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.
Yogeshwari says
Thanks a ton step 4 worked for me
Senthil says
None of the options worked . Finall kept the phone in freezer for 10 min then switched on the phone . It worked
Newhope says
Wow, Step 4 really worked well for me. Thanks a lot. That trick amazing!
adityaagnihotri says
Nelson Bonner – Thanks a lot. I worked it out as per Your comments and IT WORKED!
Thanks again !!!
ashok manikpuri says
after updating ios 8.no sound is working in my iphone 4s
Vinny says
None of these work for me butI followed what Carrigan suggested above and it worked like a charm. Go to settings and then go to ring and alerts. Slide the volume up and down.
Sezzah says
Step 4, squeezing the bottom right corner, worked instantly for me. Would never have thought of it! Thank you.
Parthiv dave (@Parthiv777) says
thanks… it worked with toothbrush trick with hand sanitizer(Alcohol)
Paul says
Thanks for these tips, I never though squeezing would work, but it did!
Charlotte says
Thanks, step 2worked for me! Charlotte
5cUser says
I’m not sure if it was the pressure on the corner or restarting it that did the trick but this made me so happy so now I don’t have to go to my parents with my brand new phone broken
Gert says
When i am hearing radio, the sound disapears after 5 min. (standby time). How can i make it possible to continue the sound after that?
Please ……………
Scott jess says
I have been trying to fix this issue for a week now who would have thought all you had to do is squeeze the bottom right corner thanks a ton number 4 worked for me.
Jake says
I dropped my phone in the water, i immediately dried it, put it on rice for like 2h, and the display and everything worked perfectly. I was then playing a video on youtube and had no sound, I started panicking, it said that headphones were plugged so I directly went to settings to sounds and to ringtones, played many ringtones and they played and sounded totally fine, I touched the volune buttons as i played different ringtones, but when I went to home page, it stille said headohones were plugged. I guess if your ringtone doesn’t sound, your iphone speaker is probably broken. So what I did was I left my iPhone under my pillow the wholw night, the next morning (now) the speker sound is excellent like always.
I guess there’s always a solution to these types of problems unless when you drop it in the water and you don’t pick it up right after or even sometimes the speaker can break just because of contact with water.
I hope this answer will help you!
rose says
holding the corner worked for me!
Mary Ann says
Restore worked for me. Thank you so much!
marlene says
I can not believe that step 4 actually worked for me! Thanks!! I was so worried!!!
floridapeach says
Holding the corner worked for me too, but it doesn’t seem to be “sticking”—the sound cuts out after a few seconds. May need to take it to apple.
Ron Graf says
If your phone rings it should work on speaker mode even if handset sound is off.
You can tell if you’re stuck in headphone mode. If you press the volume control it displays “headphone” instead of “volume” it’s in headphone mode. I took an unbent paper clip and probed the jack socket while calling and I could hear the sound pop on. If it does not you can switch to speaker and have the person help you test it until it works.
Nika says
step 4 really works!
Marielyce says
Step 2 worked!!! Thank you so much!
Stepan.Sound says
Vinny, thank you very much!!!! That was a very odd issue, but the moving of volume slider in Settings worked perfectly! Thank you so much!
Thanks to writer of the article, too! Hope this helps every person having such troubles on their devices! 🙂
Azhen says
thanks step 4 worked for me
Betty says
None of these steps worked for me. I have 5S and after IOS8.4 update, I made a call today and 20 minutes later received a call and nothing. I cannot hear when I pick up the call and I can not hear if I make a call. There is also like a 8 second delay from pushing a contact to call, before the phone actually makes the call. All apps, music, and ringers are working. I can receive text and email, just cant hear a damn thing during a call.
Hishan says
None of these steps worked for me. I have 5S and after IOS8.4 update, I made a call today and 20 minutes later received a call and nothing. I cannot hear when I pick up the call and I can not hear if I make a call. There is also like a 8 second delay from pushing a contact to call, before the phone actually makes the call. All apps, music, and ringers are working. I can receive text and email, just cant hear a damn thing during a call. please tell me it would be a big help this thing is happend fr one of my friends phone
Hishan says
Betty
July 23, 2015
None of these steps worked for me. I have 5S and after IOS8.4 update, I made a call today and 20 minutes later received a call and nothing. I cannot hear when I pick up the call and I can not hear if I make a call. There is also like a 8 second delay from pushing a contact to call, before the phone actually makes the call. All apps, music, and ringers are working. I can receive text and email, just cant hear a damn thing during a call.
Betty says
@Hishan, we spoke to Apple support and it is a hardware issue. Must now go to an Apple Store.
Mark says
Deleting the file (jailbreak required) does work with iPhone 4s on IOS 8.4 but the file has moved. It can now be found at
Root/Library/LaunchDaemons\com.apple.iapd.plist
Take a copy to your PC just in case and delete it. Works OK for me.
Zeny says
Hi there- it’s quiet late now don’t wanna be disturbing anyone. My phone has been a quiet pest. All it’s been doing is giving me no sound when I make a video. Recording is fine. Just no sound when I make a frickin video. I tried cleaning the charge slot and the little dots ( dunno what you call um) but nothing works I talk as loud as I can but no abound in the video . Will squeezing it’s side or brushing with a toothbrush really help? Or is it just a prediction
BigDadzilla says
Check to make sure you are not on DO NOT DISTURB MODE or AIRPLANE MODE. These are 2 of the 3 most common causes of the no-sound problem. It is easy to accidently touch those 2 screen buttons, putting the iPhone on all-silent mode. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to check for Airplane mode, Do Not Disturb Mode (crescent moon button) and volume bar.
Check the Silent All switch on the side of the phone above the volume up and down buttons. Red showing = Silent Mode.
Also check to make sure your phone is not PAIRED to a BLUETOOTH device that is on. When your phone is paired to a bluetooth device, all sound goes to the earpiece of that device. Go to SETTINGS-BLUETOOTH-turn it off. (You may have to restart your phone after switching the bluetooth off, just in case your phone was accidentally paired to a device near your proximity, but not known or owned by you.) Many people keep a bluetooth device in their pocket or purse. If it is turned on, the phone will route all sounds to that device.
Zeny says
@BigDadzilla- I’ve tried all the ideas nothing seems to work – whenever I make a video after the recording is stopped I play it but there’s no sound all other sounds are blasted up dunno what this phones problem is never has sound in a video
Kathie Robinson says
In the spirit of ‘things happen that look like they are related but aren’t’ … my phone was set to ‘do not disturb’. I am sure this was an accident. There is a screen that appears before you ‘slide to unlock’ your phone by swiping from bottom to top. There is a little half moon icon at the top right. If it is highlighted it is set to ‘do not disturb’. Tap it to turn it off.
Hishan says
@betty y did this problem came ? N is your phone okay now? Once I reset d phone it worked but after taking d back up it dint work men 😁😁. Again I reset d phone but don’t work men
Makilah clay says
Omg!! These steps really work for my iPhone 4s. My sound Automatically stopped Working Just Do All Of The Steps.
Betty says
@hishan- we literally tried everything suggested on this post. Once we
Went to Apple they determined with much diagnostic that it was a hardware issue and replaced the
Phone since it was still under factory warranty.
Mark says
As I stated above and referring to the original post, deleting that file (jailbreak only) did work for me. Obviously that file is related to docking and accessories. My 4S thought it was docked (faulty connector) so deleting that file was a temporary fix. I have now fitted a new connector to the 4S and put the file back (I took a copy before deleting to my PC). The phone works perfectly now, proving in my case the cause of “no sound” was a faulty connector.
Lisa says
Step one worked lol thank you was going nuts
Rick says
Thank you! Step #1 did the trick. I didn’t know that button even existed
Kris Bean says
Step 5 worked for me. Thank you so much. You saved me a trip to the Peach Mac store or from buying a new used iphone.
Larry says
I tried everything this this pissed me off so bad I tossed at the wall and now no sound at all but that’s ok it was a gift for me last September a iPhone 6 plus gold 128 gb t mobile I’m done with apple I just got my galaxy s6 edge way better than I smashed the iPhone with a hammer it’s on my u tube page anyone want to see ask my u tube name n you will see the death of a stupid iPhone