A phone without sound is hard to use on a trip: no calls with the hotel, no voice messages, no directions read out. Sound problems often have a simple cause. Work through these checks first.
Check the simple things
- Bluetooth: is the phone still connected to earbuds, a car or a speaker? Turn Bluetooth off and try again.
- Volume and silent mode: turn the volume up during a call and check the silent switch or sound mode.
- Restart the phone. A software glitch can block sound.
- Case: a case that does not fit well can cover the speaker or microphone openings.
Find out which part it is
- Ear speaker (top, for calls): you hear the other person badly, but speakerphone works.
- Loudspeaker (bottom): music and videos sound quiet, crackly or not at all.
- Microphone: record a voice memo. If the recording is silent or very soft, the microphone is the problem. Try a video too: phones use different microphones for different tasks.
Dirt and water
Speaker and microphone openings fill up with pocket lint and dust. Clean them very gently with a soft, dry brush (a clean soft toothbrush works). Never use pins, needles or compressed air: they push dirt further in or puncture the mesh.
After rain or a drop in water, sound is often muffled because there is still water in the speaker. Let the phone dry, do not charge it while wet, and see our water damage first aid. If it stays muffled after a day, have it checked.
When it needs a repair
If the checks do not help, the speaker or microphone is damaged, or a connector inside came loose after a drop. On many phones, the bottom microphone is part of the charging port assembly, so a charging port repair also fixes the microphone. We find the cause in a free diagnosis and give you a fixed price before we start. Most of these repairs are done while you wait.
PhonePlus, Binnen Bantammerstraat 4, Amsterdam – near the Nieuwmarkt and about ten minutes' walk from Centraal Station. Walk in without an appointment.
- Monday: 10:00–19:00
- Tuesday to Saturday: 11:00–21:00
- Sunday: 12:00–21:00
