How to fix no audio, no sound problem on iPhone 7 Plus after iOS 11.3.1 update (easy steps)

When your iPhone is suddenly not making any sound, it is probably glitching or else, has physical or liquid damage. You may consider hardware damage as the root cause if you previously got your iPhone wet or dropped it accidentally. Otherwise, it must be attributed to certain software malfunctions like errant apps, incorrect settings, and faulty updates. In this context, we will tackle no audio or no sound problem on an iPhone 7 Plus that is inflicted by a faulty update. If you happen to be among those who ended up having an iPhone that’s not making any sound after installing the iOS 11.3.1 update, then you may refer to the highlighted workarounds and generic solutions below. Read on whenever you need some more inputs.

But before anything else, if you have other concerns with your iPhone 7 Plus, make sure you drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most commonly reported issues with this new iPhone. If you need further assistance or if you can’t find what you’re looking for in that page, fill up our iPhone issues questionnaire and hit submit. Don’t worry, it’s a free consultation service so you don’t have to worry about anything. Just give us more information about the problem and we’ll do our best to help you fix it.

First solution: Soft reset (reboot).

A simple restart can do a lot of good things when it comes to dealing with device issues including audio problems that are attributed to minor software glitches. Restarting or performing a soft reset is also recommended after installing new updates be it for apps or iOS. Doing so will ensure that new changes from the recently installed update are properly implemented. Here’s what you should do then:

  1. Press and hold the Power button until the Slide to Power Off prompt shows up.
  2. Drag the slider to power off your device completely.
  3. After 30 seconds, press and hold the Power button again until the Apple logo appears.

When your iPhone boots up completely, test to see if the audio/sounds outputs are working as intended.

Second solution: Switch ringer off/on and adjust sound settings.

There are times when the audio system of your iPhone would experience random glitches and the only way to get things back to work properly is by turning the ringer off and then on again.

For starters, the ring/silent switch is located on the left side of your iPhone. When it’s set to ring, alerts, ringtones and sounds play through your iPhone speakers. When it’s set to silent, you won’t hear alerts or ringtones but other sounds play through your iPhone speakers. Your iPhone will vibrate as well.

  1. To put your iPhone in ring mode, just flip the switch so that the orange is not showing.
  2. To put your iPhone in silent mode, flip the switch so that the orange is showing.

Another thing you need to check and configure if necessary, is the sounds and haptics settings on your iPhone 7 Plus. By default, the Ringtones and Alerts volume mirrors the volume set for audio playback.

You can control the ringtone and alert volume separately from other apps by turning off the Change with Buttons options. Doing so will require you to manually adjust your ringtones and alert volume in Settings-> Sounds & Haptics menu.

And don’t forget to set the volume to a higher level by pressing the Volume Up button on the side of your iPhone.

Third solution: Disable Bluetooth.

The update might have automatically altered your iPhone settings and thus resulted to enabling of features that aren’t supposed to be enabled or vice versa. If for instance the new iOS update automatically turned Bluetooth on, then you may not be able to hear your iPhone sound especially if your iPhone gets paired with your Bluetooth speakers and other Bluetooth-enabled audio accessories. To rule this out, toggle Bluetooth on or off your iPhone 7 Plus with these steps:

  1. Slide your finger up from the bottom of the Home screen. Doing so will open the Control Center.
  2. Locate the Bluetooth icon to disable Bluetooth on your iPhone.

Restart your iPhone then try and see if audio output is already working as intended.

Fourth solution: Reset all settings.

The new update can override your current settings. So there is a tendency for some options or settings values are altered and resulted to such conflict. The thing is, it would be difficult to identify which settings or options have been altered and need to be reverted. To fix this, you can try resetting all settings on your iPhone 7 Plus with these steps:

  1. Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Tap Reset.
  4. Select Reset All Settings from the given options.
  5. Enter your device passcode if prompted.
  6. Tap the option to confirm settings reset.

This reset will not affect your data and personal information stored on the internal memory of your iPhone hence does not result to data loss.

Fifth solution: Restore iOS in iTunes.

If by any chance, the new iOS update contains some audio bugs that aren’t rectifiable by any of the prior workarounds, then you may resort to restoring iOS from a previous backup. You can go for a recovery mode restore or DFU mode restore in iTunes. To get started, you will need to secure a computer (Windows or Mac) with the latest version of iTunes software installed. The refer to the subsequent steps.

Restoring iPhone 7 Plus in recovery mode:

  1. Connect your iPhone to your computer using the supplied USB connector or Lightning cable.
  2. Open iTunes on your computer.
  3. With your iPhone connected, force it to restart with these steps:
    • Press and hold the Side/Power button and Volume Down button simultaneously until you see the Connect to iTunes screen. Do not release the buttons when the Apple logo appears since you will need to enter recovery mode first.
  4. When you see the option to Update or Restore, select Update to command iTunes to reinstall iOS without erasing your data. Otherwise, select Restore and follow the onscreen instructions to restore from a previous iOS backup.
  5. Wait until iTunes is finished downloading the software for your iPhone. If the download takes over 15 minutes and your iPhone exits the Connect to iTunes screen, just let the download finish and then go back to the previous step to re-enter recovery mode.
  6. When the Update or Restore is finished, set up your iPhone according to your preference.

Restoring iPhone 7 Plus in DFU mode:

  1. Connect your iPhone to your computer using the supplied USB cable. You can do it while your phone is turned on or off.
  2. Open iTunes on your computer then wait until it recognizes your iPhone.
  3. When connected, press and hold the Power button and Home button simultaneously for about 8 seconds.
  4. After the elapsed time, release the Power button but keep holding down the Home button until you see the message saying that, “iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode.”
  5. Then release the Home button.

If your iPhone screen becomes completely black, then it means you have successfully entered DFU mode. But if it’s not, you will need to try again and start from the top.

Once you’ve successfully entered DFU mode, follow these onscreen instructions to restore your iPhone  7 Plus in iTunes.

Other options

You can always report the issue to Apple Support and ask for other options and recommendations if none of the given solutions worked and that your iPhone 7 Plus still has no sound. Doing so will let them conduct further assessments and if necessary, develop a fix patch to address the problem in a form of new update.

Connect with us

If you need more help with the use of certain functions and features of the new Apple iPhone 8 smartphone, feel free to visit our Tutorial Page. There you can find a list of how-to contents, step-by-step tutorials, as well as answers to FAQs regarding iPhone 8. If you have other concerns or encountered some troubles while using the phone, you can reach us through this form. Just be sure to tell us more details of the problem or device issue(s) you may have and we will be more than happy to assist you further.

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