Phone speaker or microphone not working

Phones have several, and the symptom tells you which:

• Loudspeaker (bottom edge): no ringtone, quiet or crackly music and videos. On iPhone, go to Settings › Sounds & Haptics and drag the Ringtone and Alerts slider. Apple says that if you hear nothing, or the speaker button on the slider is dimmed, the speaker may need service.
• Earpiece (top of the screen): you can only hear calls on speakerphone.
• Microphones: people can't hear you, or videos have no sound. Apple tests the bottom microphone with a voice memo spoken at the bottom of the phone, and the others by recording a video with each camera and playing it back.

1. Turn off Bluetooth. Sound may be going to earbuds or a car; Google lists this first for Pixel call problems.
2. Remove the case, films and screen protectors. Apple says to remove them when troubleshooting the speaker and microphones, and Samsung says a cover or film can block the Galaxy microphone at the bottom of the phone.
3. Clean the openings gently. Apple says to use a small, soft-bristled brush that is clean and dry; Google suggests a soft, lint-free cloth.
4. Restart and, on a Galaxy, try Safe mode: Samsung says a problem that disappears in Safe mode points to a third-party app.

Water sits in the speaker and microphone openings and muffles them. Apple says water in the port may degrade speaker or microphone performance until it completely evaporates, and that you should dry an iPhone by tapping it gently with the connector facing down, not with heat or by inserting cotton buds or paper towel. Apple also says water resistance decreases with normal wear and that liquid damage isn't covered by warranty.

Seawater is worse. Samsung says that when salt water dries, salt may accumulate and block the primary microphone, earpiece or external speaker, and that compressed air shouldn't be used to dry or clean the phone. A speaker that stays muffled after a day, or any phone that has been in the sea, should be opened and cleaned before the salt corrodes the contacts. See water damage repair.

Because the openings are tiny and sit at the edge that goes into pockets and beach bags. Sand and lint pack behind the mesh and block sound, and sand pushed in with a pin can tear the speaker membrane. That is why both Apple and Samsung recommend only a soft brush or cloth.

If gentle brushing doesn't help, the grille or the part behind it needs cleaning or replacing with the phone open. The same applies to the charging port next to the speaker: see phone not charging.

When a clean, dry phone with no case still gives a silent or crackling speaker, a dead earpiece, or a voice memo with no sound. Distortion at every volume usually means a torn speaker membrane, often from a drop or a pin. A microphone that cuts out may also be a charging-port problem, because on many phones the bottom microphone sits on the same flex cable as the port.

A1 Computers replaces loudspeakers, earpieces and microphones on iPhone, Samsung, Pixel, Xiaomi and other phones. The phone is tested first, and you get the price before any work starts.

It depends on the model and on whether the part needs cleaning or replacing. Send the model and the problem on WhatsApp to 641 780 077, call 922 71 35 82, or walk in to Local 4, Centro Comercial San Eugenio, Av. de los Pueblos 20, Costa Adeje, Monday–Saturday 10:45–21:30 or Sunday 10:45–14:00. You get the price before any work starts. Diagnosis costs €15.