iPhone speaker test

How to test your iPhone speakers

1. Turn Silent mode off and press the volume-up button a few times. Safari may stay quiet in Silent mode, even though the test is playing.
2. Press Start speaker test. Nothing plays before you tap a button.
3. Set the Volume slider. It starts at −20 dBFS; at full iPhone volume that is already clearly audible.
4. Tap Both and hold the phone at arm's length. You should hear the chime from the bottom edge and from the earpiece at the top.
5. Play pink noise and the bass tones and listen for buzzing or crackling.

The sounds are made by your browser on the phone. There are no files to download, the test doesn't use the microphone, and nothing is recorded or uploaded.

Two speakers: bottom and earpiece

iPhones from the iPhone 7 onwards, including the iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation), play stereo through two speakers: the speaker grille on the bottom edge and the earpiece (Apple calls it the receiver) above the screen. The earpiece is smaller, so it sounds thinner and quieter than the bottom speaker. That's normal; silence or crackling from one of them isn't.

To test them one by one, turn the phone sideways (with Portrait Orientation Lock off in Control Center) and tap Left, then Right. iOS follows the orientation, so the side that faces left plays left. In portrait, left and right don't map to a side you can tell apart. Cover one end with a finger to hear which speaker plays.

If Left and Right both come from both speakers, Mono Audio is on: Settings › Accessibility › Audio & Visual › Mono Audio. The Balance slider in the same place should be in the middle.

What the bass tones and pink noise tell you

Phone speakers are tiny, so the 30–50 Hz bass tones are usually silent and you may hear only 80 and 100 Hz. That isn't a fault. The Play sweep 20 Hz → 20 kHz button shows where the sound starts and stops: you will likely hear nothing for the first part, then a rising tone.

Play pink noise (10 s) is the best rattle test. A clean rush is good. Buzzing, a paper-like rattle or crackling at a medium volume points to dirt or water in the grille, or a damaged speaker. Run how to read your test results if a number on the page is unclear.

The output picker only works in some desktop browsers. On iPhone, sound goes wherever iOS sends it: if AirPods or a Bluetooth speaker are connected, the test plays there. Open Control Center, tap the AirPlay icon on the music card and choose iPhone, or turn Bluetooth off for the test.

iPhone speaker not working? Fix it step by step

These are the checks from Apple: no sound or distorted sound from your iPhone speaker, plus what this test adds:

1. Silent mode: move the Ring/Silent switch toward the screen so no orange shows. On an iPhone with an Action button, open Control Center and check that Silent mode is off.
2. Do Not Disturb: Settings › Focus › Do Not Disturb should be off.
3. Case and protectors: take off the case and any screen film; they can cover the earpiece or the bottom grille.
4. Clean the openings with a small, soft, dry brush. No pins, liquids or compressed air.
5. Apple's own check: in Settings › Sounds & Haptics, drag the Ringtone and Alerts slider. If you hear nothing or the speaker button is dimmed, the speaker may need service.

About "water eject": apps and websites that play a low tone to push water out are not an Apple feature: Apple Watch has a Water Lock that pushes water out of its speaker, the iPhone has nothing like it, and this test doesn't claim to do it. If your iPhone got wet, Apple's liquid-detection advice is to tap it gently against your hand with the connector (bottom edge) facing down, then leave it in a dry place with some airflow. Sound often stays muffled until the speaker has dried.

On iPhone 14 models and later, Apple's diagnostics mode (through Recovery Assistant: turn the phone off, then hold the side button as it starts) can test hardware too; see Apple: when and how to use diagnostics mode. If the speaker is still silent or distorted, contact Apple Support for service.

Microphone trouble as well? Try the mic test and the iPhone microphone guide. The main speaker test covers headphones and computer speakers, and the screen test checks your display for dead pixels. More tools: device tests.