Tips and tricks for cleaning, iPhone speakers and earpieces
Loading reactions…
Alicia Krage
Yes I did know this. Back when I had the iPhone 11, I had to clean it once a month sometimes more because I couldn't hear out of it. I got it professionally cleaned at the Apple Store, but unfortunately that didn't help. I ended up getting a new phone because there was damage to the speaker and they couldn't fix it properly. The damage was from using Clorox wipes on the phone screen, which I was told you could do. Spoiler alert: you can't. Anyway, that's my saga lol. Yes I knew that, but if you have to do that regularly there's something wrong with the phone.
Gordon
fortunately with the new iPhone design that they started with the iPhone 12 the speakers don't get clogged as much as they used to. I know that when I had my iPhone XR I was constantly having to clean out that earpiece speaker. so I would get my finger damp with water and let a little bit drip down inside of the earpiece speaker, then I would use the Speaker Cleaner app to clean it out in the same way that you would do with an Apple Watch.
Loading reactions…
Gordon
The Speaker Cleaner app plays a series of tones to expel the water by vibrating the speaker in the same way that it does with the Apple Watch. But since I got the iPhone 13, the 16 and now the 17 I have never had to clean out any of my speaker grills. It is OK to gently wipe down your iPhones surface with Clorox wipes, but gently wiping, no scrubbing and you don't want to let anything get down the side of the speaker grills. So you would want to have your phone faced down, powered off and not plugged in if you are going to wipe it down. But a slightly damp cloth will work as well, but you always wanna gently wipe instead of hard scrubbing.
Loading reactions…
Gordon
Touching another person's phone is one of the most disgusting things you can do. A lot of bacteria exists on people's phones because we're always touching them no matter what we're doing. So I do sometimes use Clorox wipes just to kill every day bacteria. I'm not sure exactly what they use in the phone stores when the workers have to handle customers phones because that would be absolutely disgusting doing that all day.
Loading reactions…
Lemuria
Loading reactions…
Maria
Loading reactions…
Gordon
Yes, there's all kinds of things that can get down inside the speaker grill. Especially for the ladies out there who might use hairspray and different things like that and then having the phone up to your ear. But you also get dust and lint from having the phone in your pocket. Everything passed the 12 it's a little more difficult because the speaker grill is right up at the top of the phone. But the 10 hours and all those other phones had the earpiece speaker a little way down on the screen.
Loading reactions…
Alicia Krage
Yeah I noticed it since the iPhone 15 that they reposition the speaker grill so it's harder to get stuff inside of it. And with the phone case I use it's completely covered
Loading reactions…
Gordon
Yes, I really hope they hold onto this design for a good while because they finally get it right. I had my iPhone 13 for almost 3 years and the speakers never had to be cleaned out, then I had the 16 for a year and I've had my 17 for almost a year in September. Phones prior to the 13 always seem to have speaker issues. The worst of them was the SE 2020 where the speaker would crackle and just stop working completely. I'm talking about the earpiece speaker.
Loading reactions…
Maria
Loading reactions…
Alicia Krage
Loading reactions…
Maria
Loading reactions…
Gordon
The newer phones including the 13 are made to handle a little water. It probably would be a good idea to install and use the Speaker Cleaner app if you get watered down inside of your speakers because it vibrates and makes the water come out in the same way that Apple Watch does. I'm not sure why Apple hasn't created their own Speaker Cleaner app for the iPhone because they do have it with the Apple Watch which is made to go underwater.
Loading reactions…
Maria
Loading reactions…
Loading reactions…