iPhones generally offer excellent sound quality, be it through their speakers, wired headphones, or wireless buds. In some cases, though, you might experience subpar audio quality on your iPhone. And the issue could be hardware or software-related.
Fortunately, if you’re running into any audio issues while on a call, listening to music, or watching videos, you can try a bunch of troubleshooting steps. Here, we’ll walk you through all of them.
1. Enable High-Quality Streaming
While you can modify a few settings, like fine-tuning sounds and haptics toresolve volume issues on your iPhone, many third-party apps like YouTube Music and Spotify also have settings that regulate or improve sound quality.
In many cases, an app’s sound quality is set to low or normal to reduce data usage while not on a Wi-Fi network, but depending on the app, even the quality setting for Wi-Fi could be set to low by default.
For instance, to improve Spotify’s audio quality on your iPhone, you can open the app, go toSettings > Audio quality, and selectVery Highfor Wi-Fi streaming. You can also make this selection for downloads, and if you have a good data plan, you’ll also have this option available for cellular streaming. Before leaving the settings menu, ensureAuto adjust qualityis toggled off to guarantee consistent quality.
The process for enabling high-quality streaming in otherthird-party music streaming appsis fairly similar. You can also enable high-quality streaming for Apple Music by heading toSettings > Music > Cellular Streamingand selectingHigh Quality.
you’re able to also enable and adjust the settings for the equalizer by tappingEQin the Music settings menu.
2. Tweak Headphone Accommodations
Sometimes, making certain adjustments or enhancements in iOS might result in worse audio quality on your iPhone. If you’ve checked your other settings and don’t see anything that seems off, you might want to try making changes to headphone accommodations in accessibility settings.
Surprisingly, tweaking headphone accommodations can improve your iPhone’s audio quality. To do this, go toSettings > Accessibility > Audio/Visualand toggle onHeadphone Accommodations. Now, underTUNDE AUDIO FOR, play around withBalanced Tone,Vocal Range, andBrightnessto see what works best for you.
Then, move the slider betweenSlight,Moderate, andStrong, and make surePhoneandMediaare toggled on underAPPLY WITH. you may tapPlay Sampleas you make changes to see if you notice any improvements. Alternatively, you can play music in the background while making adjustments to see changes in real time.
3. Check if Speakers Need Cleaning
Checking if your iPhone’s speakers are dirty might seem like an insignificant step toward improving your iPhone’s sound quality, but it really isn’t. It doesn’t take much dirt or lint to negatively impact the sound coming out of your iPhone’s speakers. If you see anything blocking the speaker holes, you can use a toothpick, a small brush, and tape to clear them out.
You can follow these steps to clean your iPhone speakers safely:
It’s essential to ensure no liquid gets into the speaker grilles. So, ensure that any dampened cloth you use isn’t dripping or overly humid before cleaning any debris.
4. Activate Hearing Aid Compatibility
If you’re having iPhone audio issues, specifically while using headphones, there’s an uncommon fix that might work for you. You can try activating hearing aid compatibility, which is one of the manyaccessibility features for people with hearing difficulties.
To do this and see if your iPhone’s sound quality improves, go toSettings > Accessibility > Hearing Devicesand toggle onHearing Aid Compatibility.
Although the hearing aid compatibility setting is for improving the audio quality with hearing aids, it can sometimes positively impact sound quality while wearing certain wired and wireless headphones. So, it’s still worth looking into and trying.
5. Set Up Personalized Spatial Audio
If you use AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, AirPods, Beats Fit Pro, or Beats Studio Pro for audio, you may try using a custom iPhone audio setup to improve sound quality. It uses algorithms to simulate a complete surround-sound experience, which might address your sound problems.
To activate Personalized Spatial Audio, tap theInfo (i)icon next to the name of your connected AirPods inSettings > Bluetooth. Then, selectPersonalized Spatial Audioand follow the onscreen instructions to configure the feature to your audio preferences. Alternatively, you can access this feature by heading toSettings > Sounds & Haptics > Personalized Spatial Audio.
Setting up Personalized Spatial Audio is an involved process with three steps using your iPhone’s front camera. First, you have to look straight into the camera and move your head in various angles. Then, for the following two steps, you have to move your iPhone in a circular motion from both sides of your head to the front.
This feature tailors sound to your profile for a more immersive experience. It simulates surround sound to improve upon traditional stereo audio output. There’s a good chance this will significantly improve your iPhone’s sound quality through your compatible headphones.
Get Better Audio on Your iPhone With or Without Headphones
Improving the audio quality on your iPhone, be it for headphones or through its integrated speakers, can seem like a complicated process. Fortunately, enabling high-quality streaming and cleaning the dirty or dusty speaker grilles are two great ways to start.
Headphone users can also try enabling hearing aid compatibility, Personalized Spatial Audio, and tweaking headphone accommodations. However, if you feel your iPhone’s sound quality is not nearly as good as it once was when it was new, it’s time to contact Apple for hardware assistance.
