The Real Reason Your FaceTime Calls Sound So Bad

FaceTime is a great way to stay connected. Whether you’re doing a virtual book club with your friends, catching up with family, or spending time with your long-distance partner, being able to see and hear the other person adds a layer of connection that voice calls on their own don’t achieve.

But if you use it regularly, you might notice that the sound quality over FaceTime sometimes isn’t all that great compared to voice calls. Is it a microphone issue, or planned obsolescence? And is the issue even on your end, or is the other party’s phone causing the problem? I was tired of having to shout and repeatedly ask my friend to speak up, so I looked into it.

What Microphones Are Involved?

Your iPhone has multiple microphones that it uses to pick up sounds in different modes. The exact locations will vary slightly depending on your specific model, but you can check the tech specs of your device on Apple’s website to see where exactly yours are.

Generally speaking, there are three microphones on your device. There’s always a microphone at the bottom of your phone that gets used during voice calls and most audio recording activities. A second one usually sits at the top of your phone, next to the front-facing camera and is used whenever the front camera is on and recording or broadcasting. And then there’s typically a third microphone on the back of your phone by the rear-facing camera. Like the second microphone, this one is on when the corresponding camera is recording or broadcasting. When you’re on FaceTime, you’re typically dealing with the second microphone.

Troubleshooting Your Sound Quality During FaceTime

Apple suggests that you begin your troubleshooting with a mic check. They recommend ensuring that nothing is blocking the microphones first before jumping into testing audio. For audio issues during FaceTime, Apple says to record a voice memo and play it back afterward to hear how clearly your voice comes through. If the issue is present when you’re on speakerphone as well, try recording a video with your front-facing camera as well. If you can hear yourself clearly in both, then the issue likely isn’t on your end.

Potential Fixes

Assuming your troubleshooting revealed that the problem is with one of your microphones, there are a couple of different settings you can toggle between to compensate. One option is to set your microphone to the Voice Isolation mode. This mode is available for both voice call and FaceTime; it prioritizes your voice over the background noise, helping you to sound clearer.

Another setting option is Wide Spectrum; rather than emphasizing your voice, it’s designed to catch all the sounds, giving a more natural listening experience. When I tested these different modes on a FaceTime call with a friend, we found that setting both of our microphones to Wide Spectrum solved the issue.

To toggle either of these settings on, you’ll need to be on call already. Swipe down to access the control center and you should see a bar at the top labeled “iPhone Controls”. Clicking on that should take you to a menu where you can select your microphone setting.

Sources

iPhone 16e Tech Specs, Apple, 2025.

If The Microphones on Your iPhone Aren’t Working, Apple.

Use Voice Isolation, Wide Spectrum, or Automatic Mic Mode on your iPhone and iPad, Apple.

Change FaceTime audio settings on iPhone, Apple.

The post The Real Reason Your FaceTime Calls Sound So Bad appeared first on Family Handyman.

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