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. Â 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.
Jake Uligian says
Still having issues I did all of the steps with no success. I get sound during calls, when i use head phones, and through bluetooth but no sound when I do it without those methods. There is not a staticky sound or muffled noise it is just silent. Any ideas that could help?
Ayush says
When i get incoming call i can hear my ringtone but when i play video or music i cant hear sound i tried to increase my volume than too the sound is not coming
Bipal Kapur says
No sound on IPhone 4 no ringtone on incoming calls took guidance from Apple support staff but no sound with speakers not working.
Benjamin G. says
Thank you for putting up this site! My iPhone 4s was playing sound from music or video over headphones or bluetooth but not from the phone speaker. Going through your list of suggestions, my phone speaker started working again after I thoroughly cleaned out the docking port with a dry toothbrush and blowing on it hard. Yay!
James Maybrick says
My 5S plays music and videos- earbuds and phone speakers. Notifications such as texts, ringtone from calls, and game apps play only through ear buds. Other notifications- email, etc. has my phone vibrate only. I’ve reboot the device several times, even reset settings completely. Still this problem persists.
Angie Bedford says
I went through all of them with no luck. Read through the comments and tried pressing the spot on the right corner again, only harder – and it came back on! Amazing…
PsychoPika13 says
It didn’t work for me
olo says
Having the same issues as Ayush and Jake Uligian. Help!! Please anyone
Yvonne W. Parr says
Apple should not be able to get away with selling phones that you have to fix yourself!
Edmund says
After trying all the solutions without success, blowing into the headphone jack with a duster can of compressed air for a minute or two got the sound working again. Thanks for your excellent site!
Nagara says
Thank you for the tips. My iphone6 had no sound because the headphone jack was dirty. After I cleaned the sound started working again!
kali says
there was no sound coming from you tube or whatsapp. read your tips and ‘voila’ , sound most pristine !! i do not know what worked as i did three ‘moves’ as per your suggestion. first i pressed the speaker vents on the right side of the phone for about 30 seconds, then blew a few times in the charging slot (hole) and lastly put the jack of the headphone in and out a few times in the charging slot. thanks for the suggestions.
arslan says
everthing is fine in my phone but when i made a video with camera and after that i play that video there is no sound…kindly help me…
Paula Malone says
My problem ended up a simple one….and I felt a little stupid. I had checked the 2 buttons on the side that controls the volume of the ringer and that was set up to full sound but what I had not realized is when you are playing a video, those buttons control the volume of the video as well. For some reason when playing video it was set down to no sound.
Filip says
Thank you for your suggestions. Blowing in and pressing the bottom right corner worked in the end and my iPhone 5s got its sound back!
Tom Bosquez says
Thanks solved my problem
Brian says
• Speaker works fine (youtube, music etc)
• Headset works fine (youtube, music etc)
• Siri works fine
1. The phone rings…
2. I answer (with or without headset)
3. No sound! No mic. #PANIC!
4. I press/click speaker on and off fast and repeatedly
5. All works fine until next time the phone rings.
I’ve had this problem periodic on two iPhone 5’s and one iPhone 6s Plus.
Grrr!!
Pat hartr says
Number. Five worked!! Many thanks
Gradi Nzuzi says
I’m using iPhone 5s and the holding bottom right for 20 seconds worked think something is loose after the phone being dropped. Thank you very much
Hiwot says
Step 5 worked just fine for me. Thanks!
sarowarhp says
When i get incoming call i can hear my ringtone but when i play video or music i can’t hear sound i tried to increase my volume than too the sound is not coming….. pleas help
Kiran Patel says
Hi
I am able to hear the ringtone but the moment I pick up the call I am not able to hear anything from the Inbuilt speaker
I have tried all the steps mentioned on ur site but hard luck still not working
Please help if you have any other solutions
Simon Anthony says
I found the pressing the bottom right of the phone worked – but only when I gave the phone a twist as well. I set the device to play sound – TV so I knew it was working, checked with headphones as well. Took the phones out, pressed the bottom corner… THEN twisted the phone – as in bent the top to the left while twisting the bottom to the right… The sound popped on…
John Ambrose says
John Ambrose
Mine is iPhone 5s
Hi
I am able to hear the ringtone but the moment I pick up the call I am not able to hear anything from the Inbuilt speaker
I have tried all the steps mentioned on ur site but hard luck still not working
Please help if you have any other solutions
S. Ormsby says
Wow! Step 4 worked for me! Truly weird, but thanks!
Uthayaa Purnna Devandran says
hello i dropped my iphone inside the soup and i did not realise my speaker was not working then i went about with my day. i tried blow drying it and there is sound but only ringtone and speaker. songs , youtube and whatsapp sounds are not working please help!
Ansttly says
My Iphone 5 has the sounds of ticking of the keyboard but on the youtube app all I can hear is vibrating sound thats all
Teddie says
You guys rock! Number 4, squeezing the speaker worked! I’m amazed!! Thanks for the post!
Doing says
this worked for me! thanks so much!
javad says
Hi,
I got a problem with my iPhone 4s. Some apps such as youtube have no sounds. Surprisingly, when I use headphone I can hear the sound. I did all possible tricks from checking of all bottoms and settings to restart and rest the whole phone to get the sound back but NO success. Is there any suggestions?
Elia says
Thank you. Pressing on the speaker side for 20” did it.
(Use the possessive “their” instead of “there” which is opposite to here. Not a grammar Nazi, but it makes your page look far more professional! Regards)
Radz says
when I pull out the headphone 4 times a hairy dirt adheres and it works perfectly fine ..wew.. thanks!
rodney pirrie says
used your suggestions, phone fixed, keep up the good work
thank you
AMINA says
I have a 6S, and it was stuck in head phone mode. I used your strategy to clean out the ports and it worked. The toothbrush with rubbing alcohol followed by the blow dryer on cold setting.
Thank you
Hugo Corrie says
Can not make Whatsapp call on iPhone 7
Sabah says
I kept my phone in rice and that didn’t work first time. I used hair dryer – didn’t work. Used the Sonic app – might have eventually worked but I don’t know for sure! I put my phone in rice four times in pieces and voila!!! It works now 🙂 thanks for sharing this article and for those who might wanna give up after one attempt, don’t! I was successful in my fourth attempt haha.
susan luraschi says
Brush with alcohol, heaving breathing and blowing then squeezing the mysterious right bottom…..did it. Well done ladies and gentlemen.
Waruna says
Thanks a lot. It worked after inserting head phone Jack.
paul says
headphones work using 3.5mm to lightning cable adapter for listening to youtube videos but not phone calls. super weird.
Nhạc Chuông Net says
I kept my phone in rice and that didn’t work first time. I used hair dryer – didn’t work. Used the Sonic app – might have eventually worked but I don’t know for sure! I put my phone in rice four times in pieces and voila!!! It works now 🙂