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burgman

macrumors 68030
Sep 24, 2013
2,802
2,387
I already posted my experience on a 46 minute call earlier in this thread. My engineering degree is from UCF. Class of 2014.
Seriously? You still hear an earbud when it's facing the direction opposite your ear. You still hear an external hard drive regardless of which of the six sides of the enclosure you place your ear. Also see below.
Exactly. Thanks for dumbing down sound 101, because you were a lot nicer than I would have been.
I already posted my experience on a 46 minute call earlier in this thread. My engineering degree is from UCF. Class of 2014.
Then you should be an expert and know better. The amount of time you and others have spent on this topic could be better spent returning the phone and moving on.
 

smacrumon

macrumors 68030
Jan 15, 2016
2,683
4,011
Why would a CPU hiss exactly? What causes that to occur? When I first heard this story, I thought could it be related to the sound system and some kind of interference.
 

jqc

macrumors 6502
Jun 30, 2007
399
205
Never noticed this until this thread (really need to stop going to the forums after any product launch). My 7 does this, but so does my 6, my wife's 6S and an old 4 we have lying around. The 7 is the loudest by far and does seem to hiss/click even when the phone is sitting idle.
 

dwd3885

macrumors 68020
Dec 10, 2004
2,131
148
I have a 6S Plus that does not have this issue and the 7 Plus that does have the issue. Main thing is that it happens during video recording ever so faintly.
 

aj8690

macrumors regular
Aug 28, 2012
116
111
Columbus, OH, USA
I have no proof of this but I suspect the phones with the new intel modem are the ones who have the noise issue. The first years of the intel based MBPs I experienced the same issue and i rememembered reading about several other users experiencing the same thing.

That's was similar to by original theory too, but (correct me if I'm wrong please--I might be) I thought the Intel modems were exclusively used for the GSM (non-CDMA) models. I asked toward the beginning of this thread if everyone experiencing the issue had the GSM only model, but one member confirmed the issue on a Verizon (CDMA) model.

You really have to concentrate to hear it - and you have to press the phone to your ear next to the camera on the back. If I don't do that I cannot hear it at all.

I am pretty sure you can also hear it on your iPhone 6S+ if you run a benchmark and press the back (next to the camera) against your ear. But you don't do that when using your phone so it really is not a problem...

FWIW I had two called this morning total time 30 minutes, and i have the noise never once heard it from the front end of the phone, nor did it interfere with the phone calls.

I would agree if you could hear it from the front. I cannot.

See this is hard to pinpoint because what one user might hear another user might not if given the same phone. Depends on how sensitive your ears are which makes this hard to judge how widespread the issue is within a forum. Now that this has been caught by all these tech sites its hard to believe we still have no idea which component it is coming from. Obvious answer would be the CPU but who knows. I just want confirmation good or bad that this is a defect or normal operation. Its one of those things where once you know its there you tend to listen for it. Similar to last year with the screen issues, once aware it was hard to "not see" the problem spot. I would be curious if display models have it although might be hard to hear in a store environment.
^^Exactly @IconIc215 . To all the above that I quoted--you have to remember that as we age, the frequency of sounds we can hear starts to shrink, especially high frequencies such as those being emitted from iPhone 7. Many of us may have lost the ability to hear or hear well the high frequency sound that the phone emits. I am still young, in my mid-20s, and I hear it well. Loud and clear. But I have no doubt that if I were a little older, the noise would sound much quieter. If I were older still, the noise maybe would be nonexistent. It's like those anti-loitering devices that some businesses use to keep teenagers away from the store. They emit a loud, high-pitch sound that only younger people can hear. It bothers their ears and is annoying, so they stay away. Meanwhile customers and employees don't even know a sound is being played because they can't hear it. Remember the "mosquito" ringtone that middle school/high school students would use to not get caught using a phone at the wrong time? It's a high pitch ring tone. The students hear it, the teacher does not. Same concept. So you're absolutely right, this is very hard to pinpoint. I guess the only real way to do this scientifically would be to record audio of the phenomenon and check out the frequencies that were recorded on screen, instead of just trusting our ears.

So if any of the above posts about having to concentrate to hear it, or not being able to hear it at all, only being able to hear it faintly from one specific spot, etc.-- please keep this in mind.

Maybe you can just not hear it? We have two iPhone 6S and an old iPhone 6 at home and they all make this low noise. Don't get me wrong - it is not a problem at all. You can just barely hear it in a quiet room when pressing the back of the phone against your ear. I bet this "noise" has always been there...
I've never experienced this on another iPhone. The noise very well may have alway been there, but if that's the case, the 7 model is MUCH more pronounced. Like I said, I noticed it the first day I had it, before I had even read any reports on the issue.

Then you should be an expert and know better. The amount of time you and others have spent on this topic could be better spent returning the phone and moving on.
I never claimed to be an expert. In fact, in a previous post in this thread I stated I'm NOT an expert in this topic. Yes, I have some electricity/circuit background, but my focus is Industrial Engineering. (By the way, you don't need an engineering degree to make an observation or to come up with a possible theory.)

I'm not going to return the phone; I never stated that this was a deal-breaker. The main purpose of "spending so much time" (it was a few posts plus a few short tests with the phone...maybe 10 or 15 minutes worth of time?) was to see how widespread this is, and to get other users' thoughts on the topic. I don't think that was a bad use of my time...exchanging information about our experiences on this issue with one another. If it's a design defect that will be corrected with the next batches, I would like an exchange. If it affects all iPhone 7 models and Apple considers it normal, that's fine too. The only way I'm going to return or exchange this phone is if it's an actual defect. I can live with it once we know officially if this is working as intended or a defect. I think we will know pretty soon for sure. However, the noise we are hearing from this model is undeniably much more apparent and prominent. People who have never heard this from a phone before, such as myself, will be legitimately concerned, as it's not the norm of current smartphones to emit a buzz loud enough that it can be heard from across a quiet room.
 
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KimHansenDK

macrumors 6502
Jul 29, 2011
366
40
Like I said, I noticed it the first day I had it, before I had even read any reports on the issue.

How did you first hear the noise? Did you hear it while you used the phone or did you actively listen for it by pressing the phone against your ear? I mean, I cannot hear it unless it is really quiet and I press the back of the phone against my ear - and to be honest when do you do that?
 
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newellj

macrumors G3
Oct 15, 2014
8,154
3,047
East of Eden
Not to be a jerk as I wait for movement on my t mobile plus, is it noticeable with a case? I know lots of us like to show off the phone without a case but I wonder if that will be apples solution. If I had heard this hiss through my case you bet I would return it.

Rant: I should never come to a forum before release as I keep reading issues that make me think of keeping my jailbroken 6s+ Another year. Ugh.

Big LOL on that - yes, totally true. If you want to feel anxious or badly about buying a piece of tech hardware, go to one of the fora where people discuss hardware and tech issues. You'll never look at the thing the same way again. ;)

OT freebie: I found that the TouchID/Home "button" works really nicely, actually nicer for me than the old physical button. Disclaimer: I've been using a MBP with the haptic feedback trackpad for a year and a half, so maybe I'm just more used to how it behaves and feels. Anyway, a thumbs up to Apple on that change.
 

Ries

macrumors 68020
Apr 21, 2007
2,330
2,918
It is normal, properly because the CPU has gotten so powerfull and it is the flattest cpu casing to date. All electronic "whine" to some point, it is even possbile to extract information from the Cpu using the noise.

https://www.tau.ac.il/~tromer/acoustic/

Q2: What is making the noise?
The acoustic signal of interest is generated by vibration of electronic components (capacitors and coils) in the computer's voltage regulation circuit, as it struggles to supply constant voltage to the CPU.

When different secret keys are used for decryption, they cause different patterns of CPU operations, which draw different amounts of power. The voltage regulator changes its behavior to maintain a stable voltage to the CPU despite the changes in power draw, and this alters the electric currents and voltages inside the voltage regulator itself. Those electric fluctuations cause mechanical vibrations in the electronic component, and the vibrations are transmitted into the air as sound waves.

The relevant signal is not caused by mechanical components such as the fan or hard disk, nor by the laptop's internal speaker.
 
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JamieLannister

macrumors 6502a
Jun 10, 2016
634
1,570
Wow, 7 page thread on this non-issue - for sure I'm going to return this back to the store and wait for my iPhone 7S. I'm afraid this is a real issue widespread.

I just shot some video 1080p, 4K as well, and it makes a hissing static noise captured on video! This is pure QA horse dung on apple's part. They never test anything anymore. Almost as if apple works in a bubble all the time.
 

super chimp

macrumors 65816
Mar 21, 2008
1,106
488
UK
I've never noticed any noises on my 6S+ but can clearly hear it in the videos taken by the 7 models I've seen posted up. Pretty concerning with a 7+ on pre-order.
 

netnative

macrumors 6502
Nov 21, 2013
433
320
Puerto Rico, USA
Wow, 7 page thread on this non-issue - for sure I'm going to return this back to the store and wait for my iPhone 7S. I'm afraid this is a real issue widespread.

I just shot some video 1080p, 4K as well, and it makes a hissing static noise captured on video! This is pure QA horse dung on apple's part. They never test anything anymore. Almost as if apple works in a bubble all the time.

I did not hear noises coming from any of the iPhones I have owned. And, it appears that only some owners of the iPhone 7 have reported hissing, buzzing or static noises. Therefore, if I hear any kind of noise coming from the iPhone 7 Plus that Apple delivers to me, I will return it.
 

TechnicallyTee

macrumors 68020
May 14, 2013
2,108
3,167
Atlanta
I can hear it but the face that I have to put my ear to the back of the phone to hear it I won't worry about it. It's not like I can walk on the Apple Store right now and exchange this 7 Plus.
 
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newellj

macrumors G3
Oct 15, 2014
8,154
3,047
East of Eden
In this video you can hear it :confused:: https://twitter.com/embee82/status/777548456575561729

Another one:

Wow, 7 page thread on this non-issue - for sure I'm going to return this back to the store and wait for my iPhone 7S. I'm afraid this is a real issue widespread.

I just shot some video 1080p, 4K as well, and it makes a hissing static noise captured on video! This is pure QA horse dung on apple's part. They never test anything anymore. Almost as if apple works in a bubble all the time.

That could just be mic hiss. My two iP6es make the same noises as the two iP7es when recording a video.
 

KimHansenDK

macrumors 6502
Jul 29, 2011
366
40
This is way blown up...

I just tested this (for the fun of it) on an old iPhone 5S.....and guess what? It makes the exact same noise. I have tested it on an old iPhone 5S, an iPhone 6S and an iPhone 7 - all of them make the so-called "noise". So maybe it has always been like that, and people have just not paid attention to it, because you don't hear it unless you press the back of the phone against your ear.

Just a thought...
 
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GoCubsGo

macrumors Nehalem
Feb 19, 2005
35,742
155
Hissgate.

Unbelievable.
:rolleyes:
This is way blown up...

I just tested this (for the fun of it) on an old iPhone 5S.....and guess what? It makes the exact same noise. I have tested it on an old iPhone 5S, an iPhone 6S and an iPhone 7 - all of them make the so-called "noise". So maybe it has always been like that, and people have just not paid attention to it, because you don't hear it unless you press the back of the phone against your ear.

Just a thought...
Just stop with your damn logical and rational thinking! :D

I tried to hear it on my 6, but I am old and could not hear it over the sound of my dog snoring.
 

SMIDG3T

Suspended
Apr 29, 2012
3,859
2,316
England
Just booted up my 6s and ran GFXBench GL.

It makes a noise too. Not only that, the 6s is very hot while it's running these tests while the 7 stayed cool.

Others are reporting it's happening on earlier devices than the 6s.

Not an issue guys and not a "defect". It's been there for ages. It's just because you've only just noticed it you're freaking out.
 
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bnekic

macrumors 65816
Sep 19, 2013
1,090
336
Cleveland, OH
Do you hear the CPU sound when using the phone at a normal distance in your hands? I mean if you can only hear something when putting it up to your ear what's the big deal? It's the beastly A10 chip doing its thing.
 

frifra

macrumors 6502a
Nov 29, 2008
930
667
In this video you can hear it :confused:: https://twitter.com/embee82/status/777548456575561729

Another one:

Do you hear the CPU sound when using the phone at a normal distance in your hands? I mean if you can only hear something when putting it up to your ear what's the big deal? It's the beastly A10 chip doing its thing.

Did you listen to the video? That is crazy. Maybe everyone who can eat it should try to make a short video in a quiet environment and then listen to the video.
 

SMIDG3T

Suspended
Apr 29, 2012
3,859
2,316
England
Did you listen to the video? That is crazy. Maybe everyone who can eat it should try to make a short video in a quiet environment and then listen to the video.

Yeah. The guy that recorded it obviously made it louder than it actually sounds. Everyone's freaking out over this.

The A10 is much more powerful and is now quad-core, it's going to make some noise!!
 

netnative

macrumors 6502
Nov 21, 2013
433
320
Puerto Rico, USA
Just booted up my 6s and ran GFXBench GL.

It makes a noise too. Not only that, the 6s is very hot while it's running these tests while the 7 stayed cool.

Others are reporting it's happening on earlier devices than the 6s.

Not an issue guys and not a "defect". It's been there for ages. It's just because you've only just noticed it you're freaking out.

I am skeptical about reports that the "noise" was a widespread occurrence prior to the iPhone 7. Forums are outlets for every possible issue that obsessive iPhone owners can possibly notice. I remember reading about dead pixels, stuck pixels, dim displays, uneven backlighting, backlight bleeding, yellowish displays, flickering displays, bending, reduced battery life, hard home buttons, soft home buttons, and so on... But I do not remember reading about hissing, buzzing, static or clicking noises.
 
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