A lot of the day-to-day tasks on your iPad revolve around functional speakers. When your iPad speakers aren’t working, you can’t enjoy music, talk to someone on speaker during a FaceTime call, or hear the alerts you receive. This problem can be incredibly frustrating, but it can also be fixed. In this article, I’ll explain what to do if your iPad speaker sounds muffled!
Software Vs. Hardware Issues
A muffled iPad speaker can be the result of a software problem or a hardware problem. The software tells your iPad what sounds to play and when to play them. The hardware (the physical speakers) then plays the noise so you can hear it.
We can’t be sure what type of problem this is yet, so we’ll start with the software troubleshooting steps. If those steps don’t fix your iPad speaker, we’ll recommend a few great repair options!
Is Your iPad Set To Silent?
When your iPad is in silent mode, the speaker won’t make any noise when you receive a notification. To check, open Control Center and look for the silent mode icon — if it’s turned on, tap it to turn it off. You can also press and hold the Volume Down button to toggle silent mode.
Turn The Volume All The Way Up
If the volume on your iPad is low, it may sound like the speakers are muffled when you receive a FaceTime call or notification.
To turn up the volume on your iPad, unlock it and press the volume up button on the top or side of your iPad (location varies by model) until the volume is all the way up.
You can also adjust the volume on your iPad by going to Settings > Sounds and dragging the volume slider all the way to the right.
If you want to have the option to turn up the volume using the buttons on your iPad, make sure Change with Buttons is turned on under Settings > Sounds.
Take Off Your iPad Case
If you have a bulky case for your iPad, or if the case was put on upside down, it could make the speaker sound muffled. Try taking your iPad out of its case and playing a sound.
Clean Out Any Gunk From The Speaker
Your iPad speakers can quickly get filled with lint, dirt, or other debris, especially if it has been sitting in your bag all day. Try wiping off the speaker with a microfiber cloth. For more compacted gunk or debris, use an anti-static or an unused toothbrush to clean out your speaker.
Back Up Your iPad And Put It In Recovery Mode
Before you run to your local Apple Store to get a hardware repair done, let’s make sure we’re absolutely certain that the speaker is broken. A recovery mode restore is the last step you can take to completely rule out any type of software problem causing your iPad speaker to sound muffled.
First, backup your iPad. A recovery mode restore erases then reloads all the code on your iPad. You’ll want a recent iPad backup so you don’t lose your contacts, photos, messages, and more.
You can back up your iPad using Finder on a Mac, the Apple Devices app on a PC, or iCloud.
After you’ve backed up your iPad, put your iPad in recovery mode by connecting it to your computer and following recovery mode steps for your specific model.
Before checking if your speakers work, go through steps 1-4 again and then try to play music or use your speaker on a FaceTime call. If the speaker still sounds muffled, it’s time to look into repair options.
Repairing Your iPad Speaker
Apple offers repairs for iPad speakers. You can schedule an appointment at the Genius Bar or use their mail-in service by visiting their support center.
If you have an older iPad, you may want to consider upgrading to a new one instead of paying out of pocket to repair your old one. New iPads have better speaker systems that are great for listening to music or streaming videos.
Can You Hear Me Now?
Now that you’ve reached the end of the article, we’ve either solved your speaker problem or at least figured out that you need a repair. If your problem was fixed, let us know which step helped you figure it out — this might help others with the same problem. Regardless, if you have any other questions, leave them in the comments below!