Some owners of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are reporting unusual crackling, ticking, popping, and clicking sounds from the devices’ speakers. Reports describe the noise as coming primarily from the earpiece speaker, with some users hearing it repeatedly and others noticing it only during specific actions.

The complaints have appeared in online user discussions, including a Reddit thread, and do not appear to be limited to one iPhone 18 Pro model. The cause is currently unclear, and Apple has not been identified as confirming a hardware or software problem.

When the iPhone 18 Pro speaker noise occurs

Users have described the sound in several situations. Some hear it while using apps or scrolling through websites, while others notice it when a notification arrives or when the keyboard appears on screen. The noise has also been reported during cellular calls.

Several system actions may trigger the sound on affected devices. Reports say that quickly changing the screen brightness can produce the noise, as can switching Airplane Mode on and off. These triggers may point to a software interaction, although there is not enough information to determine whether software is responsible.

The reports vary in frequency. For some owners, the crackle appears consistently. For others, it happens only occasionally or under particular conditions, making it difficult to reproduce the problem in every case.

iOS 27.0.1 does not appear to resolve the issue

Apple released iOS 27.0.1 one day before the reports were compiled. The update addressed a problem that could cause iPhone 18 Pro models to restart when Face ID authentication failed.

Apple’s release notes did not mention a fix for speaker crackling or popping. Early feedback from affected users indicates that installing iOS 27.0.1 did not eliminate the sound, although that feedback does not establish whether the issue affects every device or software version.

Some replacement iPhones reportedly show the same problem

Some owners say they returned their iPhone 18 Pro models and received replacement devices that exhibited the same behavior. If those reports are accurate, the issue may not be confined to an isolated defective handset. However, the available reports do not establish how widespread the problem is or whether all replacement devices are affected.

A future software update could address the behavior if it results from an iOS bug, but Apple has not announced such a fix. Owners experiencing the noise may need to document when it occurs and monitor upcoming updates while the cause remains under investigation.