 speaker is already working fine. If it’s still not working, then you should consider escalating the problem to your device carrier or Apple Support.

Contact Apple Support for More Help

You’ve exhausted all your efforts, tried every possible solutions and suggested workarounds but you still cannot hear any sound from the speaker(s) or your iPhone 7 speakers are still not working. At this point, you should contact Apple Support to escalate the problem and ask for further assistance or other options.

If you won’t prefer calling, then you can just have your iPhone 7 speaker checked by an authorized technician instead. It’s possible that the problem already lies within the hardware or physical components of your iPhone 7, which denotes the need for service or physical repair.

Engage with us

If you have other issues with your Apple iPhone 7, we are always willing to help. Contact us through our iPhone issues questionnaire and provide us with all necessary information about your problem so we can find a solution to your issue.

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