iPad Sound Not Working: 9 Ways to Fix No Sound on iPad

Is your iPad sound suddenly not working while browsing an app or watching a video? Or has your iPad stopped playing music or other audio altogether, after a recent update? Wondering why your iPad’s gone silent? If so, you are not alone!

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• The Best Ways to Fix Bluetooth Not Working on Your iPhone or iPad

A lot of users complain that their iPad sound is not working or have other sound issues with their iPad. The device has no sound when trying to play music, use an app, play a game, watch Netflix or another video app, or use FaceTime and other video calling apps. This issue occurs regardless of the model, but you can try numerous steps to solve it again — as we’ll discuss today.

1. Toggle Mono Audio On and Off

Mono Audio means that sounds always play combined with any speakers, including AirPods, headphones, and Bluetooth headsets. If your iPad sound is not working, this feature could be the culprit.

Here’s how to toggle Mono Audio on and off.

1. To toggle Mono Audio on and off, open the Settings app. When you’re there, navigate to Accessibility.
2. Scroll down to Audio/Visual.
3. In Audio/Visual, you’ll see a toggle called Mono Audio. toggle this off so that it’s no longer green, before toggling it back on.

2. Plug and Unplug (Or Connect and Disconnect) Your Headphones

If you use wired headphones with your iPad, you can plug and unplug these into your device. Try using a different headphone adapter if you have a spare option, too.

For Bluetooth headphone users, connect your wireless headphones and disconnect them again. You’ll need to switch Bluetooth on, before turning your headphones on and off.

My iPad sound is not working when my headphones are unplugged, but I can hear audio when they are. What is happening?

If your iPad sound isn’t working when your headphones are unplugged, it’s possible that your device is stuck in Headphones Mode. Please read our separate guide on how to fix an iPhone stuck in Headphones Mode; the tips are also applicable to iPad users.

Note that Headphones Mode normally doesn’t apply to wireless headphones. Nonetheless, you can still try these steps if you’re encountering problems with said devices.

3. Turn Up Your iPad Volume in the Control Center

Sometimes, the problem with your iPad sound not working is easier to fix than you think. Rather than needing to perform complicated processes, you might simply have not changed your iPad volume. You can turn it up in the Control Center, and the steps below will help you do that.

1. Swipe down from the top right-hand corner of your iPad to reveal the Control Center. If you see the sound icon with a line through it, your iPad is muted.
2. Move the volume slider up so that it’s playing sound from your device.

Another possible reason why you can’t hear sound on your iPad is because Silent Mode is activated. Click on the bell icon if it’s red and has a line through it, as you can see in the screenshot below.

4. Check Your iPad’s Mute Switch if Your iPad Sound Is Not Working

Though newer iPads do not feature a side switch, many older model iPads do. So, if you’re using an older version, check your iPad and make sure that you have not switched on the mute button by accident.

5. Is Do Not Disturb On?

Do Not Disturb is great for stopping notifications from distracting you when you need to concentrate. However, it can also result in your iPad not playing sound.

Checking to see if Do Not Disturb is simple. You can do it by going to Settings > Focus, like you see below.

You can also check whether Do Not Disturb is enabled in the Control Center:

If DND is activated, click on the icon in the Control Center to turn it off.

6. Inspect Your Speakers

Plug in a pair of headphones and see if you can hear sound through the headphones but not through your device’s speakers.

First, check that your iPad isn’t stuck in headphones mode (see tips above).  If your iPad isn’t stuck in headphones mode, unplug the headphones and take a close look at your speakers. Then, inspect them for any dust or debris clogging the speakers’ screen.

If your speakers are dirty, clean them out gently using a toothpick, interdental brush, or a microfiber cloth.

Another option is to try blowing air on the speaker and see if any debris comes loose. Don’t use too much pressure or you’ll likely push that dirt in further, causing more problems!

Is Your iPad Sound Not Working With Headphones?

Try these steps if your iPad sound works with headphones plugged in, but not when they aren’t.

• If you don’t hear anything when using headphones, make sure there isn’t any lint or other debris inside the headphone port (or lightning port). See this post on how to clean these ports.
• Make sure your headphones cable, connector, or buds aren’t damaged, broken, or frayed.
  • Check the mesh for any lint or other dirt that might be clogging it.
• Try plugging and unplugging your headphone a few times.
• Test with another set of headphones.

7. Turn Bluetooth Off if Your iPad Sound Is Not Working

Sometimes, our sound is connecting to a nearby or previously-used Bluetooth accessory. The easiest way to check if the sound is routing to another device is by turning Bluetooth off temporarily.

Go to Settings > Bluetooth and toggle it off.

Alternatively, you can turn off Bluetooth from the Control Center by tapping on the Bluetooth icon.

After turning off Bluetooth, Reconnect your headphones and determine whether you need to take further steps to fix the sound on your iPad.

8. Restart your iPad

You can always try restarting your iPad to fix the no sound playing issue. The process you should follow depends on the model you have. We’ll talk about both soft and force restarting your iPad in the sections below.

How to Normally Restart Your iPad

• On an iPad with no Home Button: Press and hold the Side/Top/Power button and either volume button until the slider appears.

On an iPad with a Home Button:

1. Press and hold the Side/Top/Power button until the slider appears.
2. Drag the slider to turn the device off and after the device turns off. Then, press and hold that Side/Top/Power button again until you see the Apple logo.

Following this soft Reset, the sound should return to your iPad. If not, try a forced restart.

How to Perform a Force Restart on Your iPad

• iPads with a Home Button: Press Home and Power at the same time until you see the Apple logo.
• iPads without a Home Button: Quickly release the volume up and volume down buttons, before holding the standby button.

9. Factory Reset Your iPad

WARNING: Please note that a factory reset will erase all the information on your iPad.

You need to have a backup to restore your iPad, which you can do by going to Apple ID > iCloud > iCloud Backup and toggling on Back Up This iPad. Then, tap Back Up Now and wait for everything to back up.

After backing up your iPad, follow these steps to factory reset your iPad.

1. Disconnect your iPad from the computer and plug into its charger. Make sure the iPad is charging before proceeding.
2. After you make a backup, go to the Settings App on your iPad.
3. Tap General and scroll down to Transfer or Reset iPad.
4. Click on Erase All Content and Settings.
5. When prompted, click through the warning messages. Then, wait for your iPad to reset and set everything up again.

Bonus: Reader Tips to Fix Sound Not Working on iPad

Our readers have also been kind enough to provide their top tips on fixing the iPad sound not working problem.

• A few readers had success when resetting their network’s settings. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad > Reset. Then, select Reset Network. The first three parts of this are the same as in the previous section, only you need to tap Reset instead of Erase All Content and Settings.
• Try using a toothpick and lightly scraping the insides of the speakers and the charging port. Again, be careful not to apply too much pressure — otherwise, you could cause further damage.
• Some people have fixed the problem by installing and then using the Skype App. We’re not sure how or why it worked, but it did!
• Check that no apps are set to mute effects or music. Setting even one app to mute can impact all apps!
• Changing your iPad language to another language (e.g. US English to UK English) and back has worked for some readers.

Plenty of Solutions to Help You Fix the iPad Sound Not Working Issue

If your iPad sound is not working, the problem can quickly become frustrating. But thankfully, there are several ways that you can fix the issue. Some of the potential solutions might be more unorthodox than you might have expected, but if they work for you, that’s the most important thing.

Your iPad might not be playing sounds for a whole host of reasons, so you should try a mixture of different fixes for the problem. Eventually, something should hopefully work for you. If anything worked for you, that we haven’t mentioned so far in this guide, you can always leave them in the comments below.