Several users have said that their external microphone is not working properly on the iPhone 16. You may experience the following problems when you are having external microphone issues:
- Your external microphone isn’t detected
- Others cannot hear you
The new audio experience on iPhone 16 Pro wouldn’t be possible without the quad microphones Apple added this year, and while the vanilla iPhone 16 has the same Audio Mix feature set as the pro model, it’s the 16 Pro that captures the best, most balanced, and most “spatial” audio between the two.
YouTubers who make videos for a living are already enjoying the fruit of Apple’s labor for their content creation, and the consensus seems to be that you can genuinely use just the iPhone 16 Pro to record podcasts, YouTube videos, voiceovers, and even music samples.
Now, this doesn’t mean the iPhone 16 Pro is perfect when it comes to capturing pro-grade audio.
You may want to use an external microphone on an iPhone 16 for various reasons. For example, external microphones can be better than your device’s internal mic. This is why a lot of users have external mics because an external mic may offer better sound quality.
In this article, I will show how you can troubleshoot and resolve the iPhone 16 external microphone issues.
Before you do anything, update to the latest version of iOS. You can update your iPhone by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
Check to see if the microphone is working
You may be having a hardware problem. It is possible that your external microphone is disconnected, broken, or not working. Here is how you can test your mic:
- On your iPhone 16, launch the Voice Memos app.
- Click the red Recording button.
- Speak at the microphone to see the sound level indicator.
- You can figure out if your mic is sending audio input.
If you suspect that your external microphone is not sending audio input, please try the followings:
- Ensure that it’s securely and correctly connected to your iPhone 16.
- Even if the connection looks secure, disconnect it and then plug it back in.
- If this is a Bluetooth microphone, turn on Airplane Mode, wait 10 seconds and turn it off. Please also see this article on Bluetooth problems.
- Unpair the microphone by going to Settings > Bluetooth > [tap the (i) info icon] > Forget this Device. Then pair again by going to Settings > Bluetooth.
If you are still having issues:
- Does your microphone have a Mute button? Ensure that this button is not active.
- Check the mic cable for damage.
- Use a flashlight and take a look at the port of your iPhone, if you see any debris, dust, lint, or dirt, get a toothbrush (or a toothpick) and GENTLY try to clean the port.
- Contact its manufacturer for further help.
Restart
Restart your iPhone and then test your microphone. Here is how you can restart your iPhone:
- Press and hold the volume up (or down) button and the side button together until the power off slider appears.
- Drag the slider from left to right to turn your device off.
- Wait for your device to shut off fully.
- Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.
Third-party apps
Is your external microphone working as expected except when using certain apps? If you have microphone problems using third-party apps such as Skype, Zoom, you may need to give your apps permission to use it. For example, others may not hear you on Skype, Zoom, or Whatsapp calls. Or, sometimes, the external microphone may not work when you create a live stream on Facebook. You can use Facebook Live to broadcast from your iPhone 16 so that you can engage with your audiences in real-time.
To let apps access the microphone, on your iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone. And ensure that the app is turned on.
You may also want to restart the app and update the app. Here is how:
Restart the app:
- Open the most recently used apps screen by swiping up from the bottom of the screen.
- Find the app, you may swipe left or right.
- Swipe upward quickly on the app’s icon to close it.
- Now open the app again and test your microphone again.
Update the app:
On your iPhone, launch the App Store app and then tap your profile icon, you will see all pending updates. Then you can only update that app, or tap Update All.
A workaround
If you are still having this problem too, please try the following workaround, if you are having this problem only with a specific app:
- Unplug your mic. Make sure it is disconnected.
- Open the app first, start your activity that requires the mic. For example, if this is the FaceBook app, start the Facebook Live video.
- Then connect your mic. It may work now.
And lastly, you may also want to contact the app’s developer for further help.