If you have no sound on your Apple iPhone 3 / 3GS / 4 / 4S / 5 / 5S / 5C/ 6/ 6Plus/ iPhone 6s/ 6s Plus/ iPhone 7, 8, 8Plus and the iPhone X, iPhone Xs volume bar, it is unbelievably frustrating as you most probably already know.
I have been looking for cures over the web as there are many out there. Below you will find a list of all these including the one that worked for me. Also, this list is in chronological order of what seems to be most successful. It is a process of elimination but it has to be done.
The symptoms of iPhone no sound Problem/ Issues include:
– iPhone will ring but speaker will not work for anything else.
– iPhone no sound at all for calls, apps, music, etc
– iPhone no sound as stuck in headphone mode
Follow these steps and hopefully, your iPhone will be back to its prior glory.
iPhone No Sound – How To Fix & Tutorials 2020
Step 1 – Check Silent Mode Switch

Loud/ Silent switch on the exterior of the iPhone is switched to the silent mode which is orange. If so, flick the other way to loud mode. This is a step that so many people miss, but it is the simplest! Also once you have flicked the silent mode off, ensure your volume is turned up by pressing the volume buttons on the side.
Step 2 – Restart Your iPhone
To restart the iPhone, hold the power switch and home button together for 10 seconds. This will restart your iPhone, you will not lose any media, contacts, data, etc. If there is a temporary glitch on the iPhone this will eliminate that glitch. Also if there is a glitch this may help terminate a temporary glitch.
If you have an iPhone X or newer, you can simply restart the device by pressing and holding both the side button and one of the volume buttons. Once done, you’ll then be promoted to restart the iPhone. When off, click the side button to turn on again.
Step 3 – Reset iPhone Settings
Reset iPhone. Go to Settings> General> Reset> Reset all settings. Make sure to backup your iPhone to the cloud / iTunes as this will wipe your media, music, and apps although photos will be left on the iPhone. This is a follow on to step 2 and another way you will be able to eliminate the glitch on the iPhone.
Step 4 – Press Corner Of iPhone
This one is a bit weird but it worked for me for a while and has worked successfully for other people. Squeeze the bottom right hand corner of the phone above where the speaker is.
The left Side is a mic, not a speaker, so don’t worry about that side. Hold that grip for about 20 seconds. This is done as the connector may be loose and had to be repositioned correctly. Yes, strange but most of these solutions are!
Step 5 – Clean Your iPhone
Use a tooth brush to clean the docking area where you charge your iPhone. With dirt, dust, grime, and so on it, may block the connectors working correctly and makes the phone think it is on a music dock. When you do this do it gently and get the bristles into there good.
Also if you use rubbing alcohol or acetone it will help get all the extra dirt out. As these products evaporate it will not do damage to the connectors. Do not use mineral terps when cleaning as it is oil based and will not dry!! This seems to be one of the most successful solutions. To avoid this happening in the future, its best to have a case that avoids dust and grime getting in.
Step 6 – Insert Headphones
Get your headphones and insert them into the headphone jack and then quickly pull them out. Continue this for a couple of minutes as sometimes it gets stuck in headphone mode so this normally undoes that. Also this may remove any dust or grime that may have been lodged in there.
You can also watch this video below which has a full list of fixes listed in this tutorial plus a few more that will restore sound to your iPhone!
Step 7 – Restore Your iPhone
Restore your iPhone on iTunes. Click on your iPhone icon when plugged into iTunes and go to restore. If you do this make sure your iPhone is backed up as YOU will loose all data, media, contacts, pics, and so on. This puts your iPhone back to factory settings.
This is similar to step 3 as it is a full reset of the device, this should help eliminate any glitch that have have come out in a recent update such as iOS7 or iOS8. Also when doing this step check for updates.
Step 8 – Jailbreak iPhone
Jailbreak your iPhone to find the file directories that are causing the fault. By doing this you are deleting the file that is making the iPhone think it is on a dock. You will still be able to use a music docking station etc. If you have a jail broken iPhone or willing to do it then this will be the best option for you. Very simple video and easy to follow, to jailbreak follow my simple tutorial.
Step 9 – Dry iPhone
This worked for me!! The squeezing step worked for me for a small amount of time. Not much else worked so thought I would try my own cure…. An old hair dryer!! Turn on low heat and hover over the speaker outlet for about 5 minutes.
I also did the headphone jack as well. There must of been some residual moisture build up which the hair dryer eliminated. The speaker was sputtering on and off during this time but finally came to life :). If you don’t have a hair dryer, you can also put your iPhone in dry rice while turned off. This can suck up all that unwanted moisture. Best to leave in rice for at lease 12 hours.
Step 10 – Hardware Problem
It may be a hardware problem and simply need to get a replacement through your provider who may offer insurance if chosen or apple support. This no sound and speaker is getting more known know by Apple there is a good chance you may get a replacement or a hardware fix.
Step 11 – Ultimate Destruction
If iPhone still has no sound there is always ultimate elimination… Not endorsed. See below….
**** UPDATE **** 18/03/20
Thank you everyone for such an overwhelming response! Also to those that have put up there own solutions that have worked for there iPhones. Initially when I created this website I did not envision the large response of people with the same issues. So here are some new solutions and steps that are popular on the comment feed.
iPhone No Sound Solution Step 12
As dirt and grime like to build up in the charging connectors of the iPhone it is necessary to clean it out. Similar to the step with cleaning it with a toothbrush you will be using compressed air instead. The best and easiest way you can do this is to blow air out your mouth with a good force into where the iPhone would get charged.
Do this for 1 minute to insure that it removes any dust or dirt particles. After that, plug and unplug your charger into the slot about 5-10 times.
iPhone No Sound Solution Step 13
This is similar to the step above but you will be cleaning out the headphone jack on the iPhone instead of the charging connectors. As above blow into the headphone jack for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, this should vanish any dust or dirt that is lodged in there.
Once that is done insert a ear bud/ q tip into the headphone jack and twist for about 30 seconds. That should dislodge any other dirt or grime that the blowing process may have missed.
If your iPhone X is not turning on, then you should check out my full guide here.
iPhone No Sound Solution Step 14

There have been more than a dozen comments saying that bluetooth may be interfering with the sound on the iPhone. One good method is to insure that your iPhone is not connected to any bluetooth device as it may be playing sound thru that device. Also another successful step that has been recommended is to turn off bluetooth and then turn on again.
iPhone Has No Sound Step 15
As a continuation to step 5, there have also been several reports of people who have also cleaned their iPhone with a wooden toothpick.
While a toothbrush works quite well, there is typically quite a lot of dirt still stuck in the charing port which can only be gotten out with a pointy object. Just be careful not todo any damage to your iPhone charge port. This seems to work well with older iPhone 4 and also the new iPhone 8 and iPhone X.
These are just some of the steps I have found and come up with which have shown success for iPhones with no sound.










Poddop says
I figured out that if you plugged in you charger (30 pin), it would actually make your problem worse. By plugging in the charger, your phone is recognising all the dirt as a docking station. The easiest fix is to use a toothpick or toothbrush and wipe repetitively as soon as your phone stops working. NOTE: This method does not work 24/7 after the first try. I recommend continuously attempting this. Kind regards, Poddop
thad says
wow thanks a million the first solution worked for me I didn’t even know I had the volume switch on the side. I tried everything thanks for the info.
iosfeaturess.blogspot.com says
I think this is one of the most important info for me.
And i’m glad reading your article. But wanna remark on few
general things, The web site style is ideal, the articles is really nice : D.
Good job, cheers
Volker Beckmann says
Tried them all and nothing brings back my sound on my 4s. Aargh!
What now?
Alex says
Hello
– Tried all the steps – and the confusing the headphone jack was the one that did it! thank you – almost freaked out – I need my music man 😛
Diego says
Damn you aré a god almost 6 months with this problem and all i need was a toothbrush 🙂
Sarah says
I love you! Thank you x
Mus'ab says
This so great.
Tammy says
The toothbrush method worked!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!! :))
Shahid Mansuri says
My iPhone s4 iOS 7.1.2 is no aideo video & all sound problem in India
Shahid Mansuri says
My iPhone s4 iOS 7.1.2 is no aideo video & all sound problem in India at 23 April 2014
kwstasna says
take a look at this easiest way to fix it.
denz says
i tried step #5. It works. I just sprayed alcohol on the brush then used it to clean the area where we place the chrger. Do it like 3x. 🙂
Daniel Pepson says
Wow.. Never really believed it buh it did work for me!! The toothbrush soln worked for perfectly. My Advice; try it b4 any other soln here pal.. Cheers!!
Ella says
Well, I think my phone is broken or something. When someone is calling me, I can hear the ringtone and when someone is texting me I can hear that. But when it comes to youtube, itube, videofyme, different games etc. it doesn’t work! I can’t hear anything! What do I do?
Michael fescina says
Just stuck it in the freezer for a couple minutes. It will work
Steve says
Unreal!!! I squeezed the bottom right hand corner… Volume controls now work.. AWESOME…
Rose says
I tried it all . music works only if i plug the headphone, but if i take it off music stop 🙁
Jill says
The toothbrush and rubbing alcohol worked right away for me! Thanks for the advice!
Pauline says
Not working for me. Please help. It’s like in on a headphone mode 🙁 no sounds at all!!
Claire says
nothing has worked for me. I get sound listening to music, but nothing else. this is the second time it has happened. please help
bryan says
Brilliant. Blew out the charger connection and the sound came back on. I guess it had dirt in it that spoofed it into thinking is was docked. Fixed in 3 minutes!
libertango says
My problem was: no sound when recording video (iphone 4). All the other sounds worked. All what I did was rebooting the phone (shut down and restart), and that was all I needed. The problem was solved. It was a software glitch after upgrading to 7.1.2!
Eq says
Great and thank you #9 worked thank you thank you!!!
Lyndall says
I went through all your helpful solutions and then discovered that I had inadvertently switched on the do not disturb button. Worth checking this first. Often appears as a crescent on the front screen.
DJ says
I scratched the speaker with my nail.. It worked 🙂
Jamison says
blowing into the charging connector seemed to work. Thanks
Simone Rae says
WORKED FOR ME! Step 6 I included watching a video
James says
Update software and it will fix problem
John says
The hair-dryer into the Headphone socket did it for me!
I had been cleaning out the gutters and I guess moisture got into the phone in my top pocket.
Thanks for the help in this site.
Renny says
Omg!! I’m so tired to fix it, but when i tried the #6 step, its work ;D i am so happy! Thanks so much
Viki says
Step #4 goks ! Worked out ! Thank you.
Rach says
I tried all the above but saw on another forum the solution to ‘no audio when recording on camera’ on my iPhone 5. All audio works (phone calls, alarm, text alerts etc). But I would record footage on camera & get no audio. SOLUTION – before sliding to open device, flick the up arrow & adjust the volume.
Rach says
I would also like to mention that once I increased the volume (on the control before unlocking phone-above the main button), the videos I recorded that had no audio, now do! This may help those people that thought their videos were ruined.
Nancy says
Toothbrush worked. Unbelievable!
g.mruthyunjaya says
I wanted to start with #1. I found that the button was not in silent mode. But I just pushed it to silent mode and then back to the original position. Lo! sound came back! Thanks a lot!
Bill says
Wow. 4 weeks of no sound and I had already tried every mechanical fix *except* rubbing alcohol until I saw your post. It worked immediately. Thank you very much.
Lol says
Thanks for the tips. I’m an iPhone newbie and you were right. The simplest solution was the right one – the switch on my phone had accidentally moved to the orange position. Flicked it back and all was working again.
Kross says
You’re a genius – thank you. Click, click, click!!
Kristy says
My 4s keeps stopping play when my phone is searching for signal. Any help?