Yes, lots of people still use their smartphone to make calls, and some iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus owners are having a bad experience doing just that. Many report poor sound quality on both devices during calls, and it’s not yet clear if software or hardware is to blame.
Apple’s latest smartphones, just like their predecessors, have been praised for their call quality in reviews. They have excellent noise cancellation that works wonderfully to block out the sound around you and make the person you’re talking to loud and clear.
But some iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus owners aren’t getting to enjoy that. According to reports on Apple’s support forum, there’s a problem that is causing phone calls to become distorted.
[contextly_auto_sidebar] “So we just got 2 new iPhone 7 Plus’ and I am noticing that the incoming call audio quality on both sounds strange,” writes one user. “Incoming audio sounds distant. Like it is coming from behind the phone or something.”
“It’s like the phone is hollow and the sound is coming from behind it,” writes another. “Only for phone calls. Audio from everything else is just fine.”
It’s unclear what is causing the issue. Software or hardware could be to blame, but the fact that it isn’t widespread — not every iPhone 7 owner is experiencing it — suggests it may be the latter, which can’t be fixed with a simple over-the-air update.
Apple hasn’t officially responded to this problem yet, and a Community Specialist on its forum simply linked to a support document that provides some troubleshooting tips “if you hear no sound or distorted sound from your iPhone.”
If you are one of the unlucky ones who has this problem, then, it seems there’s little you can do about it right now. Some users say that turning the call volume down helps make the audio clearer, but that’s no good if you’re in a loud environment.
How’s the call quality on your iPhone 7?
Via: AppleInsider
Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
23 responses to “iPhone 7 owners report poor sound quality during phone calls”
Working perfectly fine on mine…
I’ve had mine on several occasions make a lock squeal and pop, several times ending the call… sometimes not. I have a plus on verizon.
Nope. No issues whatsoever…
With this, headphones issue and hiding issue I hope an update fixes it.
Yeah, I’m seeing the same thing, including clicks and other weird feedback. Also having issues with the front facing camera for FaceTime calls with all the highlights blowing out, even in dark settings.
I’ve noticed the same weird “hollow” sound. I wonder if it doesn’t have something to do with the earpiece serving as both the phone earpiece and a stereo speaker.
Great sound in mine… 7+
I’m much more concerned about the fact the battery is just barely an improvement from my 3 year old iphone 5S… Granted, “hey siri” is on at all times, i’m more liberal with notifications… but still…
Yep – having this issue exactly. At first I thought it was just something to get used to – but I was so happy to see this addressed. I think the call quality on the 7 I have is pathetic. Everything else is dandy, but I can barely understand anything when taking calls.
Ive had some people complain that I sound distant and I break up. This never happened with the 6 I had.
I have this issue. I have not really noticed it but people calling me always tell me to turn off the speaker and talk directly on the phone, even though I never had it on speaker. To them I sound really distant. 7+
I find the sound quality of my iPhone 6S to be rather poor with lots of hickups, distance audio, interference and failed calls. Might be my service provider but people only complain about it when they call me.
Also, using handoff to use a mac or iPad to take a call always leads to complaints about poor audio quality.
No issues here and no weird sounds coming from my iPhone 7+ either.
On my iPhone 7 plus, the caller sounds distant,sounds like they are talking far away from the phone. But using speaker phone it just blast away nice and loud.
Exceptional sound quality on my iPhone 7 using bluetooth headset.
I have the same problem on my iPhone 7
I have poor quality sound on voice calls, never had this on my iPhone 6
To me sound quality has improved.
iPhone 7 Plus
I have the 7 plus and people keep telling me they can’t hear me and I sound distant. But when I talk through my Bluetooth in my car I sound ok. It must be the iPhone then.
Poor sound quality on my 3-day old 7+. Pretty bummed out about it. So I wait for the fix or try to get it exchanged?
Yup.. iphone7 plus; arrived yesterday. Sounds like the voice is coming from ‘inside the phone’… behind the speaker.
Yup.. iphone7 plus; arrived yesterday. Sounds like the voice is coming from ‘inside the phone’… behind the speaker…. bummer.
I just noticed the volume on an incoming call was so low I couldn’t hear what my friend was saying, I put her on speaker and it was fine. I haven’t made that many calls to know for sure if this is a legit issue.