A non-working iPhone microphone – or speaker, for that matter – is a fairly common fault. We'll tell you how to find out that the microphone isn't working and what to do about it.
The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in particular are prone to microphone and speaker faults. The culprit is the audio chip, which develops these problems as it ages. You won't be able to carry out the repair yourself, but it needn't be expensive at all.
How to recognise a non-working iPhone microphone
- during a call the phone's display shows a greyed-out speaker icon. You'll see the same thing when dictating a voice memo. All sound recording fails.
- the worst symptom of the fault is the whole operating system gradually slowing down, and in the final stage you won't even be able to turn the iPhone on.
The fault has come to be known as “Loop Disease”. The name can be understood as “a disease that keeps repeating”. The repetition is part of it precisely because wear on the audio chip, which sits on the device's logic board, eventually leads to permanent damage. In effect, the whole chip works loose and can no longer do its job.
How is it fixed? Are you in for an expensive logic board replacement?
No, you're not. If a repair shop is urging you to replace the whole logic board, try visiting another one as well. It's possible that something else is wrong too, in which case replacing the logic board is appropriate. But it's also possible that you're at the wrong repair shop. Either they aren't equipped with the tools needed to repair individual components, or the technicians simply don't know how.
At our appleguru.cz repair shop we're able to replace just the audio chip. That saves you a fair amount of money and the repair is done faster.
Although Apple quite often offers customers a free repair for faults as widespread as this, that isn't the case here. Every user has to deal with the problem themselves.
How much does an iPhone microphone repair cost?
You're most likely to come across the microphone problem on the iPhone 7, 8 and 11. That's why we also give a guide price for the repair on these models. You can find the price of a microphone replacement for other models in our price list.
You'll find us in Prague 3, but you can also send us your device from anywhere in the Czech Republic by courier. Come and see us! We specialise in Apple products.
✆ 607 855 558
✉ info@appleguru.cz
Seifertova 683/83, Prague 3 - Žižkov
TIP: when buying a second-hand iPhone, check that the microphone works properly
A second-hand iPhone, especially an iPhone 7 or an older iPhone 7 Plus, may not be worth it. At first glance it looks well kept and trouble-free, but some time later the “disease” mentioned above may be lying in wait for you. So it's definitely a good idea to ask the previous owner, who may already have had the repair done.
It isn't a serious fault, and if it's dealt with in time, the iPhone can go on serving you perfectly for a few more years. It's also possible that your particular device will never run into complications of this kind.
If you have any questions or need advice, come and talk to the specialists at appleguru.cz
