Videos play loudly, ringtones are fine, but on a call you have to press the phone into your ear to hear anyone. That points to the earpiece, the small speaker at the top of the screen used for calls. It is a separate part from the main speaker, and it gets blocked more easily.
Confirm it is the earpiece
- Call a friend, or your voicemail.
- Listen normally, then tap the Speaker button.
If the caller is clear on speakerphone but faint at your ear, the earpiece is the problem. If both are bad, the cause is the network or the other person's phone.
1. Raise the call volume
Call volume is a separate setting from media and ringtone volume, and it can only be changed during a call. While on a call, press the volume-up button several times. Many people have simply never turned it up.
2. Check the screen protector and case
This is the most common physical cause. A glass screen protector that sits slightly too high, or has no cut-out, covers the earpiece slot. So does a case with a thick top lip. Remove both and test a call. If that fixes it, fit a protector with a proper earpiece cut-out.
On a new phone, check for a thin factory film still stuck over the earpiece.
3. Clean the slot
The earpiece presses against your face all day and collects skin oil, make-up, earwax and dust. The slot is narrow, so it clogs quickly.
- Switch the phone off.
- Brush gently across the slot with a clean, dry, soft-bristled brush.
- Press a small piece of adhesive putty lightly against the slot and lift it straight off to pull out lint. Do not push it in.
- Wipe the area with a microfibre cloth.
Never use a pin or needle. The mesh is thin and there is a sensor cluster right beside it. The full method is in cleaning speaker dust.
4. Clear water or fine dust with sound
If the phone got wet, or brushing did not help, use sound. The earpiece cannot reproduce the low tone used for the main speaker, so use a high one:
- Open the water eject tool and choose Ultra mode.
- Turn the volume up fully.
- Hold the phone with the top edge pointing down, away from your ear.
- Run it for 60 seconds, then test a call.
On phones with stereo speakers, the Standard mode also drives the earpiece to some extent, so it is worth one run of that as well.
5. Check the settings
- Bluetooth: turn it off. The call may be going to a watch, earbuds or the car.
- iPhone: in Settings, Accessibility, Audio & Visual, make sure the balance slider is centred, and try turning Phone Noise Cancellation off if your model shows it. During a call, open Control Centre and check that Mic Mode is set to Standard.
- Android: look in the Phone app's settings and in Sounds for call options such as "Adapt sound", "Clear voice" or hearing aid compatibility, and try toggling them.
- Restart the phone, and install any pending update.
6. Rule out the network
Poor signal produces thin, quiet audio. Try a call over Wi-Fi calling or through an app such as WhatsApp. If app calls are clear and normal calls are not, the problem is the mobile network and not your phone.
When it needs repair
If the earpiece is still faint after cleaning, the Ultra tone and a restart, or it buzzes and crackles on every call, the part has probably failed. The earpiece is a small module and one of the cheaper repairs. Until then, speakerphone or earphones will get you through.