Some iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max units have a weird new problem

Apple launched the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max this month, running iOS 27. The company recently pushed iOS 27.0.1 to fix a bug that caused the phones to restart when Face ID authentication failed. According to an increasing number of reports, that update didn't fix another issue people are encountering on the newest iPhones.

Apple iPhone 18 Pro

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Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max

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It's an unusual crackling sound coming from the speakers, multiple users have reported. Descriptions vary from a crackle, a faint tick, to a pop or random clicking. This seems to be mainly an issue with the earpiece speaker, not the bottom one. Both the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are affected.

Some people say they hear the disturbing noise constantly, others only hear it during app use, when scrolling on websites, when receiving notifications, when the keyboard pops up, or when they're making a call using the cellular network. On affected iPhones, turning Airplane mode on and off allegedly triggers the sound, as does quickly adjusting screen brightness.

Some people went as far as to return their brand-new iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max, only to receive a second unit with exactly the same issue. It remains to be seen whether this is an easy to fix software issue, or a much more serious hardware problem. If it's the former, then expect Apple to release a new iOS update to fix it. If it's the latter, then a recall might be in order. Either way, Apple hasn't acknowledged the problem just yet. We'll keep you posted.

Via