It happens at the worst possible time. You’re trying to send a voice note, or maybe you’re mid-call with your boss, and suddenly, silence. They can’t hear you. You scream into the bottom of the phone. Nothing. It’s frustrating because your iPhone is basically a $1,000 brick if you can't actually talk into it. Honestly, when people ask why isn't my microphone working on my iPhone, they usually assume the hardware is fried. They think they need a screen replacement or a new device entirely.
That’s rarely the case.
Most of the time, it's just gunk. Or a weird software glitch that happened because you haven't restarted your phone in three weeks. iPhones actually have multiple microphones—usually three—and they don’t all fail at once unless you dropped the thing in a lake. If your selfies have sound but your phone calls don't, you've got a specific software or hardware routing issue, not a dead phone. Let’s figure out which one is haunting your device.
The "Toothbrush" Method and Other Physical Fixes
Before you go digging into the settings, look at the bottom of your phone. See those tiny holes next to the charging port? That’s where the primary microphone lives. If you carry your phone in your pocket, those holes are likely packed with lint, skin cells, and God knows what else. It’s gross, but it’s the number one reason for muffled audio.
Take a dry, super-soft-bristled toothbrush. Gently—and I mean gently—brush those openings. Don't use a toothpick or a needle. You’ll poke a hole right through the acoustic membrane and then you really will be buying a new iPhone. Apple’s own support documentation specifically warns against using compressed air because the high pressure can shred the internal components. Just a light brush often does the trick.
Another thing? Your case. Some third-party cases, especially the heavy-duty "survivor" types, don't align perfectly with the mic ports. Take the case off. Try a voice memo. If it works now, your case is the villain. Screen protectors can also be culprits if they’re slightly misaligned and covering that tiny slit near the earpiece where the front-facing mic sits.
Why isn't my microphone working on my iPhone during specific apps?
Sometimes the mic works fine for Siri but fails completely in WhatsApp or Zoom. This isn't a hardware failure. It's a permission gatekeeper issue. Privacy settings in iOS are strict. If you accidentally tapped "Don't Allow" when you first downloaded an app, that app is permanently muted until you change your mind.
Go to Settings, then Privacy & Security, and tap on Microphone.
You'll see a list of every app that has requested access. If the toggle next to Instagram or Skype is grey, there’s your answer. Flip it to green. It’s a simple fix, but it’s one of those things we totally forget about because we’re so used to just clicking through pop-ups.
The Bluetooth Trap
This one catches everyone. You’re in the kitchen, trying to record a memo, but your iPhone is secretly connected to a pair of AirPods sitting in a gym bag in the hallway. Or maybe it’s still linked to your car’s Bluetooth in the garage.
Your iPhone thinks it’s doing you a favor by routing the audio to the "external" mic. Swipe down from the top right to open your Control Center. Tap the AirPlay icon (the little circles with the triangle). If anything other than "iPhone" is checked, your audio is going somewhere else. Turn off Bluetooth entirely for a second to force the phone to use its internal hardware. It’s a quick way to rule out ghost connections.
Testing the Three Different Microphones
Your iPhone isn't just one mic. To solve why isn't my microphone working on my iPhone, you have to isolate which one is acting up.
- The Bottom Mic: Open the Voice Memos app. Record a quick snippet of you talking normally. Play it back. If it’s clear, your primary mic is fine.
- The Front Mic: This one is by the selfie camera. Open the Camera app, switch to the front camera, and record a video. Talk while you do it. If the video has sound, that mic is healthy.
- The Rear Mic: This is near the back camera lenses (it helps with noise cancellation and video). Record a video using the rear camera. Check the audio.
If the Voice Memo sounds like you're underwater but the front-camera video is crisp, you know specifically that the bottom hardware is the issue. This nuance helps a lot if you eventually have to go to the Genius Bar. You can tell them exactly which component is failing instead of just saying "it's broken."
The Software Glitch Reality
iOS 17 and iOS 18 brought a lot of features, but they also brought some weird audio driver bugs. Sometimes the software just loses track of the hardware.
Do a Force Restart. It’s different from just turning it off and on. Quickly press and release Volume Up. Quickly press and release Volume Down. Then, hold the Side Button until the Apple logo appears. Do not let go when the "Slide to power off" bar shows up. Keep holding. This clears the temporary cache and forces the hardware to re-initialize.
If that doesn't work, check for a carrier settings update. It sounds unrelated, but your carrier (Verizon, AT&T, etc.) pushes small updates that handle how the phone processes voice data during calls. Go to Settings > General > About. If an update is available, a prompt will appear within about 30 seconds.
Dealing with "Voice Isolation"
Apple introduced a feature called Voice Isolation that tries to scrub out background noise. It’s great if you’re at a construction site, but occasionally it gets too aggressive and thinks your actual voice is background noise.
During a call, swipe down the Control Center. Tap Mic Mode. If it’s set to "Voice Isolation," try switching it back to "Standard." Some users have reported that "Wide Spectrum" also helps if the person on the other end says you sound distant or choppy.
When to Admit It’s a Hardware Failure
If you’ve cleaned the ports, reset the settings, checked permissions, and the Voice Memos app still shows a flat line with no waveform, you might be looking at a physical disconnection.
This often happens because of "flex cable" issues. Inside the iPhone, the microphones are connected by thin, ribbon-like cables. A hard drop—even if the screen doesn't crack—can loosen these connectors. There’s also the "Audio IC" issue that plagued older models like the iPhone 7, though it's much rarer on the iPhone 13, 14, or 15. If your "Voice Memos" record button is greyed out and you can't even tap it, that's a dead giveaway that the phone can't talk to the audio chip at all.
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Check your warranty. Go to Settings > General > About > Coverage. If you have AppleCare+, a mic replacement is usually a quick, low-cost fix. If you're out of warranty, a reputable third-party shop can often solder a new charging port assembly (which includes the bottom mic) for way less than the cost of a new phone.
Actionable Next Steps
Start with the easiest fix and move toward the most complex. Don't jump to a factory reset immediately; that's just a headache you probably don't need.
- Remove the case and clean the bottom ports with a soft brush to rule out physical blockages.
- Perform a Force Restart (Volume Up, Volume Down, hold Side Button) to kill any hung background processes.
- Check Microphone Permissions in Settings to ensure the specific app you're using actually has the right to hear you.
- Test all three mics individually using Voice Memos and the Camera app to pinpoint the exact failure point.
- Turn off Bluetooth to ensure the phone isn't accidentally sending audio to a forgotten device.
If the hardware is truly dead, back up your iPhone to iCloud immediately. Audio issues can sometimes be a precursor to larger motherboard problems, and you don't want to lose your photos while trying to fix a microphone. Reach out to Apple Support or visit a certified technician if the software steps yield no results.