How to fix poor call sound quality on iPhone

Nowadays, smartphones are much more than machines for making calls. As a matter of fact, making regular phone calls probably isn’t high on the list of the most performed actions on a smartphone. Especially the iPhone. After all, who needs calls with Facetime, iMessage, and other IM services around?

But even though traditional calls have lost their popularity, those who still use their iPhones for calling other people still want everything to function properly. And everything does function properly most of the time. However, some users have reported poor in-call sound quality on certain iPhone models. A problem that you’d want to resolve as soon as possible.

If you’re one of those users, and I assume you are, we prepared for you some optimal solutions to tackle the distorting and muffled sound, and/or bad microphone performance while making a call.

In case you experience bad sound call sound quality on your iPhone, try some of the following solutions:

1. Disable Noise cancellation on the iPhone
2. Disable VoLTE
3. Try using the phone without the case
4. Turn off the Bluetooth
5. Try restarting the phone
6. Try updating to the latest version of iOS

iPhone calls sound muffled

1. Disable Noise cancellation on the iPhone

The Noise cancellation feature is a built-in option that should improve calls by reducing ambient noise while speaking on the phone. Good intention but some of the users found it unsatisfying. To disable it, follow the instructions:

1. Tap on the Settings app.
2. Head over to Accessibility.
3. Go to Audio/Visual.
4. Turn the Phone Noise Cancellation option off.

2. Disable VoLTE

There may be a problem concerning your Mobile Data. Maybe your VoLTE ( Voice over LTE) is the one that makes calls distorted, so try disabling it. To that follow this path:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Head over to Cellular.
3. Go to Cellular Data Options > Voice & Data.
4. Disable the VoLTE option.

3. Try using the phone without the case

There are some reports that your case can be the issue while speaking on the phone. Because it covers the rear microphone, sometimes may cause distortion.

Remove your case and check your in-call performance without it.

4. Turn off the Bluetooth

Interference may also occur because of your headset and phone speaker. To be sure that is not the case, disable Bluetooth:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Select Bluetooth.
3. Turn Bluetooth OFF.

5. Try restarting the phone

If the problem is somehow connected to the software, the reset may be of help. To reset your iPhone, do the following:

1. Press and hold Wake and Volume Down buttons
2. Wait until the Power off screen appears.
3. Drag the Power off slider to the right.

6. Try updating to the latest version of iOS

Keeping your phone updated is a good way to overcome slight software issues, probably even sound ones. To update your system, follow these instructions.

1. Make sure your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi and charging.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Choose General.
4. Select Software Update.
5. If there’s a new update available, tap Download & Install.

These were our tips for a possible solution for the poor sound quality on iPhone. I hope at least one of them helped you restore the good in-call sound quality on your iPhone. If you still have trouble making phone calls, be free to share it with us in the comment section. Or reach us on Twitter and Facebook.

Editor’s note: This article was initially published in January 2021. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.