Just over a week after the iPhone 18 Pro officially went on sale, some users have begun complaining about problems with Apple's latest smartphone.

Notably, speakers on some devices are reportedly producing clicking, crackling, popping or unpleasant distorted sounds under certain conditions.

As often happens when the cause of a potential hardware or software problem remains unclear, affected users quickly turned to Reddit to share their experiences and determine whether the issue was widespread.

One user said their new iPhone 18 Pro Max began producing brief clicking or popping sounds from the speaker shortly after they completed the setup process.

The sound appeared to come from either the top or bottom speaker, although the user was unable to determine its exact source.

They described the noise as sounding almost like "someone unplugging an aux cable from a device."

More concerningly, it was not an isolated occurrence. According to the user, the noise appeared repeatedly while switching between apps, adjusting the volume and possibly while using voice dictation.

However, the frequency of the problem appeared to decline over time. The user said the noise had not occurred for several hours before they posted about the issue.

They later added that when music was played at high volume, the speaker also sounded distorted or lacked clarity.

Dozens of users report similar problems

The issue has attracted attention because of the number of users reporting similar experiences.

At the time the report was compiled, there were 29 direct replies that had not been deleted and were not posted by moderators.

Of those, at least 21 users said they had experienced one or more of the audio problems described.

Some reports suggest that the issue could be software-related and may improve after an iOS update.

One user said the crackling occurred only during phone calls and disappeared completely after updating to iOS 27.0.1.

Another said going into the phone's settings and changing the audio mode from "Voice Isolation" to "Standard" significantly reduced the distortion.

These reports suggest that the underlying cause may not be identical across all affected iPhone 18 Pro devices.

Some cases could be related to audio processing or software, while the source of others remains unclear.

There have also been reports of more persistent problems. One user said in the comments that they heard random clicking or crackling sounds almost every time they interacted with the screen.

At times, the sound reportedly occurred simply when they tapped the screen to wake the iPhone.

More complaints emerge on MacRumors

Similar reports have not been limited to Reddit. Users on the MacRumors forums have also described unusual audio behavior on the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.

Reports include crackling sounds, intermittent pops, very faint clicks from the earpiece speaker and unpleasant changes in higher frequencies compared with the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Notably, a considerable number of independent users have reported similar symptoms.

That makes it harder to dismiss the issue simply as user error or a defect affecting only a single device.

However, reports on online forums cannot establish what proportion of iPhone 18 Pro devices are actually affected.

People experiencing problems are generally more likely to post about them online than those whose devices are working normally. The number of comments therefore cannot be considered representative of the entire iPhone 18 Pro user base.

Apple has not publicly commented on reports of crackling, distorted or popping sounds from the speakers of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.

If the problem is software-related, Apple could potentially address it through a future iOS update.

Users experiencing the issue can check for new software by going to Settings > General > Software Update and following the instructions to install the latest version of iOS. Those experiencing persistent or serious audio problems should contact Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider to have the device checked.

Hai Phong