Why does my phone have no sound?

Check Your Phone’s Volume Settings

The most common cause of no sound on a phone is that the volume settings are turned down or muted. Go through volume controls for ringer, media, notifications, and system to see if any are muted or turned down. Check that silent/vibrate mode is off.

On an iPhone, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and make sure nothing is muted and volume sliders are turned up (drag the slider to the right to increase volume) [1]. On an Android, open Settings and tap Sound to check volume levels. Make sure silent mode or do not disturb mode is disabled [2].

If volume is still too low, there may be other issues causing problems with your phone’s sound.

Troubleshoot Any Connected Audio Devices

One common cause of phone sound issues is malfunctioning or improperly connected audio devices like headphones, speakers or docks. Make sure to thoroughly check any devices connected or recently connected to your phone’s audio jack or Bluetooth.

First, ensure any wired headphones or auxiliary cables are fully plugged into the headphone jack. You may need to firmly push the connector all the way in until it clicks. Try wiggling the connector while inserted to get a better connection.

Next, confirm Bluetooth headphones or speakers are paired, turned on, charged, and within range of your phone. You can try manually disconnecting and re-pairing the devices or resetting network settings on your phone.

Finally, if using a docking station or FM transmitter, verify it is powered on and properly configured. Refer to the device’s documentation if needed.

After addressing any potential device issues, disconnect them and test your phone’s built-in speakers again. If the sound is restored, you know the problem lies with the accessory.

Check for Blocked Apps or Contacts

One potential cause of no sound on your iPhone is having certain apps or contacts set to mute. Go into Settings and look for any apps or contacts that are set to mute. Disable those settings.

You can mute notifications for specific apps by going to Settings > Notifications, selecting the app, and toggling off sounds. This will silence notifications but not in-app sounds.

To disable sounds for incoming calls or messages from specific contacts, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Calls From and Messages From. Here you can select contacts to mute.

Disabling these muting settings for apps and contacts may restore sounds if you had inadvertently blocked audio from certain sources. However, this does not resolve issues caused by larger software or hardware problems. See this Apple discussion thread for more details on selectively muting app sounds.

Check for Phone or App Updates

One common reason for sound issues on smartphones is outdated software. Phone manufacturers and app developers periodically release updates that fix bugs and improve performance. An outdated operating system or app version can sometimes cause problems with sound.

To check for updates on an iPhone, go to Settings > General > Software Update. Your phone will check for any iOS updates from Apple and install them if available. You can also open the App Store app, tap your profile icon in the top right, and go to Available Updates to see if any apps need updating.

On Android phones, go to Settings > System > Advanced > System updates to check for OS updates. The process varies by manufacturer, but you may also see a notification prompting you to install an available update. Open the Play Store app and go to My Apps & Games > Updates to update apps.

Installing the latest updates can often resolve quirky software bugs causing sound issues. After updating, restart your phone and test if sound is restored. If the problem persists, you may need to troubleshoot other potential causes.

Sources:

[1] https://www.cellphonerepair.com/how-to-fix-phone-sound-issues

[2] https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255295068

Reset Phone to Default Settings

Resetting your phone to its factory default settings can help resolve software-related issues by erasing any problematic customized settings. Before resetting your phone, it’s important to back up your data so you don’t lose any photos, videos, contacts, or other files stored on your device.

To reset an Android phone to factory settings, go to Settings > System > Reset options > Erase all data (factory reset) [1]. On an iPhone, go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings [2]. This will erase all data and customized settings, returning your phone to its out-of-the-box state.

Resetting your phone should be done as a last resort troubleshooting step if you’re experiencing significant software issues. It’s recommended to first try restarting your phone, updating apps/software, removing recently installed apps, or troubleshooting in safe mode before resetting to factory settings. But if other fixes don’t resolve your problem, a factory reset can wipe out any problematic settings causing sound issues.

Check for Physical Damage

One common reason for phone sound issues is physical damage to the headphone jack, speakers, or microphones that prevents proper audio functioning. Carefully inspect these components on your phone for any debris, dust, or damage that could be blocking sound.

First, use a flashlight to peer into the headphone jack and check for any obstructions. Lint, dirt, and other particles can sometimes accumulate in the headphone jack, preventing a snug audio connection when headphones are plugged in. You can try to carefully clean out the jack with compressed air.

Next, visually inspect the external speaker and microphone ports on your phone. The small openings can easily get clogged with pocket lint and debris. Use a soft brush or toothpick to gently clear away any visible obstructions from the ports.

Finally, check for any physical damage like cracks or perforations around the speaker, headphone jack, and microphone areas. Damage to these components can prevent proper sound transmission and will likely require professional repair. If no obvious damage is visible, the issue may lie in the phone’s software instead.

While inspecting your phone, be very careful not to cause any additional damage to the delicate audio components. If dislodged dirt does not fix the problem, it’s best to move on to software-based troubleshooting steps.

Test in Safe Mode

One way to troubleshoot an issue like no sound is to restart the iPhone in safe mode. Safe mode disables all third party apps and helps isolate whether the issue is being caused by a problematic app.

To restart in safe mode, first turn off the iPhone. Then turn it back on by holding down the power button until you see the Apple logo. Keep holding the power button and then also press and hold the volume down button. Keep both buttons pressed down until you see the lock screen, then release. This will boot the iPhone into safe mode.

With safe mode enabled, test if sound is working properly again by playing music or videos. If the sound works fine in safe mode, it likely means a third party app was causing the no sound issue. You can then begin uninstalling recently downloaded apps one by one and testing in between to determine which app was responsible.

If the no sound issue persists even in safe mode, it indicates a deeper system issue, in which case you may need to backup your data and restore your iPhone to factory settings or contact Apple support. But testing in safe mode is a good first troubleshooting step to isolate whether an app is to blame for the missing iPhone sound.

Source: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2117082

Back Up Data and Restore iPhone

If troubleshooting steps do not resolve the no sound issue, a full restore of the iPhone software may be required. To restore the iPhone, first back up your data to avoid losing any files or settings.

Connect the iPhone to a computer with the latest version of iTunes installed. In iTunes, select the iPhone icon and go to the Summary page. Click “Back Up Now” to create a full backup of the iPhone data to the computer (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203977). Allow time for the backup process to fully complete.

After backing up, go to the Summary page again and click “Restore iPhone”. This will install a fresh version of the iPhone operating system, wiping the phone and settings back to factory defaults. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the restore process, which may take awhile. When the iPhone reboots, it will be ready to set up again.

Finally, restore your data back to the iPhone. Connect to iTunes again, select the device, and go to the Summary page. Click “Restore Backup” and choose your latest backup file to restore your data and settings. This should fully refresh the iPhone software while retaining your information.

Performing a full restore and wipe of the iPhone before restoring a backup can often resolve software-related issues like no sound. If the problem still occurs after restoring, the issue is likely hardware-related.

Contact Carrier Support

If you have tried all the troubleshooting steps and the no sound issue still persists, your next step should be to contact your cell carrier’s customer support team. Cell carriers have trained technical support representatives who can help diagnose whether the no sound problem stems from a network or carrier-related issue.

When contacting your carrier, be prepared to provide details about your phone’s make and model, your current location, and specifics on when the no sound problem occurs (during calls, specific contacts, etc). Sharing any troubleshooting you have already tried can help the support rep narrow down potential causes.

Carriers have advanced diagnostic tools to detect problems on their network or with your individual phone line. They can check if your line is being blocked or filtered incorrectly, or if local towers are experiencing outages. If the issue appears isolated to just your device, they may be able to push updates or resets to restore sound.

In some cases, you may need to bring your phone into a retail location for hands-on troubleshooting. Support reps can facilitate replacements or repairs if your phone is still under warranty. Otherwise, they can provide customized solutions based on the root cause they identify.

Persisting sound issues often require the carrier’s involvement to resolve, so contacting support is an important troubleshooting step before concluding your phone will need repair or replacement.

Get Phone Repaired

For hardware issues, take phone to repair shop or contact manufacturer support for possible warranty repair. If your phone is still covered under the manufacturer’s warranty period, they may repair or replace it for free. For example, Apple recently launched a iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro Service Program to address no sound issues.

If the warranty has expired, phone repairs can range from $50-300+ depending on the issue and phone model. Common repairs include: replacing damaged speakers, fixing loose connections, cleaning built-up debris, or replacing the audio jack or other hardware components. Select a reputable repair shop that specializes in your phone brand and model.

As a last resort, a full device replacement may be needed if the phone has serious physical damage or component failure. Back up your data beforehand. Replacement costs vary widely based on phone model, age, and provider.