Phone Speaker or Microphone Not Working? Causes & Fixes (2026)
A phone whose speaker or microphone has stopped working is frustrating, but it is rarely as serious as it first seems. A surprising number of these faults come down to a setting, a stray Bluetooth connection, or compacted dust in a tiny grille – all of which you can sort out yourself in minutes. The rest are genuine hardware faults, and those are very fixable too.
The most useful first step is to work out which part is failing, because a speaker fault and a microphone fault have different causes and fixes. This guide covers both – the free checks first, then the hardware causes and what a repair involves.
Direct answer: Most "speaker or mic not working" faults come down to one of three things – a software or settings issue (silent mode, Do Not Disturb, a connected Bluetooth device, or an app glitch), a blocked grille packed with dust or lint, or genuine hardware failure (a blown speaker, a failed microphone, or water damage). Start with the free DIY checks below; if sound is still missing in every app after restarting and cleaning the grilles, it is a hardware fault and the speaker or microphone needs replacing. At celltech, iPhone earpiece and loudspeaker repairs typically run £39.95–£164.95 and microphone repairs £44.95–£164.95 depending on model.
Speaker or microphone? Work out which is failing
These two faults are easy to confuse because both show up "on a call", but the symptoms point in opposite directions:
- Speaker problem – you can't hear them. No ringtone, no music, no call audio, or sound that is crackly, distorted, muffled or far too quiet. The phone is failing to output sound.
- Microphone problem – they can't hear you. Callers say your voice is muffled, cutting out, or silent; voice memos record nothing or sound distant; Siri or voice assistants stop responding. The phone is failing to capture sound.
It also helps to know a modern phone has more than one speaker and microphone, each doing a different job. On an iPhone:
- The earpiece speaker (top of the screen) is what you hold to your ear on a normal call.
- The loudspeaker (bottom edge) handles speakerphone, music, ringtones and alerts.
- The bottom microphone (next to the charging port) is used for normal calls and recordings.
- The front and rear microphones handle speakerphone, video and noise cancellation.
A quick test: on a call, tap the speaker button – if audio returns on loudspeaker, your earpiece is the fault, not the whole phone. For the mic, record a voice memo and play it back: a silent recording but loud playback confirms a microphone fault, not a speaker one.
Speaker not working: causes & fixes
Before assuming the worst, run through these in order – the first few resolve most "no sound" reports and cost nothing.
- Check the volume and silent switch. Press volume up while a video plays – the on-screen slider should move. On iPhone, check the mute switch (or the Action Button on newer models) isn't set to silent; on Android, make sure media volume is up, not just the ringer.
- Turn off Do Not Disturb / Focus. A scheduled Focus or Do Not Disturb mode silences rings and alerts, and is one of the most common reasons a phone seems "dead" while everything else works.
- Check it isn't still on Bluetooth. If you're paired to earbuds, a car or a speaker, audio is being routed there silently. Disconnect every Bluetooth audio device and test again – this single check catches a huge share of "my speaker broke" cases.
- Test in several apps. Try music, a video and the ringtone. If sound works in one app but not another, the fault is the app, not your hardware.
- Restart the phone. A clean restart clears a stuck audio routing state – the single most effective software fix.
- Remove the case and screen protector. A thick case, or a protector overlapping the earpiece mesh, can muffle or block sound entirely.
- Look for water. If sound went crackly or muffled after the phone got wet or steamy, leave it speaker-down somewhere dry and room-temperature – no hairdryer, no rice. If it's still distorted once fully dry, corrosion may have set in (see hardware causes below).
If sound is still missing or distorted in every app after a restart, with Bluetooth off and the case removed, the speaker is most likely blocked or failed. Cleaning comes next.
Microphone not working: causes & fixes
Microphone faults are diagnosed differently – you can't hear the problem yourself, the other person does. Work through these:
- Test each microphone separately. Record a voice memo (bottom mic), a video with the rear camera (rear/top mic), and a speakerphone call (front mic). If one works and another doesn't, you've isolated the faulty mic – useful for any repair.
- Remove the screen protector and case. The number-one fixable cause: a misaligned protector often covers the tiny mic hole near the front camera, and a poorly cut case blocks the bottom mic by the charging port. Peel them off and retest.
- Clear the mic holes. Pocket lint and dust compact into the bottom mic hole, which sits beside the charging port and collects the same debris. Gentle cleaning (below) often restores it.
- Disconnect Bluetooth and check permissions. A connected headset or car kit may be supplying its own mic instead of the phone's; also make sure the app has microphone permission. Then restart to clear any stuck audio session.
- Rule out the network. "They can't hear me" on one call can be a poor signal. If it happens on every call, in voice memos and to Siri, the hardware is the suspect.
The bottom microphone sits very close to the charging port, often on the same flex assembly, so the two faults often arrive together. If charging is also temperamental, see our charging port repair cost guide – a single repair may resolve both.
How to clean the speaker and mic grilles safely
Compacted dust and lint is the most common physical cause of muffled or dead audio, and the easiest to fix – if you do it gently. The grilles sit behind a fine mesh that tears or pushes inwards easily, so technique matters.
- Use a soft, dry brush. A clean, dry toothbrush or a small anti-static brush, worked lightly along the grille (not into it), lifts most surface debris.
- Use sticky tack carefully. Pressing a small piece of poster tack onto the grille and peeling it away pulls out compacted lint – press lightly so you don't force residue deeper in.
- Never use pins, needles, SIM tools or cocktail sticks. Anything sharp punctures the mesh and can damage the speaker or microphone behind it, turning a free clean into a paid repair.
- Go easy on compressed air, and avoid liquids. Short bursts from a distance are fine; a high-pressure nozzle held against the mesh can force debris further in. Never spray cleaner or water into the grilles.
If a careful clean brings the sound back, you're done. If not, the component itself has most likely failed.
When it's a hardware fault
Once settings, Bluetooth, software and cleaning are ruled out, you're into hardware territory. The usual culprits:
- A blown or worn speaker. Speakers are tiny moving parts. Years of vibration, the odd knock, or one soaking can leave them crackly, rattly, permanently quiet, or silent. A blown speaker can't be "reset" – it is replaced as a module.
- A failed microphone. Microphones fail from age, impact, or moisture. Because the bottom mic shares a flex with the charging port, a drop or liquid that damages one often takes the other with it.
- Water and corrosion. Liquid is the silent killer of audio components. Even after a phone dries and switches on, corrosion left on the speaker, mic and their connectors worsens over weeks – muffled, then crackly, then dead. This is why "it worked fine after it dried" so often becomes a repair a month later.
- A loose or damaged flex connector. A hard drop can unseat or tear the ribbon cable that links the speaker or mic to the logic board, killing audio without any visible external damage.
These are all standard bench repairs – the speaker or microphone is replaced as a part, and water damage is treated by cleaning corrosion off the board and connectors before replacing whatever has failed. None of it touches your data.
Speaker & microphone repair costs
celltech publishes its repair prices openly, rather than hiding behind a "contact us for a quote" wall. Here are current iPhone earpiece (ear speaker), loudspeaker and microphone prices for popular models:
| iPhone model | Earpiece (ear speaker) | Loudspeaker | Microphone |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 11 | £39.95 | £39.95 | £44.95 |
| iPhone 12 | £79.95 | £79.95 | £79.95 |
| iPhone 13 | £89.95 | £89.95 | £89.95 |
| iPhone 14 | £89.95 | £89.95 | £109.95 |
| iPhone 15 | £84.95 | £84.95 | £84.95 |
| iPhone 16 | £54.95 | £54.95 | £104.95 |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | £129.95 | £129.95 | £129.95 |
| iPhone SE (2022) | £59.95 | £59.95 | £59.95 |
Speaker and earpiece replacements carry celltech's 27-month standard guarantee – more than double the 12 months most independent UK repairers offer, and far longer than Apple's 90-day repair warranty. Diagnostics on these standard repairs are free, so you only pay if a part genuinely needs replacing. If your model isn't listed, or you have an Android phone, the exact published price is on the repair booking page – no quote wall. See also our iPhone screen replacement cost guide (for earpiece faults bundled with a cracked display) and the charging port repair cost guide (the bottom-mic-and-port assembly).
Is it worth repairing?
For almost any phone from the last six or seven years, yes. A speaker or microphone replacement is one of the more affordable repairs, it restores a function you use every day, and it's far cheaper than replacing the handset. A useful rule of thumb: if the repair costs less than roughly a third of a like-for-like replacement, fixing it is the sensible, lower-waste choice – especially when the rest of the phone is sound. The economics only tip the other way on a very old handset that also needs a battery and a screen; on an otherwise healthy phone, a sub-£100 audio repair is an easy decision.
Frequently asked questions
Why can people hear me but I can't hear them?
That points to a speaker (output) problem, not a microphone one. First rule out Bluetooth audio being routed elsewhere, then check the volume, silent switch and Do Not Disturb. If calls are silent on the earpiece but work on loudspeaker, the earpiece has failed; if music and ringtones are dead but earpiece calls are fine, it's the loudspeaker.
Why can I hear them but they can't hear me?
That's a microphone (input) problem. The most common fixable cause is a screen protector or case covering a microphone hole, so remove them and test. Then clean the bottom mic next to the charging port, disconnect any Bluetooth headset, and restart. If a voice memo records silence after all that, the microphone needs replacing.
Can I clean my phone's speaker myself?
Yes – gently. A soft dry brush or a dab of poster tack lifts most compacted dust and lint from the grille. Never push a pin, needle or SIM tool into the mesh – it punctures the cover and can damage the component behind it. If a careful clean doesn't restore the sound, the speaker has likely failed.
Does water damage cause speaker and microphone problems?
Very often. Trapped water muffles sound at once, and the corrosion it leaves behind keeps degrading the speaker, microphone and their connectors for weeks – which is why audio that "recovered" after a soaking often fails again later. A professional clean removes the corrosion and replaces any failed component before it spreads.
Will I lose my data if I get the speaker or microphone repaired?
No. Replacing a speaker or microphone doesn't touch your storage, so your photos, messages and apps stay exactly as they were. We always recommend a backup before any repair, but an audio repair leaves your data intact.
How does celltech's mail-in repair work?
celltech is a UK-wide, mail-in specialist. You book online and post your phone to us with tracked, insured delivery; our technicians diagnose and complete the repair, then return it fully tested and posted back fixed – insured the whole way. Diagnostics on standard repairs like speakers and mics are free, and the work is covered by our guarantee.
My phone isn't an iPhone – can you still fix the audio?
Yes. celltech covers roughly 2,467 device models across the major brands. The DIY checks in this guide apply to Android phones too, and you can see the exact published repair price for your model on the booking page rather than waiting on a quote.