Microphone on iPhone 7+ no longer working, but bluetooth audio fine

[Kyle Andrew]

Hey folks,

I'm wondering if anyone else is suddenly having a problem with the microphone not working on their iPhones, 7+ as I have or otherwise. I first noticed it a week or two ago, when trying to post an instagram story. The phones mic does not work, the corded mic does not work, but when I'm on my bluetooth headset or in my car (connected via bluetooth) it transmits audio just fine.

The speaker still works. When I attempt to place calls while NOT connected to bluetooth, it disconnects immediately.

I have spoken to two other people that are experiencing the exact same problem although in either case I did not obtain the model number of their iPhone's.

I first thought it was a hardware failure, from a drop or some such, but I'm leaning now towards software but I can't find solutions online anywhere. All of the tutorials on fixing this do not work. I've done the resets etc. I test this by trying to use the voice memo app and receive the following error (see attached file upload).

Just thought I'd come in here and see if anyone else is having this problem.

Thank you,

Kyle

 

[Areksu]

Hey folks,

I'm wondering if anyone else is suddenly having a problem with the microphone not working on their iPhones, 7+ as I have or otherwise. I first noticed it a week or two ago, when trying to post an instagram story. The phones mic does not work, the corded mic does not work, but when I'm on my bluetooth headset or in my car (connected via bluetooth) it transmits audio just fine.

The speaker still works. When I attempt to place calls while NOT connected to bluetooth, it disconnects immediately.

I have spoken to two other people that are experiencing the exact same problem although in either case I did not obtain the model number of their iPhone's.

I first thought it was a hardware failure, from a drop or some such, but I'm leaning now towards software but I can't find solutions online anywhere. All of the tutorials on fixing this do not work. I've done the resets etc. I test this by trying to use the voice memo app and receive the following error (see attached file upload).

Just thought I'd come in here and see if anyone else is having this problem.

Thank you,

Kyle

Kyle, I'm experiencing exactly the same problem! And besides that: If I plug in my earphones, they're not working, the music plays as if no earphones are connected. Charging no problem though. Thought I maybe dropped my iPhone 7, but I read on some forums that it's a problem on many more iPhone 7's. Must be software then? Since I don't see any other replies, did you hear of any solutions yet?

 

[Kyle Andrew]

I've heard from another friend now with the exact same problem, we couldn't have all just collectively dropped our phones. Like you, my plug in headphones do not work, however as previously mentioned, any sort of bluetooth device and it's fine (sony headphones, my car). I have no heard of any solutions.

Do you have links to where you've read about it elsewhere? I'd like to chip in to and monitor those threads as well.

Kyle, I'm experiencing exactly the same problem! And besides that: If I plug in my earphones, they're not working, the music plays as if no earphones are connected. Charging no problem though. Thought I maybe dropped my iPhone 7, but I read on some forums that it's a problem on many more iPhone 7's. Must be software then? Since I don't see any other replies, did you hear of any solutions yet?

 

[Areksu]

https://www.ikream.com/2018/10/fix-...phone-not-working-troubleshooting-guide-25657

Hm, this is actually about iPhone 7 plus. Anyway it didn't help me.

It must be a bug, so now wait for an iOS update?

 

[Kyle Andrew]

Yeah, I had previously gone through all those suggestions but it appears to me at least, that this is a deeper issue that needs to be addressed at the iOS level. I would certainly hope that they rush out a fix for this ASAP because it is now several weeks were I can't simply just answer phone calls, leading to many many frustrating moments of phone (non) use.

https://www.ikream.com/2018/10/fix-...phone-not-working-troubleshooting-guide-25657

Hm, this is actually about iPhone 7 plus. Anyway it didn't help me.

It must be a bug, so now wait for an iOS update?

 

[Minho]

It could be a software/firmware issue but if resetting and restoring the device doesn't help, then you clearly have a hardware issue.

The iPhone 7 series of devices have proven to be very unreliable, suffering from flex-based issues similar to the iPhone 6 Plus (Touch Disease). On the iPhone 7, the fault line runs along the top of the SIM card reader and affects the Baseband CPU and Audio IC. Any short copper traces running perpendicular to the fault line while connecting to micro-BGA pads, is subject to failing.

On the Audio IC, this particularly affects the C12 pad/trace although there are 4 pads/traces along the fault line. Of those four, the C12 pad (I2S_AP_TO_CODEC_MCLK) is the most critical as it is a communication protocol line between the CPU and the Audio IC.

Here are the typical symptoms, as collated by the repair community:
# Voice Memos app / Loudspeaker on call - greyed out
# Siri doesn’t hear you / Caller can’t hear you
# Most other Audio related issues that aren’t solved by modular replacements
# Long boot times (3-5 minutes)
# iTunes detects the phone but stuck on the Apple Logo

This is a repairable problem but it requires a micro-soldering repair.

 

[Kyle Andrew]

This is really great information, thank you for sharing. I have noticed that right around the same time my phone was struck with the remarkably long boot times as well. I have all of these symptoms less the itunes detection but that's because I never sync my phone that way.

I'm currently waiting for my XS Max to arrive anyhow, but was hoping to continue to use this phone as a wifi secondary device. Perhaps I'll look into a repair, or perhaps I'll just use it without audio. We'll see.

Thank you again for this.

It could be a software/firmware issue but if resetting and restoring the device doesn't help, then you clearly have a hardware issue.

The iPhone 7 series of devices have proven to be very unreliable, suffering from flex-based issues similar to the iPhone 6 Plus (Touch Disease). On the iPhone 7, the fault line runs along the top of the SIM card reader and affects the Baseband CPU and Audio IC. Any short copper traces running perpendicular to the fault line while connecting to micro-BGA pads, is subject to failing.

On the Audio IC, this particularly affects the C12 pad/trace although there are 4 pads/traces along the fault line. Of those four, the C12 pad (I2S_AP_TO_CODEC_MCLK) is the most critical as it is a communication protocol line between the CPU and the Audio IC.

Here are the typical symptoms, as collated by the repair community:
# Voice Memos app / Loudspeaker on call - greyed out
# Siri doesn’t hear you / Caller can’t hear you
# Most other Audio related issues that aren’t solved by modular replacements
# Long boot times (3-5 minutes)
# iTunes detects the phone but stuck on the Apple Logo

This is a repairable problem but it requires a micro-soldering repair.

 

[Minho]

This is really great information, thank you for sharing. I have noticed that right around the same time my phone was struck with the remarkably long boot times as well. I have all of these symptoms less the itunes detection but that's because I never sync my phone that way.

I'm currently waiting for my XS Max to arrive anyhow, but was hoping to continue to use this phone as a wifi secondary device. Perhaps I'll look into a repair, or perhaps I'll just use it without audio. We'll see.

Thank you again for this.

The long boot time is a dead giveaway. The iPhone 7 is a high value device and this repair is not that expensive. Having it repaired will keep it out fo the landfill and allow you to use it or sell it to someone who will appreciate it.

 

[Kyle Andrew]

Just a heads up to everyone, I have just installed and updated my phone to iOS 12.1 and it has not corrected the problem. I am still awaiting delivery of my iPhone XS Max 256gig

 

[mikehalloran]

I've been going around with Apple on this. It's related to having to select output after selecting speaker. Sometimes it works — other times no. Unfortunately, I can't duplicate the problem at will. In iOS 11, it was automatic.

 

[Areksu]

I've been going around with Apple on this. It's related to having to select output after selecting speaker. Sometimes it works — other times no. Unfortunately, I can't duplicate the problem at will. In iOS 11, it was automatic.

The final diagnosis on my iPhone 7 was that the audio chip is broken. It should be soldered again costs app 200 euros (in the Netherlands) Apparently it's a not so rare issue in the iPhone 7 (I bought the 7 on oct 15 2016 it went bust oct 23 2018)

 

[Amcbain17]

Here’s a petition about this common issue:
https://www.change.org/p/apple-tell...m_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition

 

[mikehalloran]

Here’s a petition about this common issue:
https://www.change.org/p/apple-tell...m_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition

That isn't the problem I was having. iOS 12.1.2 fixed me up.

Since I now use my 7+ as a glorified iPod and portable recorder (Shure MV88 and Zoom iQ7 microphones), the built-in mic almost never gets used — but I tested it this morning just to see and everything's fine. Being nearly 2 1/2 years old, I paid the $29 to have the battery replaced.

I don't sign petitions just to do it.