Chosen Solution
My iPhone 4 suffered water damage where it sat in a puddle of rain water for an hour. I dried it thoroughly in rice for a week but when it was dry, the screen and loudspeaker had stopped working. I replaced both the screen (LCD + Digitizer) and replaced the entire dock port assembly (Port, ribbon connector, WiFi Antenna, Loud Speaker) and the screen now works, but the loud speaker still does not. The first time I turned it on, the loud speaker did make some distorted noise if I turned the volume up at least half way, but it has stopped making any sound since that initial time. So as it currently stands, I have EVERYTHING working except for the loud speaker. I tried taking it back apart to make sure the loud speaker is seated properly and that all the screws were tight and everything seems to be installed correctly. I just have no idea how to proceed further and am hoping some of you might have experience with a similar problem. So here are the facts: -The phone is absolutely dry. that whole rain thing happened about a month ago and I checked everything when it was apart and there is no moisture in the phone. -The two connector plates that the loud speaker terminals rest on to make a connection seem to have voltage across them if I touch a volt meter to them when music is playing. EDIT: The voltage here seems quite low compared to measuring the voltage that comes across the headphone jack when outputting to headphones. -I’ve checked the headphone jack and proximity sensor to make sure they are both functioning properly and they seem ok. How should I proceed from here? are there further things I can do to troubleshoot this? Is it possible that another part on the phone needs to be replaced other than the loud speaker (which I already tried replacing) Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for your time! Update: I have discovered that if I turn the volume up ALL the way and press the phones speaker into my ear and sit in a quiet room I can hear the sound of the phone… BARELY… like, its so faint that you would never know sound was coming out of it.. I hope this information helps in some way. Update 2: I took my loudspeaker out and plugged a headphone cord into the headphone jack and touched the loud speakers leads to the other end of the cord and it produced wonderful sound that way, so its not the loudspeaker. Thanks everyone!
I have a nearly identical problem with my 3GS. I also had water damage. I also replaced the LCD and the dock port (with integrated speakers). Everything is back, except the speakers. As a side note, I can live without playing music/video on the speakers. However, I cannot deal with a phone that doesn’t ring. I am grateful to have the vibrate function working. I’m not sure if the original problem description mentions this but on my unit, ALL sound is operable via the headphones. So, since the sound is being processed and the speakers are new, I have to assume that the problem lies somewhere between the sound processor and the speakers themselves. It could be a connection. That will just take some cleaning to determine. But I think it must be something to do with the amplification of the signal. Can anyone identify the circuitry and components of the iPhone between the signal processor and the speakers? I suspect the amplifier is fried, but I just don’t know where to start if I want to replace that. Thanks in advance to any brilliant minds…. JK
I would put the logicboard in IPA, chances are the contact is dirty, IPA is not conductive and removes corrosion
I just thought of something. When the headphones are plugged into the jack, the speakers are disabled. If there is a short somewhere in that jack… well that could disable the speakers. I’ll try to remove and replace my headphone jack with another unit and will see if that has any effect. Fingers are crossed! JK
We’re in the same boat, Blake. I bought a new headphone jack assembly ($12) on eBay. When it arrives and I install it, I’ll report back. I expect this will be my “dead end”.
I had the same speaker issues after my IPhone 4 took a bath in my sink. I noticed that when using the volume switches the OSD told me it is adjusting headphone levels, when no headphones were plugged in. Airplay aswell showed headphones when there were none plugged. I could do calls with headset but no sound came through phonespeaker and loudspeaker. I assumed that “something” in the headphone jack “told” the phone there was a headset present when it wasn’t. So I did a “deepclean” of the jack with tissues, toothpick, airblower and hairdryer and you know what: it came back to life! yours @haeckmac
When I adjust volume levels on my 3GS, it does not say “(headphones)” when no headphones were plugged in. It says “(ringer)”. I tried cleaning the jack as you did, haeckmac, but no change. The speakers are still dead. And yes, these speakers are newly removed and replaced, but they still do not work. Thank you for the post/info. I’m glad you got yours back. I am still waiting for my new headphone jack assembly to arrive. Will report back when installed. I’m not as hopeful after reading your experience, however.
Hi I am a newbie here so hopefully I’m not teaching you guys to suck eggs ! I remember having some sound issues with my iphone 4 under an earlier software version. Sometimes there would intermittently be no sound. I noticed that when I pressed the volume up/down buttons the ringer icon appeared on screen with (headphones) as if the phone thought headphones were connected. I used to “confuse” the phone into working again by pressing the volume buttons and plugging in/out the heaphones until came back. Give it a try it might work.
There is pin size hole on top of the phone next to the head phone jack blow some air in there and if that doesnt work replace the head phone jack assembly. I just had the same problem with when you can barely hear thru the loud speaker
So it’s 5 months later now, did the suggestion of michael work? I am eager to know how this story ended! ;)
Okay, I don’t know if this is going to help or hinder but I just had to replace the charging port assembly (iPhone 3G) and after re-assembling everything worked except the loudspeaker, hence me reading this in the hope of an answer. I plugged headphones in and I could listen to the iPOD but still the speaker did not work. I tried ringing the phone but loudspeaker still did not work. Then I attached headphones and browsed throgh settings to where you change ringtones and selected a different ringtone. I could hear the ringtone through the headphones but also through the loudspeaker?!?. I took out the headphones and the speaker continued to work, then I re-insterted headphones and the loudspeaker stopped while the headphones played the sound. Now, for some unknown reason, the loudspeaker works fine!?!?!? (don’t ask me, because I don’t know).
Hi Blake, did you ever solved this problem? I have the same problem with my iPhone 4 but without water damage. Any feedback would be great. :) Regards
Did anyone manage to solve this. I have exact same issue :-(
