What you need to know
- Some users report that callers cannot hear them when using speakerphone mode on iPhone 13 handsets.
- Apple has so far not offered a fix for the issue.
Some iPhone 13 owners are complaining that other people can't hear them when they make phone calls on speakerphone. Reports have been cropping up since the end of last year and continue to come in. The issue isn't present when making phone calls without speakerphone or while using headphones.
As reported by iDropNews, people have been complaining of the issue since at least October 2021 (opens in new tab) with little sign of a fix. In fact, some people have found that Apple's support teams have been downright unhelpful when trying to get the speakerphone problem diagnosed.
I've been to the Genius Bar twice. Once I was asked what exactly I wanted from them. Told her, just a phone that work, preferably not worse than the older model I replaced it for. The second time the guy suggested all the things I had tried. Then said it's the first he's heard of it. So it must be my backup. I told him I didn't restore from backup and he just shrugged. Super frustrating,
It isn't immediately clear what is causing the problem or how widespread it is, but the responses to that thread keep rolling in. One possible cause is the Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC) feature, according to iDropNews. That feature is designed to stop people from hearing their own voices when on speakerphone and it's been around for years. It's possible iPhone 13 handsets are being too aggressive and instead of blocking out the echo of one caller's voice, it's blocking out both.
Whatever the cause, no fix seems likely to arrive any time soon and that's very bad news indeed for those afflicted by this bug. For now, using the iPhone out of speakerphone mode is the only solution. Can I suggest checking out the best AirPods deals?
