How to Fix Static, Crackling, and Poor Call Quality on Your Phone
Published 2026-10-16 · Marion Phone Repair
Your phone calls sound terrible — static, crackling, the other person sounds like they are underwater or in a tunnel, their voice cuts in and out, or they tell you that you sound bad on their end. Poor call quality has different causes depending on whether the problem is on your end, the other person's end, or in the network between you. Here is how to diagnose and fix it.
Determine where the problem is
Before troubleshooting your phone, figure out whether the issue is actually your phone:
- Call a different person. If calls to everyone sound bad, the problem is on your end (your phone or your carrier signal). If only calls to one specific person sound bad, the problem is likely on their end or in the connection between your carriers
- Ask the other person. Can they hear you clearly while you hear static? Or do you both hear problems? If they hear you fine but you hear static, the issue is with your phone's earpiece speaker or audio processing. If you hear them fine but they hear static from you, the issue is with your microphone
- Try a different calling method. Make a call over Wi-Fi (if your phone and carrier support Wi-Fi calling), use speakerphone, or try a VoIP call (FaceTime Audio, WhatsApp call, Google Meet). If the problem only exists on regular cellular calls, it points to a network or carrier issue. If it exists across all call types, it points to your phone's hardware
Network and signal fixes
Check your signal strength
Poor cellular signal is the most common cause of bad call quality. When signal is weak, the phone compresses audio more aggressively to maintain the connection, which makes voices sound robotic, choppy, or muffled. Check the signal bars in the status bar — one or two bars often means marginal call quality.
Move to a location with better signal. Near a window, outside, or in a higher floor of a building usually has stronger signal. Thick walls, metal structures, basements, and rural areas with few cell towers all reduce signal strength.
Toggle airplane mode
Turn on airplane mode, wait 10 seconds, then turn it off. This forces the phone to disconnect from the cellular network and reconnect fresh, often picking up a better tower or a less congested frequency band. This fixes a surprising number of call quality issues because phones sometimes hold onto a weak tower connection instead of switching to a closer one.
Enable Wi-Fi calling
If your cellular signal is weak but your Wi-Fi is strong, Wi-Fi calling routes your phone calls through your internet connection instead of the cell tower. The call quality is often excellent because Wi-Fi typically has much more bandwidth than a marginal cellular connection:
- iPhone: Settings, Cellular, Wi-Fi Calling, turn on Wi-Fi Calling on This iPhone
- Android: Settings, Network and Internet (or Connections), Wi-Fi Calling, turn it on. The exact path varies by manufacturer
Not all carriers and plans support Wi-Fi calling. If the option does not appear in your settings, your carrier may not offer it or it may not be enabled on your account.
Check for HD Voice or VoLTE
HD Voice (also called VoLTE — Voice over LTE) uses a wideband audio codec that sounds dramatically better than standard cellular voice. If HD Voice is disabled or not available, calls use the older narrowband codec that compresses audio heavily and sounds noticeably worse:
- iPhone: Settings, Cellular, Cellular Data Options, Voice and Data — make sure LTE or 5G is selected (not 3G)
- Android: Settings, Network and Internet, Mobile Network, Preferred Network Type — select LTE or 5G. Also look for a VoLTE or HD Voice toggle and make sure it is on
HD Voice only works when both callers have it enabled and both carriers support it. Calls to landlines or older phones that do not support VoLTE will use the standard codec regardless of your settings.
Phone hardware fixes
Clean the earpiece speaker and microphone
The earpiece speaker (the small slit at the top of the phone) and the microphone (usually at the bottom next to the charging port) accumulate dust, lint, and debris over time. Even a small amount of debris covering the microphone opening can cause muffled or scratchy audio for the person you are calling.
- Use a soft-bristled brush (a clean toothbrush works) to gently brush across the earpiece and microphone openings
- Use compressed air in short bursts at an angle — do not blast directly into the openings at full pressure
- For stubborn debris, a wooden or plastic toothpick can carefully dislodge material stuck in the speaker or mic grille. Do not use metal — it can damage the mesh or the components behind it
Remove your phone case
Some phone cases partially cover or muffle the earpiece speaker, microphone, or both. This is especially common with thick rugged cases or cases that have a flip cover. Remove the case and make a test call to see if quality improves.
Check for moisture
If the phone was recently exposed to water, moisture, or high humidity, water in the earpiece speaker or microphone causes muffled, distorted, or crackling audio. The phone may need time to dry completely. Some phones have a water ejection feature (on iPhone, certain Shortcut actions can play tones that help push water out of the speakers).
Test with headphones or Bluetooth
Make a call using wired headphones with a microphone or a Bluetooth headset. If call quality is fine with external audio devices but poor with the phone's built-in speaker and mic, the phone's speaker or microphone hardware may be damaged or obstructed and needs repair.
Software fixes
Restart the phone
A full restart clears audio processing states and resets the modem firmware. This fixes software-related call quality issues that accumulate over time, especially on phones that have not been restarted in weeks.
Check for software updates
Carrier and system updates frequently include fixes for call quality issues. Modem firmware (the software that manages cellular connectivity) is updated through system updates and directly affects call quality. Check Settings, General, Software Update (iPhone) or Settings, System, Software Update (Android).
Reset network settings
If nothing else has worked, resetting network settings restores all cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth configuration to factory defaults. This can fix persistent call quality issues caused by corrupted network settings:
- iPhone: Settings, General, Transfer or Reset iPhone, Reset, Reset Network Settings
- Android: Settings, System, Reset Options, Reset Wi-Fi, Mobile, and Bluetooth
This erases saved Wi-Fi passwords, Bluetooth pairings, and VPN settings — you will need to reconnect to Wi-Fi networks and re-pair Bluetooth devices.
When to contact your carrier
If call quality is consistently poor at a specific location (your home, your workplace) regardless of what you try, the issue may be a weak tower, a congested tower, or a coverage gap. Contact your carrier and report the specific location and symptoms. Carriers can check tower status and may offer solutions like a signal booster or femtocell (a small device that creates a mini cell tower using your internet connection).
Call quality help in Marion
If your phone calls consistently sound bad and troubleshooting has not fixed it, Marion Phone Repair can test your phone's earpiece speaker, microphone, and cellular antenna to determine whether the problem is hardware (a failing speaker or mic that needs replacement) or a network configuration issue.