How to improve iPhone call quality

If you find that you can't hear people clearly when making calls on your iPhone, you may be wondering if there is an easy way to improve the audio quality on an iPhone.

Check the speaker

There might be an easy fix: maybe there's dust or dirt in your iPhone's speaker and cleaning it might help. Read: How to Safely Clean an iPhone

Remove the foil

If it's a brand new iPhone, make sure you've removed the plastic wrap from the iPhone because if this prevents air from getting to the mic or speakers, they simply won't work! You'd be surprised how many people make this mistake - no doubt they want to keep their new iPhone spotless.

Check your headphones

Another reason you might not be able to hear the audio on your call is if you are using headphones and they are either not plugged in properly or are not working over Bluetooth. To check if you're connected via Bluetooth, go to Settings > Bluetooth and either turn it on or turn it off and on again.

Use noise cancellation

If you have an iPhone 12 or earlier, there's a handy feature that improves call quality. Phone noise cancellation reduces background noise during phone calls when you hold the handset to your ear. This can improve the tone of your call, although it may have the opposite effect. On iPhone 12 and earlier, the feature was on by default but could be turned off in Accessibility settings.

1. Go to: Settings > Accessibility.
2. Tap Audio/Visual.
3. Turn the phone noise cancellation on or off.

You may be wondering why you want to turn the feature on or off. Noise-cancellation is a useful feature when making calls with people in noisy places, but some people might find noise-cancellation confusing as it can cause ear pressure. This is probably why there is a disable setting.

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No noise cancellation on iPhone 13

Phone noise canceling setting is missing on iPhone 13 series. You cannot turn the feature on or off. It was initially believed that this was due to a bug, but now it has been revealed that the iPhone 13 series is missing the noise canceling feature. Apple confirmed to a 9to5Mac reader, "Phone noise reduction isn't available on iPhone 13 models, so you won't see this option in Settings." It's unclear why Apple decided to remove the noise cancellation feature that improved the sound quality on phone calls. The company may have concluded that most people making calls do so through AirPods, which have their own active noise cancellation, but that seems unlikely. Alternatively, they may have decided to focus development on the similar feature FaceTime listed.

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Use WiFi calling

You can also use Wi-Fi Calling as a call quality improvement tool. You must route your call over a Wi-Fi network rather than a cellular network. This can improve the quality of your calls when you have a poor cellular or mobile data connection at home. To check if the feature is enabled, go to:

1. Settings > Cellular (or Cellular Data).
2. Tap Wi-Fi Calling.
3. Tap the option to set the slider to green.
4. Once this is set up, you will see your provider's name and "WiFi Call" on the top right of your iPhone screen.

Use AirPods

If you find it difficult to understand callers due to background noise, you could use AirPods or AirPods Pro. If you want to buy AirPods, check out our AirPods deals at the best price.

Use FaceTime

Alternatively, those struggling with the sound quality on phone calls can use FaceTime and enable voice isolation, which has a similar effect by isolating your voice from background noise. Follow the steps below to enable voice isolation in FaceTime:

1. Open FaceTime.
2. Start the video or audio FaceTime call.
3. Open Control Center (by swiping down from the top-right corner).
4. Tap Microphone mode.
5. Now switch to voice isolation.
6. You can now return to the call.

ask apple

If none of these fixes work for you, there may be something wrong with the iPhone. In this case, Apple should fix the problem for you if you're still under warranty (one year after purchase).

By: How to improve iPhone call quality