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Phone Noise Cancellation Missing?

BigMcGuire said:
Only thing I can think of is that a lot of noice cancelling is done via software these days (think: Discord) - I would imagine if a feature like this was removed, we'd be having a lot more people complaining about call quality.
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It's one thing to remove the hardware/sensor and do it virtually via software to save cost. It might not be that good, but the capability is still there. This is what happens to proximity sensors on many Android phones, including the S20FE. The OEMs remove the proximity sensor hardware, and do it virtually via software using other sensors (eg. accelerometer, gyro, and the touchscreen itself to detect the position of the phone). Cost-saving, understandable, although annoying.

What Apple is doing is literally removing a basic feature while the hardware (the multi-mic system) is still there. :( So they're not doing it for cost-savings. They're doing it to nudge people into buying Airpods.
 
John981 said:
Do you have a link to where an official source has said that?

I just think it‘s weird. Developers have said that there‘s still the same amount of microphones in the iPhone 13 models as before, so it seems to come down to software. Why would they intentionally omit something like that? I mean they already have the code for noise filtering anyway, so it‘s not likely it saved them any development effort.

It seems like a bug to me, but I could be wrong, of course.
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It's mentioned in the article that Apple support confirmed it.

Why they did this? To move more Airpods. People will be annoyed with their phone calls without noise cancellations, and they will resort to a headset. Since iPhones no longer include the wired earpods, the natural thing most consumers do will be getting those Airpods. Ka-ching! ?
 
A phone that you can't properly use as a phone unless you own some AirPods? Their greed knows no limits.

What a company. Another new low from them.
 
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peterpayne said:
A phone that you can't properly use as a phone unless you own some AirPods? Their greed knows no limits.

What a company. Another new low from them.
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Yup. It might be understandable if Apple did it to save cost on, let's say the SE, by removing the extra microphones. But this is for their main $1000 flagship and they didn't remove any hardware. They literally just gimped the feature via software, just to nudge people to get airpods.

And here I am thinking the 13 lineup to be the best lineup so far. I hope Apple wised up and don't make this a permanent decision for future iphones.
 
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If I’m not mistaken this feature was introduced with the iPhone 4.
 
My phone calls work just fine and nobody hears any background noise, as I posted. I even turned my music up realy loud and the caller cound not hear it, so I think its being done by software now using the microphones I assume. As I said otherwise how would voice isolation in facetime work if it didn't stop background noise? .
 
killhippie said:
My phone calls work just fine and nobody hears any background noise, as I posted. I even turned my music up realy loud and the caller cound not hear it, so I think its being done by software now using the microphones I assume. As I said otherwise how would voice isolation in facetime work if it didn't stop background noise? .
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If the function is still there, then one has to wonder why Apple intentionally removed the setting in Accessibility?
 
I7guy said:
I can't confirm. It's just a hypothesis as indicated by the question mark.
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Alright.
The official word from Apple themselves is that the feature is no longer exist, and it's not a bug. They don't provide any further explanations. As such, Apple is selling a $1000 iPhone without a basic feature that had existed since the iPhone 4.
 
But how is that a "basic feature"? I can make phone calls just great in any kind of ambient noise, even without AirPods. Just like with any phone. Maybe the thing just wasn't needed anymore?
 
ian87w said:
Can you confirm that?
Apple doesn't say anything other than the feature is no longer available on the 13 lineup, and it's not a bug.
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Try playing music over a facetime call or clicking your fingers with voice isolation on as that works on facetime calls, I tried that with a friend with music up loud and she could not hear it, i'm not sure about the phone calls but it has to be doing something for voice isolation over facetime. So maybe they decided it interfered with calls on the phone but have implemented it on facetime only? You can turn that on and off or even have it in wide mode so the mics have to be doing something in facetime mode.
 
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killhippie said:
Try playing music over a phone call to a friend, I tried via my ipad to my iphone 13 pro and they could not hear it all they heard was a muffled sound, so I think noise cancellation is now automatic and built in, it seems a lot more effective than the iPhone 12 as well. Just have a go, lay the phone down and clap and see if the calller can hear that, mine cant to the phone is doing something, and calls are crystal clear both ends. I guess the phone can implement noise cancelation when it wants to and Apple just copnsidered turning it off as a redundant feature. I'm only guessing but as I said voice isolation in facetime calls would not work if there wasn't some kind of noise cancellation going on.
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In any case, then why Apple wasn't clear and upfront about it? Why the official statement is for the feature to not exist in the 13 lineup?

I mean if the function is actually there, then Apple's own documents would've simply indicated that the feature exists and automatic. But no, their statement was the feature is not available.

I mean come on, a company as big as Apple cannot even correctly define the features of their main flagship product?
 
killhippie said:
Try playing music over a facetime call or clicking your fingers with voice isolation on as that works on facetime calls, I tried that with a friend with music up loud and she could not hear it, i'm not sure about the phone calls but it has to be doing something for voice isolation over facetime. So maybe they decided it interfered with calls on the phone but have implemented it on facetime only? You can turn that on and off or even have it in wide mode so the mics have to be doing something in facetime mode.
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I think you're confusing the 2 features. The noise cancellation feature that is missing on the iPhone 13 is the one cancelling out ambient noise between the earpiece of the phone and your ear, while you are talking on the phone by holding the phone to your ear.

Older iPhones had that feature, and it was a bit like the AirPods Pro (or Max). A subtle noise cancellation that would "cancel out" a bit street noise while walking around, but for you (the iPhone owner), not the other person. That's what's missing.

I never liked that feature, I found it sounded bothering and unnatural, maybe they had complaints about it. Who knows.
 
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Why would they only remove it for 13 and not the other older models too if it's done by software? Perhaps it is really a hardware thing, something to do with the earpiece being much smaller in 13 lineup?
 
moldy lunchbox said:
I can't believe this isn't talked about more, my 13 Pro Max literally sounds like trash when I'm using it as a PHONE. I literally have to carry about AirPods 24/7 now in order to have phone calls with people.
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Apple is happy to sell you the additional AirPods. They are so convenient and magical.
 
ManuCH said:
I think you're confusing the 2 features. The noise cancellation feature that is missing on the iPhone 13 is the one cancelling out ambient noise between the earpiece of the phone and your ear, while you are talking on the phone by holding the phone to your ear.

Older iPhones had that feature, and it was a bit like the AirPods Pro (or Max). A subtle noise cancellation that would "cancel out" a bit street noise while walking around, but for you (the iPhone owner), not the other person. That's what's missing.

I never liked that feature, I found it sounded bothering and unnatural, maybe they had complaints about it. Who knows.
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Yes I realised my mistake when re reading what it does, all noise cancellation is for you not the person at the other end, Ive had no issues hearing people on calls though in fact its clearer in many ways than my 12 (no echo issues either) and voice isolation works fine on facetime so I'm happy with the 13 as is.
 
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I think the mic may need need to be in close proximity of the speaker to get proper feedback so cancellation can occur. There is no longer a mic near the earpiece so that feature is gone. No earbud conspiracy, just eliminating the mic to reduce the notch size.
 
geneo said:
I think the mic may need need to be in close proximity of the speaker to get proper feedback so cancellation can occur. There is no longer a mic near the earpiece so that feature is gone. No earbud conspiracy, just eliminating the mic to reduce the notch size.
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Yes, the smaller notch is missing the microphone in the notch.

EDIT: I was incorrect. The smaller notch still has a microphone. The imagine I posted is incorrect.
 
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Taz Mangus said:
Yes, the smaller notch is missing the microphone in the notch.


iPhone-12-leak-1024x576.png
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Now that I’m observing my iPad Pro (with Face ID), I’m realizing that it also has a microphone on the TrueDepth cam system. And the function on the iPad is unknown...
 
Populus said:
Now that I’m observing my iPad Pro (with Face ID), I’m realizing that it also has a microphone on the TrueDepth cam system. And the function on the iPad is unknown...
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I was incorrect about the smaller notch not having a microphone. I corrected my posting.
 
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