iPhone X Audio panned left, notch speaker very quiet

[someguy]

This is a first generation iPhone X running the latest version of iOS, not a beta release. Volume is all the way up, and the issue doesn't seem to effect Bluetooth audio.

Yes, I checked the Balance setting under Accessibility > Audio/Visual and it is perfectly centered. 😉

Long story short, the speaker in the notch of my iPhone X is very quiet. I can barely hear during phone calls, Spotify music sounds off due to basically missing a stereo channel, and everything else is effected as you'd expect with only one speaker working correctly.

Again, the right speaker does work, it's just extremely quiet. Could this be a physical problem with the phone? If so, how can I check that?

 

[I7guy]

This is a first generation iPhone X running the latest version of iOS, not a beta release. Volume is all the way up, and the issue doesn't seem to effect Bluetooth audio.

Yes, I checked the Balance setting under Accessibility > Audio/Visual and it is perfectly centered. 😉

Long story short, the speaker in the notch of my iPhone X is very quiet. I can barely hear during phone calls, Spotify music sounds off due to basically missing a stereo channel, and everything else is effected as you'd expect with only one speaker working correctly.

Again, the right speaker does work, it's just extremely quiet. Could this be a physical problem with the phone? If so, how can I check that?

Try setting the output to mono and see what happens. Could be a blown or malfunctioning speaker, in which case you would have to arrange for repair of the phone...or wait it out and get the iphone 12.😁

 

[someguy]

Try setting the output to mono and see what happens. Could be a blown or malfunctioning speaker, in which case you would have to arrange for repair of the phone...or wait it out and get the iphone 12.😁

I did try that as well and it made no difference at all.

 

[FlippyGonnaSnap]

Has it been submerged in water? Often it can be a temporary side effect that can lasts for days at a time.

 

[AE_stc]

This same thing happened to my iPhone 7. It dropped from a shelf in the shower and from that day on was muted and distorted sounding in the ear piece speaker

 

[someguy]

Has it been submerged in water? Often it can be a temporary side effect that can lasts for days at a time.

Nope. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened recently that I recall.

 

[TimothyL]

If it is under warranty still Apple will replace the speaker. I had a X last year with a bad top speaker and Apple replaced the screen, battery, and speaker all for free.

 

[someguy]

If it is under warranty still Apple will replace the speaker. I had a X last year with a bad top speaker and Apple replaced the screen, battery, and speaker all for free.

Nah, it's not. I've had it since the X came out, and never paid for AppleCare+. Bought it on the iPhone Upgrade Program, but now it's paid off and I like not having a monthly loan payment on it.

As a side note, my wife's MacBook Pro was out of warranty and had a bad battery. The Apple Store replaced it for free by putting it down under a keyboard replacement program which included a new keyboard, trackpad, and -- you guessed it -- a brand new battery. Very cool of them. 🙂

 

[Lekro]

The speaker grill is clogged with debris. Classic thing with iPhones. Clean with a toothbrush.

 

[someguy]

The speaker grill is clogged with debris. Classic thing with iPhones. Clean with a toothbrush.

I did try doing this, carefully, and while it looked cleaner in the end, it didn't sound any louder.

Do you have any tips, like what to use for cleaner and how aggressively I should scrub?

 

[Motionblurrr]

Download the app "Sonic" and do 165hz at full volume for a little bit. Then press the water drop button and do that for a little bit too and see if that helps.

 

[someguy]

Download the app "Sonic" and do 165hz at full volume for a little bit. Then press the water drop button and do that for a little bit too and see if that helps.

Interesting idea! I'll report back after I've given this a shot.

 

[Lekro]

I did try doing this, carefully, and while it looked cleaner in the end, it didn't sound any louder.

Do you have any tips, like what to use for cleaner and how aggressively I should scrub?

Sometimes cleaning from the outside is not enough unfortunately. It can be clogged and the grill needs to be replaced.

 

[someguy]

Download the app "Sonic" and do 165hz at full volume for a little bit. Then press the water drop button and do that for a little bit too and see if that helps.

I ran both modes for about 30 minutes each at full volume, panned completely to the speaker in question, and it doesn't seem to have made a difference. Do you think I should it for longer?

Sometimes cleaning from the outside is not enough unfortunately. It can be clogged and the grill needs to be replaced.

Maybe I should talk to Apple about it, then. The phone is not under warranty, but maybe they can still help. It was purchased on the iPhone Upgrade Program and is now paid off, so not sure what my options would be other than paying for a repair or buying a new phone.

 

[Cayden]

Both the speakers on my XS had what I thought were defects as they were extremely quiet. I tried cleaning them out and anything else I could think of to fix them. I finally went to the Apple store and they ran a test that tested all the speakers and microphones on the device, and almost everything failed these tests. At this point, I thought it was obviously a defect and so did the Genius at the store. Before replacing anything, he decided he should take it apart and try to clean everything out from the inside and do one more test. After the cleaning, everything passed the test and I could hear everything clearly. While defects do happen, I think it’s pretty common for debris to build up (especially after a few years) and could do with a good cleaning, inside and out.

It’s also good to note that even though my phone had AppleCare, they stated they are usually willing to clean out most phones at no cost, so that could be a viable option.

 

[Motionblurrr]

I ran both modes for about 30 minutes each at full volume, panned completely to the speaker in question, and it doesn't seem to have made a difference. Do you think I should it for longer?


Maybe I should talk to Apple about it, then. The phone is not under warranty, but maybe they can still help. It was purchased on the iPhone Upgrade Program and is now paid off, so not sure what my options would be other than paying for a repair or buying a new phone.

unfortunately, if even that didn’t work... your notch speaker might be done.

the only thing left I can think of is do a full restore, back up your data beforehand, set up as new and see if it’s the same with a restore. If not, just get your data back from a backup.

if that fails, yeah it’s time for a new speaker or phone but try going with Apple first and be nice about it lol they might help ya out

 

[Lekro]

It’s just a clogged speaker grill… not worth replacing the phone or speaker over it. Not to mention they can only replace the speaker with the screen. I’d just go to a repair shop and have them replace the grill.