iPhone 4S Echo Problem During Calls Fix

October 19th, 2011

We’ve received several reports of customers having problems with voice echo on their iPhone 4S. The echo does not immediately start during a call, but instead appears anywhere from 2-12 minutes into a call. Multiple iPhone 4S changes and headset changes produce the same results.

The problem appears to be software related.

Temporary Fix

When experiencing the echo, turn the speaker function on and off. This should clear up the issue temporarily and will have to be repeated every time the problem occurs.

Other Possible Fixes (Unlikely to help, but worth a shot)

Disconnect Your Headset
Restart Your Phone
Restore Your Phone

If you’re having similar issues, please let us know the specs on your carrier and models. The problem seems to be independent of size or color at this point, but the more information we have, the better.

** If you restored from a previous backup, please note that in the comments. If you started fresh, please note that as well. If you did restore, please also note what device you upgraded from.


47 Responses to “iPhone 4S Echo Problem During Calls Fix”

  1. Iphone4SProblem says:

    I have the exact same problem.

    AT&T 16gb Iphone 4s

    Echo starts in about 10 mins.

  2. Rebecca says:

    Experiencing exactly what is described. The temporary fix of turning speaker function on and off works. I have the 4s 64gb, white. Carrier is AT&T.

  3. Ryan D says:

    I’ve got it too, but it appears right away at the start of the call

  4. Holly says:

    I have this problem, but can sometimes talk for 20 minutes without it happening. My sister and I have both had this issue, we’ve both had our iPhones replaced once, and are having them replaced again tomorrow. Model is iPhone 4S 64GB black on the Rogers network in Canada.

  5. david says:

    have the same problem 64 gb black with AT&T
    also, sound quality of phone calls is poor.
    itunes music sounds great

  6. kelly says:

    I have the same problem, need to either disconnect and call back or turn the speaker on then off. iPhone 4s 64gb black

  7. Chris B says:

    Mine starts at the beginning of the call. I have a white iphone 4s 64GB. Network in Vodafone in the UK. I have just replaced it at the Apple store and the new one is exactly the same!!!

  8. Richard says:

    Same problem here. Have tried an old (3GS) headset with exactly the same result. iPhone 4s black 32Gb on Vodafone in the UK

  9. ck says:

    Same issue. Starts at beginning of call and have to call back in order to get rid of it. 4S, white 32GB, AT&T.

  10. Jay says:

    Have 4s 16gb white. Echo starts ve before call connects. I hear my own voice. This is my 3rd iphone 4s.

  11. DW says:

    Exact same problem 4S black 16G on AT&T. Starts right away on all calls and at some point on longer phone calls I am forced to hang up because it gets so bad. Tried 3 different headsets, same issue. Tried my old 3GS, just fine.

  12. Sarah says:

    Same issue with iPhone 4s 16gb with all wired headsets, terrible echo and have to the drop the call. Apple changed phone to new handset but same problem. Very unhappy as cannot take calls at all on headphones. Spoke to O2 in UK and sending a new sim however I very much doubt it will help. Apple need to recognise this fault and fix it.

  13. Pj says:

    Same issue when not using headphones on new 4s. Usually when on speaker. So loud and so irritating! Just happened four times in a one hour call. I had to hang up and call back each time. This is happening way too frequently.

  14. Rio says:

    iPhone 32GB (black) 4S with Sprint. I’ve noticed this same issue since I got the phone on 10/14 via pre-order process. The echo sneaks in intermittently sometimes 1, 6, 18 minutes into the call. The volume of the call goes up and the caller gets loud echo on their side. The conversation is short-lived especially as you have to keep calling back. I’ve never had this issue on the Blackberry I had before which really narrows down the problem to either the phone or the sudden change in Sprint’s network.

    I have Sprint network team looking into it already. I’ve experienced this every time I use the Apple earphone unit to take and make calls. Apple store Genius support indicates that it is not due to hardware as I am able to listen to music just fine without the echo. I’ve been back and forth whether or not I should return the phone but it looks like some of the folks experience the same issue, hence a replacement may not be the best way to resolve the issue.

    It may be a long shot, but this may be due to the SIRI mode of being enabled when placing the phone next to your ear. This feature is defaulted “ON”. Perhaps turning this feature off and just enabling SIRI when pressing the iPhone button will fix the echo problem?? I’ll give this a try.

    Good luck everyone!

  15. Rio says:

    Just to guide everyone to what I will plan to test. I will disable the SIRI feature that wake’s it up when putting the phone next to my ear.

    The preference can be toggled under General->SIRI->Raise To Speak. Hope this is the issue that will resolve the echo problem we’re all having on our calls!

  16. AM says:

    White 16GB 4S in Pittsburgh, PA experiencing echo on both the phone and headset immediately after placing call. Already switched phones once, but echo continues. Unless they fooled me and gave me the exact same phone I was swapping out, the echo appears to be on multiple phones.

  17. Stu says:

    Same problem on a iphone 4S 32 GB black and 16 GB black with AT&T. My fiance and I both notice the echo with and without the headphone mic.

  18. Jack says:

    Sprint 16gb Black same problem I can hear myself slightly when on the phone sometimes.

  19. david says:

    make sure you contact a senior tech at applecare so they know it is widespread
    also, write apple and tell them what is going on!

  20. JimR says:

    Same problem, black 32Gig on Softbank (Japan). Using headset/headphones, it’s a constant and unfixable problem (speakerphone fix does not work).

  21. wood says:

    Yes this is a real problem both with earphones and with speaker phone. It has happened numerous times over the last 2 weeks all this different people / phones on the lines so it is definitely my phone not theirs. Phone call starts off normal then anywhere for 1 – 10 minutes in, they person I am talking with begins to sound “buzzy” then starts breaking up. The person I am talking with says that from their end, they begin to hear an echo and a delayed echo (like the old transatlantic phone calls) that gets worse and worse, Pretty soon I can no longer understand them as it sounds like a bunch of tinfoil being crunched and they can’t continue talking as they can only hear themselves with the delayed echo. This has been the case whether I am calling someone who is on a land line or a cell phone. I have tried taking my earphones out and trying speaker phone but it doesn’t fix it. The only fix is to hang up and call again – but then it can start up after about another minute. I have new iPHone 4s. Never had this problem with my 3s. I have tried restoring and still have problem. Am going to genius bar this weekend to try to get new phone.

  22. Mansoor says:

    Hi,

    White Iphone 4s 32gb.
    Update from 3g black iPhone 16gb.
    Carrier ATT.

    Echo Problem both with earphones and with speaker phone. It has happened numerous times over the last 2 weeks all this different people / phones on the lines so it is definitely my phone not theirs. Phone call starts off normal then anywhere for 1 – 10 minutes in, they person I am talking with begins to sound “buzzy” then starts breaking up. The person I am talking with says that from their end, they begin to hear an echo and a delayed echo (like the old transatlantic phone calls) that gets worse and worse, Pretty soon I can no longer understand them as it sounds like a bunch of tinfoil being crunched and they can’t continue talking as they can only hear themselves with the delayed echo. This has been the case whether I am calling someone who is on a land line or a cell phone. I have tried taking my earphones out and trying speaker phone but it doesn’t fix it. The only fix is to hang up and call again – but then it can start up after about another minute.

    Thanks.

  23. Polo Mix says:

    well I am actually experiencing the same problem described above, I currently have the iphone 4s 32 gb @ att and I have replaced my phone at the apple store 3 times already and still having the same issue. I even called att customer service, spoke to an apple engineer no one seems to know what’s going everybody is telling something different; so if this problem cant be solved I’ll end up switching to a different carrier or a phone/ it’s annoying!

  24. serendip says:

    I have the same problem from the first day I got the phone. But it seems disappears when I use a bluetooth headset.
    white 16gb iphone4s @ AT&T

  25. Haidar says:

    I have same problem from the first day of using iphone 4s 16gb black , I try to fix it by restore from backup , reset network setting , restore the device and i use in it tow different sim card , same problem . I am using iphone 4s 16GB @ STC in saudi arabia

  26. neil says:

    Im over in the uk and on the network 3 ( Three ), from the start of the phone call the other person reports they cant hear me, and say i sound very tinny. I have to actualy put the mic at the bottom infront of my mouth before they can hear me. This doesnt happen all the time, and seems random.

  27. neil says:

    ps. i have the white 64gb 4s

  28. Chi says:

    I have the same problem. My phone is a 16Gb Black 4s with Three (UK). Swap to a another fresh 4s but problem still remains.

  29. Courtney says:

    Wood has very accurately described exactly the headset problem that I am also experiencing with calls starting out fine and then getting worse and worse with the caller on the other end hearing themselves echoing while I hear their audio all distorted. I have a 4S white 32gb Sprint. This only seems to happen using the headset. Unplugging the headset does seem to stop the problem during a call.

  30. LC says:

    I have speaker phone & earphone problems with my 4S white 64GB on my original purchased and my replacement as well. Apple tech support has no clue as how it can be fixed but denied receiving any other similar complaints. My suspect, a software issue, will try setting up my 2nd replacement without restoring any apps from old version iPhone4.

  31. Pascha says:

    I have had the problem since I bought my phone a week ago. Everytime I call someone I hear a static noise for about three seconds then it starts echoing. If it doesn’t do that, then I ant hear anything during the conversation. It is just sileint.
    iPhone 16g Telus

  32. Pascha says:

    Mine is without a headset I might add. It just is normal everyday calling.

  33. muneer says:

    i have an iphone 4s 16GB which i purchased in dec. 2011… the echo problem i guess is still not fixed by apple as i have the same issue. i have tried temporary fix like switching to speaker and back but that has not helped.

    only that worked for me was to use the speak-ear phones. this needs to be fixed as i have paid US$ 700 and it is sad to get a product from apple which has high levels of quality for their products.

  34. Sharon Wood says:

    I had black 32 gig iPhone4 on which the echo started happening. 2 months ago I upgraded to iPhone 4S. The problem continued. My husband bought his iphone 4s at the same time, same store as mine and he has not experienced the echo problem at all. I reported to AT&T, they wrote a service ticket and after 2 weeks replied to me that they foumd nothing in the service that would cause the echo. They sent me back to Apple who gave me a new iphone4s. I set it back up from my backup and tried a call. The echo remained as before. My husband still has not heard an echo on his iphone4s. Very frustrating.

    I see that the last post here is in January 2012. Has there been any progress>

  35. James says:

    I am having the same issue with echo on a 4s which I purchased in the last month or so. The issue started about a week ago and is not corrected by the solutions provided. It does not happen when using the speaker option

  36. saurav panta says:

    i have also same problem when i call someone or if someone call to my iphone 4s in the receipt part they herad eco so how can i fix this problem.

  37. Ashwin says:

    I’m also facing the same problem with my Iphone 4S 16 GB which i bought a month ago. I’m facing with some couple of issues like, for both incoming and outgoing calls people on other side cannot hear me for first 4-5 seconds but i can hear them. There is an echo problem that starts after 1-2 minutes. Please hep me what to do on this.

  38. gbkny says:

    The workaround seems to be turning the volume down. It only happens if your volume is at the max level.

  39. Toby says:

    I have the iPhone 4s and it came with an echo problem. For a long I did not know this problem existed because I never hear the echo. It is only heard by the person I call, where it is their voice that echoes back to them. My wife knows immediately it is me calling because her “Hello” is answered back to her in the echo. It happens about 90% of the time I call, and apparently it the echo can vary in intensity. Sometimes it will confuse the auto-attendant voice mail systems, because it interprets the echo as my response to a menu selection request. I had the SIM chip changed at the local AT&T store, but it made no noticeable improvement. Any solutions would be greatly appreciated.

  40. BigDave says:

    Cannot stress how P##### OFF I am at this rubbish product!!! For the money, you’d expect to get a decent standard of phone….would’nt you?????? I have used the speaker ear piece off and on method with limeted success.
    Getit fixed Apple!!! Or is it all part of the plan??????
    One Un-happy Aussie!!!!

  41. Walt says:

    This is so frustrating!!!!!!! I have an echo but told nothing can happen, free of charge, until I qualify for an upgrade. Seriously Apple?

  42. Michael says:

    Make sure bottom speaker holes near charge/data port are clear of dirt fluff etc.
    Fine metal grill clean with very fine brush and try not to push any thing in

  43. Eric says:

    Do not use apple headset. I use froggers. And keep volume low. The apple head set is so sensitive that it picks up the persons voice and that’s why you get the echo.

  44. David says:

    I only get the echo when I’m using earbuds. I can sometimes get the problem to go away if I unplug the earbuds then plug them in again. But, the problem appears to be getting worse and I can never predict when it is going to happen and I can not prevent it from happening ahead of time. It is getting embarrassing because I use the phone for business and whenever I join a conference call, everyone’s voice begins echoing to themselves and they’ll say, “Oh, David must’ve just joined!”

  45. Jim says:

    I’ve been told it is my Mophie battery case. I have found that during an echo episode, place a finger over the top hole where the earphone plug is, the echoing stops.

  46. Phil says:

    I had an echo on a 4s only when using a powered battery case. The case is a cheap $10 one off eBay & caused an echo every time. I opened up the little holes that let my voice through by taking out some plastic & it changed the acoustics enough it completely eliminated the echo. Keep in mind it was the person on any other phone who I was talking to who would hear their own voice as an echo. I can’t seem to make sense of why this worked but it eliminated the echo completely

  47. L. Bowen says:

    I have an echo when using headset.

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