iPhone 18 Pro Users Report Speaker Popping After iOS 27.0.1 Update

Q: Why does replacing your brand-new iPhone 18 Pro fail to stop the bizarre popping sounds during everyday tasks?

Replacing the phone may not help because the popping appears to be a broader iPhone 18 Pro/Pro Max issue, not just a defect in one handset. Users have reported the same crackling, clicking, or brief “pop” on both original and replacement devices, which points away from a one-off bad unit. The evidence so far suggests two plausible explanations: a software bug affecting certain Pro models, or a hardware/design issue shared across a batch of units. Reports say the sound can be triggered during routine system actions such as switching apps, receiving notifications, opening the keyboard, toggling Airplane Mode, changing brightness, and making calls. That pattern makes a software or system-level audio behavior look plausible. At the same time, many users believe the sound is coming from the earpiece speaker, and iOS 27.0.1 did not fix it for some affected owners. That weakens the idea that a quick software patch has already solved it, but it still does not prove a single-device hardware failure. If the same flaw exists across multiple units, an exchange would simply produce another phone with the same behavior. Apple has not publicly confirmed the cause. Mashable noted that several of its reporters using the new Pro models have not experienced the issue, suggesting it may affect only some units rather than the entire lineup. Until Apple identifies whether the source is software, firmware, or shared hardware, replacement alone is not a reliable fix.

3 articles · Updated · Mashable · Oct 1

Reddit and Apple forum users say some iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max units emit crackling or popping sounds during music playback, app switching and notifications.
Several complaints point to the earpiece speaker, and at least one user said swapping the phone for a replacement did not remove the problem.
An Apple Store employee reportedly told one customer the issue was likely software-related, but users posting after iOS 27.0.1 said the update did not fix it.
Apple had not responded to Mashable's request for comment, while the outlet said its own reporters using the new Pro models had not encountered the audio issue.