iPhone speaker cleaner
The mesh near the speaker on the bottom of the iPhone collects dirt from your pocket, causing the iPhone’s speaker to sound muffled. To clean the iPhone’s speaker, play the following cleaning tone.
Which speaker is blocked
The iPhone has two speakers and they can malfunction for various reasons.
The loudspeaker This speaker is on the right side of the charging slot. The holes on the left are for the microphone, not the speaker. The hole on the right is where you can listen to music. When you keep your mobile in your pocket, small dust particles or other types of dirt get into those holes and block the speaker space, making the music sound muffled. That’s why using our sound above removes dirt from your iPhone’s speaker.
The earpiece is the thin slot above the screen. Use the call speaker cleaner for that one. If callers sound distant but music is fine, that is the speaker to treat.
How to use the iPhone speaker cleaner
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Turn off the silent switch
Turn on the switch on the left side of the iPhone so that if your iPhone is on Do Not Disturb, it will go off. If the iPhone is on silent mode, the sound will be very low, so water or dirt will not come out of the iPhone’s speaker.
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Disconnect AirPods and Bluetooth
If your iPhone is connected to Airpods, disconnect it and also turn off Bluetooth by going to the Control settings on your iPhone.
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Take the case off
If your iPhone has a cover, remove it immediately because the cover blocks a small portion of the speaker, causing dust to accumulate in it.
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Raise the volume and play
While playing the tone, turn up the volume on your iPhone, then hold the iPhone speaker down towards the ground. This will immediately flush out any dirt in the speaker.
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Brush the grille, then repeat
Clean the speaker thoroughly with a soft bristle brush. Remember one thing: never put the brush inside the speaker. Just apply the brush on top and wipe the speaker with a soft cloth.
Notes for different iPhone models
The tool works the same on every iPhone, but a few details differ by generation.
iPhone 15 and later. The USB-C port sits between the speaker and microphone grilles. Everything on this page applies unchanged.
iPhone 11 through 14, including Pro and Pro Max. The ProMax model of the iPhone has the same design of the Lightning port and grille, but the speaker is slightly larger, making it more beneficial to carry a second cycle.
iPhone SE, 8 and older. The speaker grill in this model of iPhone is a bit small, so the speakers get blocked quickly. If you keep your iPhone in your pocket a lot, you should play a tone to remove dust from the speaker at least once a month.
Models with a silent switch. All models before the iPhone 15 Pro had a physical button on the left side from where you could directly silence the phone, but in all models after the iPhone 15 Pro, even after turning on the switch button, there are many settings that need to be made, only then does the iPhone completely exit silent mode.
What not to put in the grille
SIM pins and toothpicks
The mesh behind the grill is very fragile and once it breaks, you will have to spend a lot of money.
Alcohol or cleaning spray
Apple clearly states that no liquid should get inside the speaker. If a liquid gets inside the speaker, it can reach the speaker assembly directly, causing serious damage.
Compressed air
Apple has banned the use of compressed air on mobile phones because it can push dust particles further into the speaker.
Vacuum cleaners
A household vacuum has no useful seal against a phone grille and can generate static. It does nothing helpful here.
Apple sets out the same rules in its own guide, Cleaning your iPhone, which advises a soft lint-free cloth, warns against getting moisture into any opening, and tells you not to use compressed air.
If the sound does not come back
If the speaker does not sound right even after wiping it with a clean cloth and playing a tone, do not assume that the speaker is damaged. Instead, do the following:
Check the volume limit. Go to the iPhone settings and check if the sound settings are correct. Many times, the mobile is on Do Not Disturb mode and the music does not even sound, so check all that first.
Restart the phone. Sometimes, songs don’t play due to software problems, so try restarting your iPhone at least once.
Test in different apps. If one app is quiet but others are fine, the fault is in that app rather than the speaker.
Check for liquid. If the phone was recently wet, use the water eject tool before anything else.
Test each side on its own. Run the speaker test with Left only and Right only to see whether one side is weaker than the other.
If your speaker still doesn’t work after doing all the above, book an appointment with Apple’s authorized service center and show them the speaker, and they will replace it.
Other cleaners
Common questions
Does this work on every iPhone?
Yes, this works on all iPhone models, no need to download any extra application.
Why is there no sound on my iPhone?
First, turn off the physical button on the left side, this will turn off the iPhone’s silent mode. Similarly, if the iPhone is in focus mode, turn it off as well. When the tone is played, then press the volume up button to increase the volume.
Is my iPhone waterproof?
Recent iPhones carry an IP68 rating, which means they survived a controlled lab test when new. That seal weakens with age, drops and repairs, and Apple’s warranty does not cover liquid damage. Treat the rating as resistance, not immunity.
Which speaker does this clean?
By default, this works on the loud speaker located next to your iPhone’s charging port. If you want to clean the earpiece from which you hear the call sound, you will have to use Call Cleaner Tone.
Can I use a SIM pin or toothpick on the grille?
Do not do this at all because the grill inside the speaker is very delicate and if you put any object in it, it is likely to break.
My iPhone says liquid detected in the charging port.
If you see this message, keep your iPhone aside for a while in a well-ventilated place. Also, do not use a hair dryer. If the problem is not resolved, visit an official Apple service center.
Will this fix a speaker that stopped working completely?
Unlikely. Sound clears blockages, so it helps when audio is muffled or quiet. Silence usually points to a hardware fault or a software problem, and Apple support is the next step.