Your iPhone’s Earpiece Isn’t Working
If you spend too much time saying hello with no reply when you get a phone call, the fault could like with your earpiece speaker.
If you can’t hear anything from your iPhone’s earpiece, you can try to fix it yourself, but start by making sure that’s actually the problem. Try making a call to two or more people to determine what you can hear. If you can’t hear them through the earpiece but you can hear them fine when using a wired/wireless headset or the speakerphone, then the problem is definitely the earpiece receiver.
Also be sure to check your sound settings and confirm that the volume is turned up; keep in mind that the iPhone’s earpiece volume is controlled independently of the speakerphone and headset volume, so it’s possible for one to be turned down even though the others are up. Press the volume up button several while on a normal phone call using the earpiece to ensure that it’s turned all the way up.
Also, make sure you don’t have your AirPods or any other Bluetooth device connected. It might sound a bit silly, but it happens.
If the volume is up and you still can’t hear people on the other end of your phone calls through the receiver, then you can try cleaning that spot to see if that does the trick. Avoid using any solvents or strong cleaning solutions in that area, however, as you can cause more damage. A damp cloth with water should be all that’s needed.
If that doesn’t solve it, you might want to talk to Apple and see if tech support can fix it or replace it. Apple technicians have special tools and techniques to clean the earpiece speaker properly, so if it’s simply a problem with dirt your local Apple Store Genius will likely be able clear it up in only a few minutes.
If you have an iPhone 12, Apple might be able to fix your iPhone for free. Some iPhone 12 models are having sound problems, and it’s a factory issue. Check the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro Service Program, make sure you meet the requirements, and talk to Apple.