How to Fix Echo on Facetime on Your iPhone

Evan Gower February 6, 2020

Ever since the advent of social networks, people around the world have found different ways to communicate. These include face-to-face video calls that were initially only available on services such as Skype. But in 2010, during the unveiling of the iPhone 4, Apple announced something new.

How to Fix Echo on Facetime on Your iPhone

FaceTime. An application that allowed you to swap from an audio-only call to a video call. And even though many similar services have since been released, FaceTime remains the most popular option with iPhone users.

Dust and Echoes

However, FaceTime wasn’t without issues. In the decade since its release, it has encountered many bugs and problems. Most of which have been addressed by Apple, either through updates or simple setting changes. One of the most prevalent problems that’s not entirely software-based is the presence of an echo during calls.

What is an echo? Put simply, it’s a problem that occurs when an iPhone user can hear their own voice while talking to someone else. We’ve all seen it happen before, if not on FaceTime then on similar apps. There are some general tips you should know in order to fix an echo during your FaceTime calls. Check them out in our guide below.

Handy Tips and Tricks

The first thing to check is your volume levels. An echo is present whenever the iPhone’s microphone picks up sound over a certain threshold. Often, especially in areas with a lot of background noise, it will end up picking up more than just your voice. The easiest solution is to simply lower your volume. Specifically, to a level that will still allow you and the person you’re communicating to hear each other, but not high enough to cause the echo itself.

Tap on the speaker icon to turn it on then tap it once more to turn it off again. There might also be some dust build-up near your microphone or speaker, so cleaning that with a cotton swab or tissue may help resolve the problem too.

Check your headset too. If you can, hang up the call, disconnect your headphones and then reconnect them. It’s just as easy as the speaker step but just as effective. In the case that the echo is still present, don’t worry, there are more things you can do.

Restarting your phone is a good next step, which may likely resolve any sound issues you might be encountering, especially if the echo during FaceTime calls isn’t the only one. To restart your phone, all you need to do is hold down the lock button for a few seconds, then swipe the option slider to the right to turn off the phone. Give it a few seconds when its off, then turn it back on again. When it’s restored, try another call and see if the FaceTime echo persists this time around.

If the echo is still there, then the cause of the issue may lie with your connection.

Network Problems

Firstly, you should check if you’re on Wi-Fi or if you’re using mobile data, as either of them might be experiencing echo issues. For instance, if you’re currently connected to a Wi-Fi network that might be overloaded or suffering from poor performance, it might be prudent to try and reconnect to it.

To be safe, turn off your Wi-Fi completely, turn it back on, then locate the network and try to connect again. If you’re at home and are connected to your own router, it’s a good idea to turn it off, leave it for a few minutes, then turn it back on again. Although simple, these restarts tend to fix this sort of issue in most cases. If it doesn’t, you could try and test FaceTime once again after you switch to mobile data to see if the connection is more stable there.

On the other hand, if you’re using cellular data, then the connection issue might stem from your carrier. If restarting the phone and turning data off and back on again doesn’t help, then do the opposite from the previous step. Namely, turn your data off, connect to a Wi-Fi network, and attempt to FaceTime.

If the problem still isn’t fixed, then there’s only a few possibilities left.

The echo might not be caused by you, but rather the person you’re FaceTiming. As unlikely as this sounds, having the person you’re communicating with attempt the previous tips in this guide may well solve the problem.

Software/Hardware Woes

If none of these tips works for you, you’ve probably got a software or hardware problem, neither of which can be directly solved without Apple’s assistance.

When it comes to software issues, there have been reports over the years by many users of iPhones of various models that an iOS system update, even a small one, may have caused the echo and other sound issues during FaceTime. In these situations, users themselves don’t have much choice except to report the issue to Apple, either by contacting customer service or making threads on their support forums.

Alternatively, if there have been no recent reports of an update related to FaceTime, there may well be a hardware issue with your phone. In this case, it’s usually the microphone or headset you’re using that’s causing the issue, or perhaps another internal malfunction that’s not visible to the average user. This is your last resort. If none of the other solutions you’ve tried has worked, then your best bet is to take your phone to the nearest service shop. With any luck, your phone will be returned to you quickly, so that you can get back to FaceTiming properly!

Got Tips to Share?

And that concludes our basic guide for removing the echo on your iPhone device! If you’ve encountered the same problem in the past and solved it via one of these steps or perhaps one we’ve not mentioned, do share your experiences in the comments section below!