Why is My Phone Not Playing Music on Android/iPhone- Quick Fixes

There’s nothing more frustrating than grabbing your smartphone to listen to your favorite songs, only to find your music not playing. 

Whether you’re in the car, relaxing with your Air pods, or sharing a playlist with friends, a silent device can disrupt the vibe. 

Sometimes it’s just a minor glitch or a simple sound quality issue on your iPhone or Android. Other times, it may be caused by serious problems like phone damage. Before you rush to a repair shop, you can try some easy troubleshooting techniques to get your tunes back. 

Let’s walk through some common issues and how to fix them at home without spending a dime.

Phone Not Playing Music- The Short Answer

10 Things to Try When Your Android Phone isn’t Playing any Sound.

If your phone has no sound, try clearing your data cache to resolve the issue. You can also fix it by rebooting your phone in Safe Mode, a trick I’ve found helpful during similar issues. 

This guide explains ten methods you can try, so keep reading to find the best solution.

1. Turn Up Your Phone’s Media Volume

If you’re having trouble hearing music or sound effects, the first thing to check is whether your media volume is set properly. Here’s how you can do it in three quick steps:

1. Press any Volume button on your phone to bring up the volume slider on your screen.
2. Tap the Three-dot menu icon below the slider (or a downward arrow if you’re using Android 11 or earlier), and select Media Volume from the drop-down list.
3. Make sure the Media volume—indicated by a music note symbol—isn’t muted or too low. Adjust it to your desired level.

By following these steps, you should be able to hear your music or videos clearly again. It’s a simple fix that many people overlook, but it can save a lot of frustration!

2. Toggle on the Video Volume

To make sure you’re not missing any sound, try these steps:

1. Look for the Mute button while watching videos and make sure it’s turned off.
2. Check the video interface for any speaker or microphone icon that might indicate whether the volume is muted.
3. If you’re using apps like YouTube, make sure there aren’t any accidental user settings like Muted Playback enabled, which can mute previews in your feed. This feature can cause sound to be off even when you’re scrolling through your feed, especially if you’re connected to Wi-Fi.

By adjusting the video volume and checking these settings, you can make sure you’re getting the sound you expect from your apps.

3. Turn Off Do Not Disturb Mode

Here’s how to check and turn off Do Not Disturb mode in just a few steps:

1. Swipe down from the top of your screen to open the Quick Settings panel.
2. Look for the Do Not Disturb icon, which looks like a minus sign inside a circle. If it’s turned on, tap it to turn it off.
3. If you can’t find the icon in the panel, open your Settings app and check under Sound, Vibration, or Notifications. You can also use the search bar to find it quickly.

Turning off this mode should allow all your sounds, including media, to play again without interruptions.

4. Disconnect Your Phone From External Audio Devices

To fix this, try these simple steps:

1. Check if your phone is connected to any Bluetooth device. If it is, it could be sending the sound there instead of through the phone’s speakers.
2. Turn off Bluetooth on your phone to disconnect from any paired devices.
3. Once disconnected, the sound should return to your phone speakers, allowing you to hear your music again.

This is a common issue that many overlook when using Bluetooth-connected devices.

5. Clean Your Phone’s Headphone Jack

To clean the Headphone jack and resolve this issue, follow these three simple steps:

1. Turn off your phone to avoid any potential damage.
2. Take cotton swabs, dampen one with ethyl alcohol or isopropyl alcohol, and insert it into the headphone jack. Gently rotate it to wipe the walls and remove any dirt.
3. Use a dry cotton swab to remove any moisture and let the jack dry completely for at least an hour to prevent damage from moisture sensors.

This simple cleaning process should fix the issue and allow your phone’s speakers to work again.

6. Clean Your Phone’s Speaker

If you notice your phone’s sound is muffled or not playing music at all, dirt and debris may be blocking the speaker mesh. Here’s how you can clean it:

1. Use a cotton swab to gently remove surface dirt around the speaker holes.
2. Take Blu-tack, form it into a ball, and press it against the speaker holes to pull out the trapped dirt.
3. Use a toothbrush to gently scrub around the holes and remove any remaining dirt.

7. Clear Your Phone’s Cache Partition

If your phone’s speakers are not working, there might be corrupted files causing a software glitch. 

To fix this, you can clear the cache partition without losing important Data. Here’s how to do it in 5 steps:

1. Turn off your phone and connect it to a PC using a USB cable if you have Android 11 or later.
2. Press and hold both the power and volume-up buttons until the Android Recovery menu appears.
3. Use the volume-down key to navigate through the menu and _highlight Wipe cache partition.
4. Press the power button to select this option and confirm your choice.
5. Once the cache is cleared, press the power button again to choose Reboot system now and restart your phone.

Clearing the cache partition removes unnecessary files without affecting your apps or personal data, helping to resolve any speaker issues caused by corrupted data.

8. Try Rebooting in Safe Mode

Sometimes, apps can cause glitches that block sound, making it hard to play music. To check if an app is the issue, you can try rebooting your phone in Safe Mode. This will disable all your downloaded apps and only use the original software. If the problem goes away, you’ll know it’s caused by an app. Here’s how to do it:

1. Press and hold the power button until the Power Off screen appears.
2. Tap and hold Power off until the Safe Mode option shows up.
3. Tap on Safe Mode to reboot your phone into Safe Mode.

This method helps pinpoint if an app is the problem without uninstalling everything.

9. Factory Reset Your Phone

If software issues are causing your speakers to stop working, a factory reset can help fix it. This will erase any glitches and give your phone a fresh start.

Before you proceed, make sure to back up your important data like photos and files. Follow these steps:

1. Ensure your phone is at least 70% charged to avoid interruption during the process.
2. Go to Settings, tap on Google, and choose Backup. Select Backup now.
3. Navigate to General Management, then tap Reset followed by Factory data reset.
4. Confirm by selecting Reset and follow any specific instructions for your phone model from the manufacturer’s support page.

After resetting, your apps and their data will be permanently deleted, but your photos and files can be restored from the backup.

10. Consult a Tech Expert

If your phone’s music issue persists after trying everything, the problem might be hardware damage to the audio IC chip. In this case, a tech expert can help. 

You can reach out to customer support via your phone’s official website or visit the Android Help Community for assistance.

To save time, it’s helpful to list the troubleshooting steps you’ve already tried. This will allow the expert to quickly eliminate more common causes like manufacturing defects. 

Remember, accidental drops or water immersion might not be covered under your warranty, and DIY repair could void it. A professional can fix the issue, so don’t hesitate to seek help.

iPhone Sound is Not Working: What to Do?

If your iPhone isn’t playing sound, don’t worry—it’s a common issue. There are simple fixes you can try to resolve the problem:

• Check the volume settings to ensure it’s not turned down or muted.
• Test the speaker by playing music through different apps, like Spotify or Apple Music.
• Ensure Bluetooth is off, as it can redirect sound to connected devices.
• Restart your iPhone to fix any temporary software glitches.
• Inspect your headphones or earphones, as they might be causing the issue.

By following these steps, you can quickly troubleshoot the sound issue on your iPhone and get it working again.

10 Ways to Fix iPhone No Sound Problem

Having no sound on your iPhone can be frustrating, especially when you’re trying to play music or listen to your favorite content. 

Below are some steps you can follow to fix the volume and get your iPhone working properly again.

1. Check Out silent Mode Button

Sometimes, your iPhone might be in silent mode, which is the reason for the no-sound problem.

To fix this, just check the Ring/Silent switch and flick it the other way to turn on the loud mode. After that, make sure to press the volume buttons to ensure the volume is turned up.

2. Restart your iPhone to make Sound Work

If you’re experiencing sound issues, a simple restart might fix the problem. Restart your iPhone by pressing both the Power/Sleep switch and Home button together.

Keep holding them until the screen turns off and the Apple logo appears. This won’t delete any personal data and should resolve any temporary sound glitches.

3. Go to the Default Settings

If your iPhone is still not playing music, try resetting it to the default settings. To do this, go to Settings, tap on General, and choose Reset all Settings. 

This will not erase your data, contacts, or media, but it can resolve sound issues caused by misconfigurations.

4. Plug in & Unplug Headphones

If your iPhone only plays music with earphones connected, the issue could be with the headphone jack. Try inserting your headphones and then quickly pulling them out about 4 or 5 times. 

This can help if your phone is stuck in headphone mode, and may also clear out any dust or grime that’s causing the problem.

5.  Clear any Debris

To restore sound, carefully brush any debris from the receiver mesh, speaker, and lightning connector. Make sure the case or bumper doesn’t block the speaker. 

For extra cleaning, use rubbing alcohol, acetone, or methylated spirits to remove stubborn dirt.

6. Turn off Bluetooth

If you’re not hearing any sound, your phone may be paired with a Bluetooth device like a headset. To fix this, go to Settings > General > Bluetooth and turn it off. 

Alternatively, you can disable Bluetooth directly from the lock screen to unpair the device quickly. This will ensure your phone plays music through its speakers.

7. Restore an Old Version with Speakers Working

If music is not playing, you can try restoring an old version of your iPhone that had working speakers. 

To do this, go to iCloud Settings, and choose Storage & Backup to find the backup. This will bring back a working version, but you’ll lose any new pictures or media added since the backup.

8. Tap the Right Bottom Corner

If your iPhone is not playing music, try tapping the right bottom corner of your device. Hold the tap for 20 seconds as it might help with a loose connector near the speaker. 

This action can sometimes reposition the connector and restore the sound.

9. Adjust Volume While Gaming

While gaming on your iPhone, you can adjust volume using the volume buttons or the slider in the Control Center on the lock screen. This can help restore the sound.

10. Update your iOS to get Sound Back

To restore sound, update your iOS to the latest version. Go to Settings, tap General, then select Software Update to check for and complete the update.

Frequently Asked Questions

That’s all! You can also check out Why Does the Location Symbol On Android Come On Randomly (8 Reasons) and Fix iPhone to Android Video Quality (4 Easy Solutions).

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