Several iPhone 18 Pro owners have reported an unusual audio issue with their device, noticing an annoying crackling or "clicking" sound that seems to be coming from the speaker. The reports have appeared on both the MacRumors forums and Reddit.
See also: Why iOS 27 slows down even the new iPhone 18 Pro initially
Users describe the sound in different ways, ranging from a slight crackling sound, a faint “ticking” sound, to a random “pop” and click. According to several reports, the problem is mainly located in the earpiece speaker, and it seems to affect both the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
The behavior of the issue is not the same on all devices. Some users claim to hear this sound constantly, while others only notice it in specific situations, such as when using apps, scrolling through web pages, receiving notifications, displaying the keyboard, or during calls over the mobile network.
See also: Calling issues for a small number of iPhone 18 Pro users with AT&T
On some of the devices that appear to be affected, the sound may appear after turning Airplane Mode on and off. Similarly, some users report that the same thing happens when they quickly change the screen brightness.
Apple recently released iOS 27.0.1, which fixes an issue that could cause iPhone 18 Pro models to restart if Face ID. However, the update notes do not mention a fix for the specific speaker issue. Meanwhile, early user reports indicate that installing the new software version does not seem to have resolved the issue.
It is also worth noting that there are cases of users who returned their iPhone 18 Pro, only to find that the second device also had the same problem.
See also: Apple: Software update for restart problem on iPhone 18 Pro
It's not yet known what exactly is causing this sound, but if it's a software-related issue, it's likely to be addressed in a future iOS update
