If you just picked up a new smartphone from Apple, you might hear some weird noises. Several buyers are sharing reports across online forums about a strange crackling sound coming directly from the earpiece speaker. The problem seems to affect both the iPhone 18 Pro and its larger Max version, leaving early buyers looking for answers about what is going on with their hardware.
Software updates fail to fix the ongoing audio playback glitch
Some people hear a faint tick or a popping sound constantly, while others only catch it during certain actions. The noise often pops up when making a regular cellular phone call, scrolling down websites, or typing on the keyboard. A few owners even figured out that switching Airplane Mode on and off, or quickly changing the screen brightness, can force the sound to happen.
The company rolled out a quick patch to address other early launch bugs, but the recent release of iOS 27.0.1 does not include a fix for this speaker trouble. Early feedback confirms the newest system update does nothing to stop the random ticking.
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Nobody knows if this is a hardware defect or a stubborn software flaw. A handful of buyers took their phones back to the store, only to find that their fresh replacement units had the same clicking issue. For now, affected users will just have to hold out and see if a future software update can silence the speakers for good.
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