Some Apple Watch Series 10 Users Experiencing Speaker Volume Issue

If the audio playing through your Apple Watch Series 10's speaker becomes harder to hear after repeated use, you are not alone.

Series 10 Volume Issues Feature
There are a growing number of complaints about a potential Apple Watch Series 10 speaker issue across the Apple Support Community and Reddit. Affected users say the speaker audio becomes quiet or muffled over time, even after using the Water Lock feature to eject water from the speaker following swimming or another water activity.

The low volume affects both phone calls and music, according to the complaints.

It is unclear how widespread this issue is, or if there is an underlying hardware or software problem. If a hardware issue affects enough customers, Apple sometimes opts to launch a service program offering free repairs. If a software issue is discovered, then Apple should be able to address it with a future watchOS update.

Apple Watch Series 10 models launched in September 2024. I was unable to replicate the issue on my Apple Watch Series 10, but I have only owned it for about six weeks and have not used the speaker much, as I tend to use AirPods Pro.

We have reached out to Apple for comment about this matter, and we will update this post in the unlikely event that the company responds.

Update: Apple has published a support document outlining steps to try if your Apple Watch's speaker or microphone are not working as expected.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
Tim Cook WWDC 2018

Report: Tim Cook to Step Down as Apple CEO 'as Soon as Next Year'

Saturday November 15, 2025 2:40 pm PST by
Apple is preparing for Tim Cook to step down as CEO of the company "as soon as next year," according to the Financial Times. The company's board of directors and senior executives "recently intensified preparations for Cook to hand over the reins," the report said. While the report said that Apple is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, it went on to ...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket Now Available to Order, But Already Selling Out

Friday November 14, 2025 6:20 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. iPhone Pocket is available to order on Apple's online store starting today, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. However, it is already completely sold out in the United...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's 2026 Mac Plans

Friday November 14, 2025 3:23 pm PST by
Most of Apple's Macs are slated to get M5 chips across 2026, and there's a possibility we'll even see the first M6 chips toward the end of the year. Updates are planned for everything from the MacBook Air to the Mac Studio. MacBook Air (Early 2026) The MacBook Air will be one of the first Macs to get a 2026 refresh, with an update planned for the first few months of the year. The MacBook...
best early black friday deals

Best Black Friday Apple Deals Live Now - Save on AirPods, iPads, and Apple Watches

Saturday November 15, 2025 1:45 pm PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
tvOS 26 Profiles

tvOS 26.2 Adds a Useful New Feature to Your Apple TV

Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account. In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
walmart new ornametns

Walmart Black Friday Deals Begin Today With Low Prices on Headphones, TVs, and More

Friday November 14, 2025 7:55 am PST by
Walmart's Black Friday sale has officially kicked off today, with an online shopping event that's also seeing some matching deals in retail locations. There are quite a few major discounts in this sale, including savings on headphones, TVs, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Walmart. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 3

Monday November 17, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
Apple provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming iOS 26.2 update, and there are still new features that are being added with each beta that we get. We've rounded up all of the changes that Apple made in beta 3. AirDrop Apple added new AirDrop functionality, providing a way for two people to share files temporarily without having to add one another as contacts. iOS 26.2...

Top Rated Comments

zilchfox Avatar
10 months ago
I guess I'm the only one who keeps my watch continuously muted forever, and never use it for music or phone calls since I use my iPhone and AirPods for that. Perhaps I should test this to see if I'm affected, too.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Razorpit Avatar
10 months ago
You're listening to it wrong. ?

I had what sounds like (see what I did there?) a similar issue. This was going back to the days of the 0. Turns out I had dirt behind the speaker grill that I could not see. Brought it in to the store and the Genius Bar was able to clean it out for me.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
goonie4life9 Avatar
10 months ago
Not to worry, everyone, because the official Apple Support protocol is in effect:
[LIST=1]
* This is not an issue because if it was, Apple Support would know about it before it ever affected a customer, because Apple Support talks to millions of customers a minute.
* For this known issue, the first step is to restart the device. If that doesn't resolve the issue, the next step is to force reboot the device.
* If the force reboot doesn't work, unpairing and re-pairing the device should resolve the issue. When you re-pair the device, be sure to set it up as new.
* If re-pairing the device doesn't work, Apple Support will need to make an RTA to Engineering. To do that, you'll need to submit logs. Apple Support will collect logs from the Settings app, with Mail logging enabled, just to be safe.
* Once the logs are collected, the RTA to Engineering will be started. Engineering will reply within 48 hr.
* Engineering's reply will be that they are aware of the issue, keep your device up to date, and no further troubleshooting will be provided.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hayden_ Avatar
10 months ago
Weirdly enough, I literally had this issue yesterday. I woke up, and the speaker sounded muffled/distorted. I ran it under watch and using a little brush on the speakers, which seems to have resolved the issue. Maybe it's to do with the speak grille being big this time round and as such, easier for it to get obstructed with lint, etc?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Godspeed8230 Avatar
10 months ago

We have reached out to Apple for comment about this matter, and we will update this post in the unlikely event that the company responds.
:D So Apple is known for not responding to this type of inquiry?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
10 months ago
I had this issue on my SBSS S4, got it replaced under AC+
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)