Updated
Updated · MacRumors · Sep 29
iPhone 18 Pro Owners Report Speaker Crackling as iOS 27.0.1 Fails to Fix It
Updated
Updated · MacRumors · Sep 29

iPhone 18 Pro Owners Report Speaker Crackling as iOS 27.0.1 Fails to Fix It

3 articles · Updated · MacRumors · Sep 29

Summary

  • MacRumors forums and Reddit posts say some iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max units emit crackling, ticking, popping or random clicking, often from the earpiece speaker.
  • iOS 27.0.1, released a day earlier to fix Face ID-related restarts, did not mention audio problems and early user feedback says the update left the crackling unchanged.
  • Users report the sound appears during app use, web scrolling, notifications, keyboard pop-ups and cellular calls; some also trigger it by toggling Airplane Mode or rapidly changing brightness.
  • Replacement phones have sometimes shown the same behavior, suggesting the issue may be broader than isolated defective units while the cause remains unclear.

Insights

Why are some iPhone 18 Pro models making faint earpiece clicks during everyday taps, calls, and brightness changes—and why doesn’t iOS 27.0.1 fix it?
Could a subtle iPhone 18 Pro earpiece noise be an overlooked launch defect, and how should buyers decide whether to return, exchange, or wait?