Apple Confirms a Fix is Coming for Static Noise Problem Affecting iPhone 8 Earpiece

Apple is working on a fix for an issue causing some iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus owners to hear intermittent crackling noises when using the device for phone calls, the company told The Verge in a statement this afternoon.

"We are aware of the issue which is affecting customers in a small number of cases," said an Apple spokesperson. "Our team is at work on a fix, which will be included in an upcoming software release."

iphone8golddesignfront
Many MacRumors readers began noticing the static noise shortly after the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus became available last Friday. It is described as a "very annoying" crackling sound that can be heard from the earpiece of the device during both standard calls and FaceTime calls.

The noise issue can be bypassed by using headphones or the speaker phone option on an affected device, suggesting the issue lies in the software rather than the hardware. MacRumors forum member Jgpsolo describes the problem:

It is a high-pitched crackle like an audio pop that happens in the earpiece top speaker intermittently during calls. Some calls are fine and others crackle. It is not audible on earphones or on speakerphone, only through the earpiece. The caller on the other end doesn't hear it.

Changing cellular settings like WiFi calling or Voice Over LTE does not seem to improve the problem, and resetting a device also does not appear to offer a reliable fix.

It's not clear when Apple will release another update to fix the issue, as no specific time was provided by the company. Apple's first iOS 11 update came out this morning, addressing an Exchange email bug that prevented many users from sending mail from Outlook, Office 365, and Exchange Server email accounts.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
iphone air concept weis

iPhone 17 Air Could Look Like This in Real Life

Friday February 14, 2025 3:41 am PST by
There have been several alleged leaked details of the iPhone 17 Air, Apple's rumored new slim iPhone, but images have been limited to grainy shots taken in component factories. However, this hyper-realistic concept created by WEIS Studio gives us the best idea yet of what Apple's thin device might actually look like. The concept design is inspired by recent leaks indicating that the device...
Apple Maps 2024

Apple Maps Might Start Showing Ads

Sunday February 16, 2025 7:22 am PST by
Apple is "exploring" the idea of showing search ads in the Apple Maps app, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Back in 2022, Gurman said software engineering was "already underway" to display ads in the Apple Maps app, but Apple did not move forward with the idea at the time. Today, he said Apple is "giving this notion more thought" again. This time around, he said Apple has yet to...
m2 pro mac mini

Apple is Now Selling a Refurbished Mac Mini for Just $319 (!)

Saturday February 15, 2025 9:58 am PST by
A few days ago, we reported that Apple's refurbished Mac mini pricing had a problem, and it appears that Apple has taken note. Apple was offering a refurbished Mac mini with the M2 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $559, which was $50 more than a refurbished Mac mini with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. All other key specifications were equal. That's no longer...
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
Tim Cook Apple Park

10+ Announcements Apple Could Have Rolled Into a February Event

Saturday February 15, 2025 8:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have enough upcoming product announcements to justify a full event this month, yet all signs indicate these reveals will be handled through a series of press releases instead. There are a multitude of rumors from reliable sources about specific announcements in the coming weeks, so here's everything that Apple could have feasibly included in a hypothetical February event: ...

Top Rated Comments

mcfrazieriv Avatar
97 months ago
The level of sloppiness at the company recently is mindblowing.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jimmy James Avatar
97 months ago
iStatic. It's a magical feature that provides calming white noise.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Derek21023 Avatar
97 months ago
Damn lots of anger towards Apple. This happens with any product and early adoption, cars even. And they cost more than a phone.

And iOS 11 buggiest ever? Things get fixed and sorted out.
Don't let Apple slide on this. They are a premium company and consumers expect a premium experience. Their quality control has gotten worse over the years.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GIZBUG Avatar
97 months ago
Who's in charge of quality control at apple? Damn! IOS 11 is a mess, now issues with iPhone 8....
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Superhappytree Avatar
97 months ago
Damn lots of anger towards Apple. This happens with any product and early adoption, cars even. And they cost more than a phone.

And iOS 11 buggiest ever? Things get fixed and sorted out.
Nope. They deserve the anger this time. Apple doesn’t deserve to be excused at all for piss poor software. This whole “it will be fixed in a future update months from now so quit complaining!” mentaility from people is the problem. If we say nothing and just clap at everything they do then expect nothing to change. My iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 didn’t lag, jitter, stutter and have UI inconsistencies and glitches when I first used them out of the box. My iPhone 8 Plus however does. And this is supposed to have the fastest processor with the highest of highest Geekbench scores. Proof that they’re slacking in the software in terms of polish, UI, and bugs and they have been ever since they redesigned iOS with iOS 7.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EW800 Avatar
97 months ago
In my opinion, IOS 11 has been Apple’s most bug-ridden update to date. I know the software is very complex, however I wonder at times how this release got out the door in such condition.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)