iPhone 4S Users Complaining of Audio Issues: No Audio on Outgoing Calls, Echoes, Static

[Misaki]

Typically (although there are exceptions), all of these issues are commonly found on the network side.

ECs (Echo Cancellers) have been around for a half-century.

One-way audio has been a problem since analog cellular.

Same goes for static. Yes, even on T1s which are digital.

This said from 20 years of cellular infrastructure industry experience, including troubleshooting these exact issues. But again, it _could_ be the phone. Since I don't have a 4s, it would be silly for me to discount it totally out of hand. But it also wouldn't be the first place I'd look.

From experience at AT&T, problems fall into 3 categories
1. The customer is the problem
2. The hardware is the problem
3. Our hardware is the problem.

Eliminating "the customer is the problem" is the hardest part, because of call KPI's you have to quickly determine if the customer is just an not thinking or has a genuine problem. Typically if you hear the same problem over and over and over with the same device or same sector of the network you can eliminate the customer as the problem. Unfortunately since nobody tracks these stats, each individual representative has to keep a mental checklist and do everything on the checklist so they don't get penalized. The situation is probably similar at Apple.

When the hardware is the problem, eg the iPhone 4, what I determined from the macrumors list of issues is that the problem appears to be with the echo cancellation and volume in software (otherwise why would it show up retroactively in older phones.) More than likely it is settings to support SIRI, and may also prove the "quickly discharging" battery problem where perhaps the network connection is being utilized more than necessary.

If it was the network as the problem, the echo problem would exist on every phone. But it doesn't stop there. AT&T actually has three different network modes. GSM/EDGE (or on t-mobile), UMTS, and LTE. The iPhone 3G and later only support GSM/EDGE and UMTS, and use separate data and voice channels. If the phone is only operating in GSM mode, the echo problem could easily be explained at the codec level, but I don't know from the reports if it's from 2G or 3G mode. The "No Audio" problem is more likely a network problem unless the phone mutes the onboard microphone due to a headset being connected. In the case of no-audio, it's too technical to explain, it has something to do with upstream or downstream channels being oversubscribed. The Verizon/Sprint models which can't do voice and data at the same time shouldn't have the "no outbound audio" problem if it was purely a network GSM or UMTS network issue, since Verizon and Sprint use CDMA. So if the problem occurs on all supported carriers, the problem is clearly in the phone, and goes back to the iOS software.

One of the guys from Andandtech was on bloomberg tv, stated that he was able to fix the battery issue by reloading the OS, and the problem was only on one out of the 5 phones he had access to. So the question is, do these other problems also go away with the OS reload, or just the battery issue?
http://www.bloomberg.com/video/79346962/

 

[robgz]

This is really frustrating!!!

Since i got the WORLD BEST PHONE, my Apple mobile experience has been the WORST EVER!

Im having this issue that when placing a call, the person i called wont hear me, i have to try 10 times or more to get them to hear me. I had tried using the speaker, the headset and different bluetooths sets and the issue persists.

This is real frustrating I can spend 20 minutes trying to talk with someone but i have to drop the call and call back again, and drop the call and call again and drop the call and call again, and so on, and so on...

Till they can finally hear me!!!!

I called Apple Tech support and they told me that since my Apple iPhone 4S, was purchased with a mobile phone carrier (Telcel), Apple wouldnt take action under any warranty circustances, since that would be breaking the agreement with the carrier that sold me the phone (I was explained, that once Apple sold the iPhone to a mobile carrier, Apple wouldnt get involved in any guarantee between the end-user and the mobile phone carrier). So they told me to get in touch with the carrier that sold me the phone (TELCEL) so they can take action with this issue.

So i went to TELCEL, and they told me that in order to get any warranty they had to keep the phone for 2 weeks or more, so they can identify the problem (R U kidding me?!?!), besides they told me that the issue would get fixed by the tech team and i would receive a repaired iPhone. (I pay full price and a 2-year contract and what would i get? a refurbished iPhone?!) Is this for real? If i wanted a refurbished iPhone i would had look for it on Craigslist or eBay. C'mon Guys!

So Apple and/or Telcel.
I would like to you to consider this solutions.

A. Give me a brand new functional iPhone 4S, like the one i was promised when i pay full cash for it.
B. Take your iPhone 4S back and cancel my 2-year contract agreement.

 

[Super_T]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

Long time reader just joined because I had to say that I have experienced a lot of what others are saying: when someone calls I have to say hello a few times before they hear me, the headphone issue where I have to press speakerphone to get it to go back to headphones and sometimes I call someone it rings the normal amount and starts their vm and everything I hang up and don't leave a message and the person has no record of me calling on their phone and it never rang on their end! Also the call quality degrades or starts of crappy or drops calls. These problems I did not have with my previous iPhones. Not please at all considering I need a rock solid phone for my business:/

 

[joeshmo2010]

Great. Just had the echo problem happen to me at 45 min into a call. And then again 12 min in. I was on speaker both times. Not even on a headset so we know that it's not the headsets as the issue. Something internally goes wrong during a call. This is so annoying :/

 

[LaunchpadBS]

Add me to this list, I can hear myself talking and I sound like a robot, even in a dead quiet room!
Surely they would have picked this up in testing?

 

[till213]

Wrong

Bois, you're holding it wrong!

----------

I called Apple Tech support and they told me

This is what happens when you call Apple Tech Support with a 4S:

Customer: "Hello support? Battery time sucks big time! And Siri just dropped dead. And I can hear myself, or sometimes not at all..."

Support: "Sorry, can't hear you, we're hanging up right now. Glad that you called us and thank you for being a proud Apple customer!"

 

[2cool4games]

I have a 3GS

I have this problem on my 3GS. I hope they give both a software update...

 

[aliensporebomb]

Wait wait wait...

Those of you with the problem:

(1) are you using the phone by itself or with a bluetooth headset?
(2) if you are using a bluetooth headset please indicate brand/model?
(3) what carrier are you using?
(4) is wireless enabled or operating at the time of the problem?

Just asking.

My co-worker bought a 4s shortly after release and he's had it for over a week and at work we use the phones heavily since none of us on the team are in the same offices so we constantly make phone calls, texts and such to communicate.

He has had no problems. His theory was that they made so many in such a short amount of time it was inevitible that some lemons might come to light.

 

[GorgonPhone]

lol.... @ these sad iphone4s owners i told yall to stick with iphone4 but no one listened

 

[rezivor]

iPhone 4s issues?

You know,
for all these 4s issues going around, I seem to be pretty clueless as to where they're coming from. Perhaps I got a Grade A conveyer belt model, but

My battery is outstanding, noticeably better than the 4.. In fact, with heavy usage, once it even gets down to 1%, it will stay on and work great for a good 25 minutes, lingering on 1%. In the past, once it hit 1% I had a matter of seconds before it turned off. Very Happy with battery. The phone also charges remarkably quick. From being dead to having enough juice for it to turn back on again (4%) takes about half the time it did before with the 4.

Proximity sensors are great, Microphone is great-- I can use the speaker phone audibly to other people from further away in the room (say if I have the phone set down and am cooking in the kitchen), than before-- noise cancelation is much better.
And I have AT&T- since i've had the phone, for about a month now, i've had not one missed call-- I live in Los Angeles. They fixed the antenna.

The only problem has been Siri server downtime, but that doesn't even really bother me, unless it becomes a true habit...

My point is,
The phone is a huge improvement on the 4, and I want to key as having a 4s that apparently did pass all the quality tests, unlike (it seems) a lot of other 4s's that have been getting these reported problems on macrumors and other forums.

 

[kas23]

Maybe you guys are holding the phone upside-down. You know, with the home button up by your ears.

 

[filmfanatic24]

I'm having the static problem. I returned one phone the week of launch and the new one is having the same problem. Guess I'll be going back in. The thread on the Apple site linked in the original story has a recording of the problem. I'm glad I'm not alone and glad my ears aren't going bad.

I had the echo problem on the 4 and occasionally on the 4s, I always assumed it was a network thing.

 

[imacdaddy]

I have the issue of the other person not being able to hear me after 5-10 seconds of conversation. This happens on both incoming and outgoing calls since upgrading to iOS5. I'm using an iPhone 4. So I don't think it's related to iPhone 4s. No my phone is not jb.

 

[nsayer]

Other party can't hear

My wife has reported the problem of the other party not being able to hear. It's her big complaint at the moment.

We ditched AT&T with the release of the 4S and switched to Verizon hoping that we'd finally get reliable service. For me, there has been a marked improvement, but this issue is driving my wife to despair. I showed her this story last night to cheer her up. I don't have any doubt that Apple will do the right thing (and probably in software) for a widespread issue.

 

[w0by]

ok then

Funny, I actually have been complaining to everyone I know because half the time I make a phone call it echos into my ear, I have to turn the speaker on and off to stop it. I also have the static "cracking" issue which I thought was maybe just at&t or the iphones speaker.

 

[Michaelb1234]

According to Apple, having 10-20% of your outgoing calls fail is what users want. Have you ever felt obligated to call your mother in-law on her birthday but dreaded the thought, with the new Outgoing call no audio feature you can now make that call then hang up and blame it on your iPhone.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/iPhone-4S-Outgoing-call-no-audio/293751337315748

 

[matthijst]

beta 2 contains a modem firmware update (1.0.13 now) but my phone still has a crackling static noise. The sound is not from the call, but from the phone itself.

I can replicate it without calling:
If you put the back of the phone against your ear and then put it in airplane mode, you hear the noise (every time so far). And if you then disable airplane mode you hear it again...

It's as if you hear the chipset power off an on again ><

(the airplane toggle switches when you let it go, so just switch it and keep your finger on the screen, then push the phone against your ear and release)

 

[Reasec]

Best fot this is use Google Maps... just disable wifi, enable 3G and youll hear ze noize.

 

[Komrad808]

I *still* have this problem on my iPhone 4 EVEN before the 5.0 update. So its not the update something else is the problem.

 

[clydefamous]

Would you still get the 4S?

So here's the question, admittedly a selfish question, if you knew about this problem before, would you still get the phone??? Because I want to get the 4S, but this problem seems to be fairly big and a fix doesn't seem to be coming down the pike, especially since some iphone4 users have this problem too.

 

[twoodcc]

well i guess i'm glad i don't use headsets.

 

[r8ders2k]

Works for me...

Maybe I'm lucky, but I haven't had any problems or issues with my 4S.

 

[maccuser]

I've been having issues with the echoing problem. For some reason it didn't occur to me that it could be the phone, I thought it was an AT&T issue related to reception (since my bars fluctate between 1-2 bars sometimes while on calls). I've also been having the echoing issue both on bluetooth AND while just holding the phone to my face. Hopefully, there's a fix soon...

I hear myself while holding the phone to my face.. noticed it immediately as I have never experienced it with any other phone.. it was confirmed by genius at Apple store and they wanted to replace it
while I was at Apple store I tried another sprint iphone 4s which also had the problem.. while iphone 4 did not.. so decided to not replace it for now

But I def have better reception with iphone 4s compared to my previous HTC hero..

 

[ursbraem]

Same here

Same here using Orange in Switzerland. I can't hear any static or echo myself, but some persons I call (they are on an analog line) complain heavily about "water noise", "bubbling", hissing and echo

 

[samcraig]

I am SO tired of people trying to make fun of that phrase every single time there's a bug. When Steve Jobs said "it just works", he did not say, "there will never ever be a bug in our software ever." There will ALWAYS be bugs in software and that will never change.

"It just works" meant that you don't have to configure a bunch of settings or go through any kind of long and annoying process to use a feature. You're being immature when you continually make fun of a company by taking a phrase in a direction it wasn't meant to be taken.

The problem is the phrase itself is a misnomer. Every product has a learning curve - especially technology. Whether or not you put the time in to learn how a device functions is up to the user. But there are thousands if not millions of people who, yes, use iPhones - but don't have a clue about all or even most of its functionality. The same is true with any phone. And many appliances - even toasters.

Apple has great marketing - and that's why "it just works" is now a catch phrase and is often mocked. Because at the heart of the matter - people know that things (all things) don't just work. There are bugs, glitches and learning curves if you want to get any real functionality out of a product.

You can be SO tired of people making fun of the phrase. But you're going to wind up SO tired a lot...