The iPhone 7 doesn’t look much different than its predecessors, but the deeper you dive, the more improvements you’ll find. The camera is a great performer, there are dual speakers, and Apple finally made its flagship device water-resistant. If you’ve managed to snag one, then you’re likely enjoying it, but sometimes a single issue can kill the fun. We’ve been filtering feedback to isolate the main iPhone 7 problems that users are running into, and we’ve got some potential fixes and workarounds to put the smile back on your face.
Problem: Speaker button is grayed-out during calls
Some iPhone users have noticed that the speaker icon is grayed-out when making phone calls. This issue seems to affect a small number of users and Apple is aware of the issue, however, it is no longer offering free out-of-warranty repairs for internal speakers that no longer work.
But for now iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus owners will just want Lightning headphones to work like the boring, old, reliable 3.5mm ones always did Follow Gordon on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ It isn’t just iPhone 7. Question: Q: iPhone 7 Headphones not working My iPhone 7 only works 1/2 of the time with the headphone to lightning jack. I have to answer or start a call, then I can plug in my headphones.
Potential Solution:
- This issue may be attributed to accessories that are paired to your phone via Bluetooth. Turn off Bluetooth by swiping up from the bottom of your phone and tapping on the Bluetooth icon to disable it.
Issue: “No Service” detected
In September, MacRumors reported that it had an internal document from Apple showing that the company was aware of a bug that caused the iPhone 7 to have no cellular service after coming out of Airplane Mode. The company said it had resolved the issue, but now it has also launched a repair program for those still suffering from it. Apple says the issue affects a “small” percentage” of devices, but those with an affected device can take their phone in to an Apple Store to get a free repair. Model numbers affected by the issue include A1660, A1780, and A779, and you can check the model number on the back of your device.
Potential solutions:
- Apple has an official solution posted for this issue, which walks you through restarting and re-inserting your SIM card. We suggest that you follow these instructions any time your iPhone 7 can’t get a cellular connection.
- Update to the latest version of iOS, if you haven’t yet.
- If the issue persists, check your model number to see if your eligible for a free device repair.
Annoyance: No 3.5-millimeter headphone jack
Apple’s decision to kill the headphone jack has, understandably, been very controversial. If you’ve already invested in a killer pair of headphones that rely on the standard port present in every phone up until now, you could be forgiven for being a wee bit peeved. Having to use the Lightning port also means that you can’t charge your iPhone 7 while you’re using headphones. There are some workarounds, but there’s no real solution for this one.
Workarounds:
- There’s an adapter in the box with your iPhone 7, or you could consider snagging a Bluetooth adapter. Check out our guide on how to use your old headphones with the iPhone 7 for more ideas.
- Maybe it’s time to go wireless? Check out our guide to the best wireless Bluetooth headphones.
Problem: iPhone 7 makes a hissing sound
A lot of iPhone 7 owners have been complaining about a mysterious hissing sound coming from the back of the device. It seems to be louder when the iPhone is engaged in heavy lifting, such as when a demanding app or game is running, which suggests that it’s related to the processor. Put your ear next to the Apple logo and run something that requires a lot of processing power to test for yourself. It’s also worth mentioning that many phones and other devices will emit some hissing and other noises when under heavy stress — if you listen closely enough, that is. We just don’t notice it most of the time. This problem was affecting enough people that both Ars Technica and 9to5Mac reported on it.
Potential solution:
- There’s currently no fix for this, but reports suggest that it’s not something that’s present in every iPhone 7, so you might want to return your handset and get a new one. If it’s really bothering you, then contact Apple, your carrier, or your retailer and ask for a replacement.
Issue: Poor battery life
Battery life for the iPhone 7 should be a lot better than it was for the iPhone 6S, thanks to a larger battery and the more efficient A10 Fusion chip. For a lot of people on the Apple discussion forums, that does seem to be the case, but we’ve also seen some complaints about rapid battery drain, with more recent complaints resulting from the iOS 10.2 update.
Workarounds:
- Update to iOS 10.3.2 if you haven’t already. Battery drain issues were addressed in this update.
- If you head into Settings > Battery, you can turn Low Power Mode on to stretch your battery further, but it comes at a cost. Mail fetch, Hey Siri, Background app refresh, automatic downloads, and some visual effects will be reduced or turned off completely. However, you can individually turn off any of these things for a lesser bump in battery life.
- Take a look under Battery Usage in Settings > Battery and see if any particular app is guzzling too much power. Consider updating, uninstalling, or replacing it.
- Check out our iPhone battery tips for more ideas, or our roundup of the best portable battery chargers.
Glitch: Can’t activate a new iPhone 7
A lot of people have trouble activating their new iPhones. If you’re getting a message about the activation server being unavailable, it could be that Apple is simply struggling to cope with the current volume or people trying to access it. You can check the status here — if there isn’t a green box next to iOS Device Activation, then try again later.
Possible fixes:
- If you’re trying to do it using your cellular connection, then switch to Wi-Fi instead.
- Try turning your iPhone off and on again by pressing and holding the Sleep/Wake button and then dragging the slider to turn the device completely off. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button again to turn it on.
- Make sure that iTunes is up to date, and try plugging your iPhone 7 into your computer and completing the activation using iTunes.
- Contact your carrier and ask if there are any known issues with iPhone 7 activation. You might need to get a replacement SIM card.
- If nothing has worked, then it’s time to contact Apple.
Problem: Poor phone call/speaker quality
This is one of the most widely reported iPhone 7 problems. There are multiple threads on the Apple discussion forums full of iPhone 7 owners who have reported this particular problem. People have said that incoming audio sounds distant, or it’s too low to hear. Enough people have even made complaints about this that Apple has since updated a support page in an attempt to help people with sound issues.
Official solution:
- Go to Settings > Sounds and drag the Ringer And Alerts slider to turn the volume up.
- If you can get audio out of the speaker, there are several other things you can try:
- Check the Ring/Silent switch on the side of the phone to make sure it’s not set to Silent (Orange).
- Make sure your case isn’t blocking the speaker.
- Restart your iPhone.
- Clean any dirt, dust, or debris out of the speaker.
- Launch an app that plays audio or sound effects and adjust the volume using the volume keys or Control Center controls.
- If you can’t get sound out of the speaker, or nothing changes after trying the aforementioned methods, reach out to Apple Support.
- It’s been suggested that if your carrier is Verizon, that could be the source of the issue. Reach out to the company’s support here.
If you're not hearing music or phone calls through your headphones, you may be worried that your iPhone headphone jack is broken. Maybe it is. Audio not playing through the headphones is a sign of a potential hardware problem, but it's not the only possible culprit.
Before heading to the Apple Store for a repair, try the following steps. They'll help you figure out if your iPhone headphone jack is really broken or if there's something else going on that you can fix yourself – for free.
While this article is specifically about the iPhone headphone jack, many of these tips also apply to models that don't have a headphone jack. So, even if your iPhone doesn't have a headphone jack, if you're having trouble with your headphones or audio output, this article may have the solution.
First, Try Other Headphones
The first thing you should do when trying to fix a broken iPhone headphone jack is to confirm that the problem is actually with your headphone jack, not the headphones themselves. It would be better if it's the headphones: it's usually cheaper to replace headphones.
The easiest way to do this is to get another set of headphones — ideally, ones that you already know work properly — and plug them into your iPhone. Try listening to music, making calls, and using Siri (if the new headphones have a mic). If everything works properly, then the problem is with your headphones, not the jack.
If the problems are still present even with new headphones, move on to the next item.
Clean the Headphone Jack
Many people keep their iPhones in their pockets, which are full of lint that can find its way into the headphone jack (or the Lightning port, on models that don't have a headphone jack). If enough lint or other gunk builds up, it can block the connection between the headphones and the jack, which can cause trouble. If you suspect lint or other build-up is your problem:
- Look into the headphone jack to check for lint. You may need to shine a light into the jack in order to get a good look.
- If you see lint, blow into the headphone jack or shoot some compressed air into it (compressed air is probably better since it doesn't have the moisture that's present in breath, but not everyone has it handy). This may be enough to remove anything that's built up in the jack.
- If the lint is packed tightly and can't be blown out, try a cotton swab. Remove most of the cotton from one end of the swab. Put a tiny bit of rubbing alcohol on the end you removed the cotton from. Then insert that end into the headphone jack. Move it around gently and try to pull out the lint.
If the headphone jack is clean but still not working, try fixing the problem in software as described in the next steps.
While you're cleaning, clean your headphones, too. Periodic cleaning will increase their life expectancy and ensure they don't carry harmful bacteria that could irritate your ears.
Restart Your iPhone
It might not seem related to problems with the headphone jack but restarting the iPhone is often a key step in solving problems. That's because a restart clears the iPhone's active memory (but not its permanent storage, like your data; that won't be touched), which could be the source of the problem. And since it's easy and quick, there's no real downside.
How you restart your iPhone depends on the model, but some general guidelines are:
- Hold down the on/off button (it's at the top or side of the iPhone, depending on your model) buttons at the same time. (On the iPhone 8, iPhone X, and newer models, you'll need to hold down the volume up button, too.)
- Move the Slide to power off slider left to right.
- Wait for the iPhone to shut down.
- Hold the on/off button again until the Apple logo appears. Let go of the button and let the phone start up again.
If holding down just the on/off button doesn't restart the phone, try a hard reset. How you do this depends on what model iPhone you have. Learn all about hard resets here. If you're still not able to hear audio, move on to the next item.
Check Your AirPlay Output
One reason that you might not hear audio through your headphones is that your iPhone is sending the audio to another output. The iPhone is supposed to automatically recognize when headphones are plugged in and switch the audio to them, but it's possible that that hasn't happened in your case. One potential cause is that audio is being sent to an AirPlay-compatible speaker or AirPods.
To check for that:
- Swipe up from the bottom of the iPhone's screen to open Control Center (on the iPhone X and newer, swipe down from the top right).
- Press the music playback controls in the top right corner of Control Center.
- Tap the AirPlay button in the top right of the music controls to reveal all available output sources.
- Tap Headphones (or iPhone, whichever option is present).
- Tap the screen or click the Home button to dismiss Control Center.
With those settings changed, your iPhone's audio is now being sent to the headphones or the iPhone's built-in speakers. If that doesn't solve the problem, there's another, similar setting to investigate.
Check Bluetooth Output
Just like audio can be sent to other devices over AirPlay, the same thing can happen over Bluetooth. If you've connected your iPhone to a Bluetooth device like a speaker, it's possible the audio is still going there. The simplest way to test this is to:
- Open Control Center.
- Tap Bluetooth in the top-left group of icons row so that it's not lit up. This disconnects Bluetooth devices from your iPhone.
- Try your headphones now. With Bluetooth off, the audio should play through your headphones and not any other device.
Your Headphone Jack is Broken. What Should You Do?
If you've tried all of these options and your headphones still aren't working, your headphone jack is probably broken and needs to be repaired.
If you're very handy, you can probably do this yourself — but I wouldn't recommend it. The iPhone is a complex and delicate device, which makes it hard for laypeople to repair. Plus, if your iPhone is still under warranty, fixing it yourself voids the warranty.
Your best bet is to take it to the Apple Store for a fix. Begin by checking your phone's warranty status so you know if a repair is covered. Then set up a Genius Bar appointment to get it fixed. Good luck!