The Most Common iPhone 7 Problems, and How to Fix Them

Released in 2016, the iPhone 7 still holds its own as a midrange smartphone. The camera is a great performer, there are dual speakers, and it was the first flagship Apple device to have an IP67 rating for water resistance. If you’ve managed to get your hands on one, then you’re likely still enjoying it, but sometimes a single issue can kill the fun. We’ve been filtering feedback to isolate the main iPhone 7 problems that users are still running into even now, and we’ve got some potential fixes and workarounds to put the smile back on your face.

Problem: Speaker button is grayed-out during calls

Some iPhone users have noticed that the speaker icon is grayed-out when making phone calls. This issue seems to affect a small number of users and Apple is aware of the issue. However, it is no longer offering free out-of-warranty repairs for internal speakers that no longer work.

Potential solution: 

• This issue may be attributed to accessories that are paired to your phone via Bluetooth. Turn off Bluetooth by swiping up from the bottom of your phone and tapping on the Bluetooth icon to disable it.

Issue: ‘No Service’ detected

Back in 2016, MacRumors reported that it had an internal document from Apple showing that the company was aware of a bug that caused the iPhone 7 to have no cellular service after coming out of Airplane Mode. The company said it had resolved the issue, while it also launched a repair program for the issue (now discontinued). The issue has also continued to appear more recently, with users complaining of “No Service” after updating their iPhone 7 to iOS 13.5.1.

Potential solutions:

• Apple has an official solution posted for this issue, which walks you through restarting and re-inserting your SIM card. We suggest that you follow these instructions any time your iPhone 7 can’t get a cellular connection.
• Update to the latest version of iOS, if you haven’t yet.
• Reset your network settings.
• Take out your SIM and insert it again.
• Take your phone into Apple for a repair.

Annoyance: No 3.5-millimeter headphone jack

Apple’s decision to kill the headphone jack in the iPhone 7 was very controversial. If you’d invested in a killer pair of headphones that relied on the standard port present in every phone up until now, you could be forgiven for being a wee bit peeved. Having to use the Lightning port also means that you can’t charge your iPhone 7 while you’re using headphones. There are some workarounds, but there’s no real solution for this one.

Workarounds:

Problem: iPhone 7 makes a hissing sound

A lot of iPhone 7 owners have complained about a mysterious hissing sound coming from the back of the device. It seems to be louder when the iPhone is engaged in heavy lifting, such as when a demanding app or game is running, which suggests that it’s related to the processor. Put your ear next to the Apple logo and run something that requires a lot of processing power to test for yourself. It’s also worth mentioning that many phones and other devices will emit some hissing and other noises when under heavy stress — if you listen closely enough, that is. We just don’t notice it most of the time. This problem was affecting enough people that both Ars Technica and 9to5Mac reported on it.

Potential solution:

• There’s currently no fix for this, but reports suggest that it’s not present in every iPhone 7, so you might want to return your handset and get a new one. If it’s really bothering you, then contact Apple, your carrier, or your retailer and ask for a replacement.
• If you can’t get a replacement, contact Apple or a qualified technician about a potential repair.

Issue: Poor battery life

Battery life for the iPhone 7 is a lot better than it was for the iPhone 6S, thanks to a larger battery and the more efficient A10 Fusion chip. For a lot of people on the Apple discussion forums, that does seem to be the case, but we’ve also seen various complaints about rapid battery drain, with an increase in complaints often coinciding with a new OS update (which was subsequently corrected in a later update).

Workarounds:

• Update to the latest version of iOS if you haven’t already. Battery drain issues were addressed in updates following the iPhone 7’s launch.
• If you head into Settings > Battery, you can turn Low Power Mode on to stretch your battery further, but it comes at a cost. Mail fetch, Hey Siri, Background app refresh, automatic downloads, and some visual effects will be reduced or turned off completely. However, you can individually turn off any of these things for a lesser bump in battery life.
• Take a look under Battery Usage in Settings > Battery and see if any particular app is guzzling too much power. Consider updating, uninstalling, or replacing it.
• Check out our iPhone battery tips for more ideas, or our roundup of the best portable battery chargers.

Glitch: Can’t activate a new iPhone 7

A lot of people had trouble activating their new iPhone 7. If you’re getting a message about the activation server being unavailable, it could be that Apple is simply struggling to cope with the current volume or people trying to access it. You can check the status here — if there isn’t a green box next to iOS Device Activation, then try again later.

Possible fixes:

• If you’re trying to do it using your cellular connection, then switch to Wi-Fi instead.
• Try turning your iPhone off and on again by pressing and holding the Sleep/Wake button and then dragging the slider to turn the device completely off. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button again to turn it on.
• Make sure that iTunes is up to date, and try plugging your iPhone 7 into your computer and completing the activation using iTunes.
• Contact your carrier and ask if there are any known issues with iPhone 7 activation. You might need to get a replacement SIM card.
• If nothing has worked, then it’s time to contact Apple.

Problem: Poor phone call/speaker quality

This is one of the most widely reported iPhone 7 problems. There are multiple threads on the Apple discussion forums full of iPhone 7 owners who have reported this particular problem. People have said that incoming audio sounds distant, or it’s too low to hear. Enough people have even made complaints about this that Apple has since updated a support page in an attempt to help people with sound issues.

Official solution:

• Go to Settings > Sounds and drag the Ringer And Alerts slider to turn the volume up.
• If you can get audio out of the speaker, there are several other things you can try:
  • Check the Ring/Silent switch on the side of the phone to make sure it’s not set to Silent (Orange).
  • Make sure your case isn’t blocking the speaker.
  • Restart your iPhone.
  • Clean any dirt, dust, or debris out of the speaker.
  • Launch an app that plays audio or sound effects and adjust the volume using the volume keys or Control Center controls.
• If you can’t get sound out of the speaker, or nothing changes after trying the aforementioned methods, reach out to Apple Support.
• It’s been suggested that if your carrier is Verizon, that could be the source of the issue. Reach out to the company’s support here.

Bug: 3D Touch haptic feedback no longer working

This is almost certainly a bug since 3D Touch continues to work, it’s just that there’s no feedback from the phone indicating that 3D Touch was used. Users reported this issue in connection to iOS 10.2, so it’s always worth updating to a later iOS whenever one is available. Here are a few things to try if the problem is still affecting you.

Workaround:

• Restarting the phone will temporarily restore haptic feedback.

Potential solutions:

• Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and toggle System Haptics off and on again.
• Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > 3D Touch to toggle the feature on and off, and to adjust the sensitivity.
• If you have Skype installed, some have managed to restore feedback after disabling the app’s integration option, or deleting the app completely.

Issue: Phone app crashes and freezes

Many users took to the Apple discussion forums to report that the Phone app will crash or lock up when in the Phone app’s settings, in the Recent Calls list, and while making calls using Bluetooth headsets. Soft and Hard Resets have not fixed the problem, and those who have tried a factory reset have not experienced any changes either.

Potential solutions:

• Update to the latest available version of iOS.
• If the problem started after an update, the update itself may have installed incorrectly. If possible, restore your device to a backup made before the update was applied, then install the update again.
• A proposed workaround suggests turning off Exchange contacts. You can do so by going to Settings > Contacts > Accounts, then tap your Exchange account(s) and toggle the Contacts slider off.

Problem: 3D Touch no longer working

3D Touch is an integral part of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, as it makes it easier to interact with apps and get to some of their settings and features. Some users, however, have been unable to get the 3D Touch feature to work, or have noticed it has stopped working completely.

Potential solutions:

• Restart your iPhone.
• If you’ve recently applied a new screen protector, remove it and try using 3D Touch again. If it works, the problem was with the screen protector.
• Update your phone if possible.
• Clean your touchscreen, as well as your own hands.
• Go to Settings > General> Accessibility > 3D Touch and make sure the feature hasn’t been turned off by accident. From this page, you can also adjust the feature’s sensitivity and test it out.
• Reach out to Apple Support or go to an Apple Store or Apple Service Provider to get your device repaired or replaced.

Glitch: Microphone cuts out

When in the middle of a voice call and using either speakerphone or the handset, the microphone will cut out, resulting in static and unintelligible sounds. The problem doesn’t occur during every phone call. Often, after hanging up and calling again, the static is gone, but the caller is still hard to hear or muted completely. This is different from the Phone quality issue above, which dealt with audio from incoming calls. This is an issue with the person making an outgoing call.

Potential solutions:

• As always, restart your phone and check for an update.
• One solution that had been said to work is to backup your iPhone, then perform a factory reset and restore the phone using the backup.
• It could also be a hardware issue. Reach out to Apple Support or go to an Apple Store to get repairs or a replacement.

Problem: Touch ID has stopped working

People on the Apple forums have been having trouble with Touch ID. The feature has stopped working completely or has trouble functioning, with some users reporting that they can’t use Touch ID while the iPhone is plugged in and charging.

Potential solutions:

• As always, start by restarting your phone and then trying to use Touch ID again.
• Clean the sensor and the finger(s) used for Touch ID. Dust, dirt, and other debris can interfere with the sensor.
• Update to the latest version of iOS.
• Remove previously added fingerprints and re-add them. Consider creating multiple fingerprints by scanning the same finger at different angles.
• If it doesn’t work while plugged in, try using a different wall outlet or USB port. Be sure to check the Lightning port as well and remove any debris.
• Reach out to Apple Support, as it may be a hardware issue. Some users have noted that Touch ID stopped working after a battery replacement.

Problem: Bluetooth issues

As with other smartphones, people have been having trouble maintaining a Bluetooth connection, either with 3rd party wireless headphones, or when trying to connect their iPhone to a car. Some users have also noticed a much larger drain on the battery when using it.

Potential solutions:

• Restart the phone.
• Toggle Bluetooth off and on again.
• Unpair the Bluetooth devices and try pairing them again.
• You can try resetting your network settings by tapping Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Then try Bluetooth again.
• Update the iPhone.
• Perform a factory reset, restore your phone using a backup (or as a new phone) and try Bluetooth again.

Problem: Camera displays a black, green, or purple screen

This issue affects users with the iPhone 7 Plus. Users on the Apple discussion forums and Reddit often complain that their iPhone 7 Plus shows a black — or sometimes a green or purple — screen when they try to use their camera. Sometimes an error also appears, one that says “Emergency iPhone needs to cool down.” More recently, users have reported that the Camera app simply doesn’t load.

Potential solutions:

• The first thing to do is to try the steps listed on Apple’s support site.
• If the aforementioned steps don’t resolve the issue with your camera, your iPhone 7 is likely suffering from a hardware problem. In that case, we suggest that you contact Apple support. Many users with this issue have gotten their iPhones either repaired or replaced.

Annoyance: Black paint chips or peels

Apple’s support pages report on the likelihood of micro-abrasions on the glossy finish of the jet black iPhone 7, which was prone to scratching. However, a thread that reached epic proportions on Apple’s discussion forums shows the regular black finish on the iPhone 7 is also prone to chipping and peeling, even when encased.

Workarounds:

• Unfortunately, Apple’s warranty doesn’t cover this kind of cosmetic damage. Some users have ended up selling their iPhone and getting another iPhone 7 in a different color.
• According to a post on the Apple support forums, a customer who goes by the username xfuz1on was able to escalate this issue to a supervisor. The supervisor then asked this customer to send in pictures of the iPhone 7, and he was able to get his phone swapped at an authorized service center.

Problem: Overheating

In a thread that spans much of the lifespan of the iPhone 7, users in the Apple forums have complained about their iPhone 7 getting uncomfortably hot. It is normal for smartphones and other electronic devices to get hot when they’re performing certain tasks, however. For example, an iPhone can get warm while you’re broadcasting live video, using Snapchat, playing games, or doing other tasks that will push the CPU to its limits. While it is normal for it to get hot while doing CPU-intensive tasks, your iPhone should return to a normal operating temperature when you’re done.

Potential solutions:

• A misbehaving app could be what is causing your iPhone to overheat. This app could also be working in the background, and making your iPhone overheat. Check for any apps that were just updated — after all, this issue is often caused by a bad update. If you can’t seem to track down the issue, you can follow our guide on how to restore your iPhone.
• If you have reset your iPhone and restored it and the issue persists, we encourage you to contact Apple support. A smartphone that is prone to overheating could be suffering from a dangerous hardware problem, one you’ll want to take care of as soon as possible.

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