How To Fix iPhone 12 Ear Speaker Not Working?

It needs no telling how exasperating it is when your phone’s ear speaker suddenly stops working. And if it’s something as precious as the iPhone 12, it can be doubly infuriating. So how do you go about fixing the iPhone 12 ear speaker not working problem?

As it turns out, resolving this issue is possible in several ways. For example, you can toggle the ring/silent button, reset the audio settings, disable the noise cancellation feature, turn on hearing aid compatibility assistance, or check for a software update.

Check out the tried and true methods showing you how to fix iPhone no sound on calls through this article if you want your iPhone’s ear speaker to work again as soon as possible.

How Do You Know Your iPhone 12’s Ear Speaker Is Not Working?

There are a few telltale signs that will clue you in on the fact that the ear speaker of your iPhone 12 is not working. Such as:

• For starters, you won’t be able to hear anything coming from the ear speaker during phone calls.
• If you put your iPhone 12 close to your ear, you’ll notice that the other person on the line can hear you just fine but their voice is coming from the bottom speaker.
• The sound might be muffled, faint, unclear, or distorted when you use apps that rely on the ear speaker such as FaceTime, Voice Memos, or Siri.
• Your iPhone isn’t on silent mode but you’re still not hearing any sound on calls.
• Siri talks and operates just fine through the bottom speaker, but you’re still unable to hear any sound from the ear speaker.

If any of these things are happening to you, then your iPhone 12’s ear speaker is indeed not working. Sometimes it’s just software issues while in other cases, there might be some hardware damage that needs attending to.

How to Fix iPhone 12 Ear Speaker Not Working?

The following solutions have been proven to work for other iPhone 12 users experiencing the same earphone speaker not working issue. See which one works best for you by trying them out.

1. Start with a Simple Restarting

Before anything else, you should give restarting your iPhone 12 a try. This simple act can often fix various sound-related issues on the device.

To restart your iPhone 12, hold the Power Button while pressing any volume key. When the slider appears, slide to power off. And then start up your phone again.

2. Try Toggling the Ring/Silent Button

The next thing you can do is toggle the ring/silent button. This button is located on the left side of your iPhone 12.

When the ring/silent switch is turned to silent mode, you’ll see an orange dot next to the switch. In this mode, all sounds are muted on your device including phone calls, app notifications, and more.

Just toggle it back to ring mode and the orange dot should disappear. Doing so will unmute all sounds on your iPhone 12 and hopefully fix the ear speaker not working issue as well. To be double sure, you can also toggle the switch a few times before settling on either ring or silent mode.

3. Level up the Volume

You might have a working phone but your system’s sound levels may be set too low. So make sure your phone’s volume levels are all the way up. If you still can’t hear anything on the call, try holding down the volume-up button on your phone.

4. Clean Up Your iPhone 12’s Ear Speaker

If you think the problem might be caused by dirt or debris blocking the ear speaker, you can try cleaning it up. To do this, turn off your phone and use a soft, dry, and lint-free cloth to wipe the ear speaker.

Brushing it with a soft bristle brush may also help. You can then use a can of compressed air to blow away any dirt or debris left in the speaker.

5. Adjust the Audio Settings

It is also possible that your phone’s audio settings are to blame. You might be able to fix the ear speaker issue on your iPhone 12 by tweaking those settings.

To do this, go to Settings > Sound & Haptics and scroll down to the Ringer/Alert slider. Then drag the slider a few times between left and right and see if it fixes your problem.

Also, it might be that the call audio routing setting isn’t set. You can set it by going to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Call Audio Routing and then tap Speaker.

6. Disable the Noise Cancellation Feature

The noise cancellation feature is designed to reduce the background noise when you’re on a call. However, it can sometimes cause problems with the sound quality of the call by interfering with the ear speaker. So you might want to try disabling this feature and see if it helps.

To do so, go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Visual and turn off the switch next to Phone Noise Cancellation.

7. Deactivate the Do Not Disturb Mode

The ‘Do Not Disturb’ feature on your iPhone 12 is designed to silence all incoming calls and notifications except alarms so that you’re not disturbed.

However, if this feature is turned on, it could explain why you can’t hear calls through the ear speaker. Hence, disable it and check if it helps.

8. Disable the Bluetooth and the Headphone Mode

If you have a wireless headset or car kit connected to your iPhone 12, it’s possible that your phone is outputting the sound to those devices instead of the ear speaker. So if you’re not using any Bluetooth devices, make sure to turn off Bluetooth on your phone.

Also, if you’re using headphones with your iPhone 12, it’s also possible that your phone is stuck in headphone mode. This will cause the sound to come out of the headphones instead of the ear speaker.

9. Turn on Hearing Aid Compatibility Mode

When you have trouble hearing phone calls on your iPhone 12 through the ear speaker, it might help to turn on the Hearing Aid Compatibility Mode. It’s designed to help those with hearing impairments, but it also increases the capability of the ear speaker and improves the quality of regular calls.

To turn on this mode, go to Settings > Accessibility and scroll down to the Hearing section. Then tap on Hearing devices and turn on the switch next to Hearing Aid Compatibility.

10. Reset the Network Settings

Surprisingly, the ear speaker problem on your iPhone 12 could also be caused by a glitch in your network settings. It can happen when the Wi-Fi or cellular data settings on your phone get corrupted, especially during congestion on VoIP calls, and block the sound passing through the ear speaker.

If you think this might be the case, try resetting your network settings. To do this, go to Settings > General > Reset and tap on Reset Network Settings before confirming your action by inputting the password.

Remember to note down your Wi-Fi password before you proceed, as this will reset all your network settings. And then restart your phone to see if it fixes the issue.

11. Update to the Latest iOS Version

The iOS software is constantly being updated with new features and bug fixes. So if you’re having trouble with the ear speaker on your iPhone 12, make sure you’re running the latest version of iOS. To check for updates, go to Settings > General > Software Update.

12. Restore Your iPhone 12 from a Backup

The ear speaker issue on iPhone 12 has been reported to have been fixed after users restored their devices from backups. So, if you recently backed up your phone, it might be worth a shot.

To restore your iPhone 12 from a backup, connect it to your computer and open iTunes. Then click on the Summary tab and select Restore Backup.

13. Factory Reset Your iPhone 12

If you’ve tried all of the solutions above and the ear speaker on your iPhone 12 is still not working, then your last resort is to factory reset your device. This will delete all the data and settings on your phone, so make sure you’ve backed up your phone before proceeding.

To factory reset your iPhone 12, go to Settings > General > Reset and tap on Erase All Content and Settings. Then enter your password and confirm your action.

You can also check out our in-detail article on how to factory reset your iPhone 12 even if you forgot the passcode.

After the reset, set up your phone as new and check if the ear speaker is now working. If it is, then the problem was most likely caused by a software glitch. But if the problem persists, then it’s probably a hardware issue.

How to Contact Apple Support About the iPhone 12 Ear Speaker Not Working Issue?

So, when you’re certain that the problem is with your iPhone 12’s ear speaker hardware and not with your phone’s software or network settings, you can contact Apple support for help. Hardware issues are best left for professionals to fix. And since the issue has been reported by many users, the company will be willing to assist.

In fact, in Apple’s words, the sound issue may be the result of “a likely failed receiver module.” And this issue only concerns iPhone 12 and 12 Pro models manufactured in the period from October 2020 to April 2021.

The company has also launched an earpiece replacement program, offering free repairs for any affected iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro models.

To get in touch with Apple, you can schedule a phone or video call, or take your device to an Apple Store or authorized service provider. You can also visit Apple’s website to start a chat with customer support.

Conclusion

What’s important to keep in mind is that multiple factors can contribute to your iPhone 12 ear speaker not working. So, it’s best to rule out each possibility until you find the one that’s causing the problem by trying out the solutions in this article.

Also, while it might be tempting to replace your iPhone 12’s ear speakers with aftermarket parts, we advise against it. This is because it will void your phone’s warranty and you’ll not get Apple’s assistance when some bigger problem crops up.