The iPhone XS and XS Max have been out less than a month, and we’ve already seen several serious problems with them, like the charging issue caused by iOS 12 and the LTE problems. Now we are hearing about a new problem with the earpiece speaker on the iPhone XS and XS Max. Perhaps we should call it SpeakerGate?
iPhone XS and XS Max earpiece speaker goes out
We’re starting to see quite a few complaints about the earpiece speaker on Twitter, Reddit and other public social forums. There’s also a thread about the issue on Apple’s forums. Users are complaining that the earpiece speaker suddenly cuts out and goes silent.
We want to make sure that your new iPhone XS Max is working properly and would like to take a closer look at what's happening. To make sure we understand, the issue is with the iPhone receiver, correct, you're not able to hear while on calls?
— Apple Support (@AppleSupport) October 3, 2018
The issue seems to be affecting the iPhone XS and XS Max equally, and some users say it only happens when they’re listening to music or watching videos but not during phone calls. Those who have experienced the problem are able to correct it with a hard reboot by pushing the volume up and down buttons and holding the power button until it reboots. However, the issue recurs later on most affected handsets, requiring another hard reboot.
No fix for the iPhone XS and XS Max in sight yet
The problem with the earpiece speaker is proving to be quite annoying for those who use their iPhone to listen to music or watch videos often. Experts believe the issue to be a software one rather than the hardware, although we aren’t seeing many complaints about it happening on older iPhone models.
Unfortunately it doesn’t sound like there will be a permanent fix for the problem with the earpiece speaker on the iPhone XS and XS Max any time soon. Developers are currently beta-testing iOS 12.1, and many have confirmed that the build will fix the charging issue most iPhone users are experiencing. However, they also say the problem with the earpiece speaker continues in the iOS 12.1 beta, so there’s no telling how long it will be before Apple rolls out a permanent fix.
