Did your iPad’s sound suddenly cut out and stop working while using 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!
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.
Contents
- 1 Quick Tips
- 2 Check Accessibility Settings For Hearing
- 3 Stuck in Headphones Mode?
- 4 Check Your iPad’s Mute Switch
- 5 No Side Switch Settings On Your iPad?
- 6 Open Control Center and Adjust Volume
- 7 Is Do Not Disturb On?
- 8 iPad Sound Not Working Without Headphones?
- 9 Turn Bluetooth Off
- 10 iPad Sound Not Working: Restart your iPad
- 11 Factory Reset Your iPad
- 12 Reader Tips
The no sound on iPad happens irrespective of the model
We have however found that this can happen right after an iOS upgrade or if you have an older iPad. Either way, this seems to be a very annoying issue.
Quick Tips 
Follow These Quick Tips To Get Sound Back On Your iPad!
- Toggle Mono Audio On and Off
- Plug and unplug headphones for devices with a headphone jack
- Toggle your iPad’s Side Switch (if applicable)
- Change your iPad’s Side Switch Setting to lock orientation instead of mute
- Open Control Center and adjust Mute or Volume from there
- Toggle Bluetooth Off and On
- Check the Do Not Disturb is off
- Restart or force restart your iPad
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- How To Fix iPhone or iPad Stuck in Headphones Mode or Speaker Not Working
Check Accessibility Settings For Hearing
- Go to Settings > General > Accessibility
- Scroll down to the section Hearing
- Toggle Mono Audio under Hearing on and off
Mono Audio combines any stereo sound into one track, so all sounds always play combined with any speakers including AirPods, EarPods, Bluetooth headsets, headphones, and any type of audio speakers.
Stuck in Headphones Mode?
Sometimes our devices get stuck thinking that headphones are plugged in when they aren’t. We call this stuck in headphones mode. 
To unstick, grab a pair of headphones and insert them into the headphone jack of the iPad and then immediately pull them out. Do this repeatedly.
For more tips on what to do when iDevices get stuck in headphones mode, see this post.
Check Your iPad’s Mute Switch
Look at the most obvious and overlooked. Yes, I said it.
Though newer iPads do not feature a side switch, many older model iPads do.
So check your iPad and make sure that you have not switched on the mute button by accident.
Typically, when you share your iPad with other family members at home, check this setting.
Lost sounds for keyboard clicks, games or other apps, email notifications and other notifications?
It’s likely your iPad’s system sounds are muted. So let’s check the iPad’s side switch in our Settings App.
How to Unmute the Sound on an iPad via Settings App
- Go to Settings > General > Use Side Switch To
- Change this setting from Mute to Lock Rotation
- When you have the side switch set to lock screen rotation, your Mute Button is in the Control Center
What Happens When I Lock My iPad’s Screen’s Rotation?
If you lock the screen via the side switch or via Control Center, iOS highlights the lock icon in Control Center. 
Depending on your iPad or iPhone model, you may also see a small lock icon in the upper right corner next to the battery indicator. 
No Side Switch Settings On Your iPad?
Many iPads (especially newer models) do not have the side switch.
On iPads without a side switch, both Rotation Lock and Mute are controlled via Control Center. 
Open Control Center and Adjust Volume
Sometimes it’s just a single app that’s the problem, or maybe someone lowered the volume too much.
Either way, it’s easy to check by swiping open Control Center.
Tap the Music Card to start playing one of your songs in the Music App. Then adjust the sound slider higher, if needed.
And remember to tap the Mute Button (bell icon) if it’s highlighted to turn it off.
Can’t Find Control Center?
For folks using iOS12 and above, find control center by swiping down from the top right corner of your device.
For earlier iOS, swipe up from the bottom of your device to reveal Control Center.
Learn more about the changes to control center starting in iOS 12 in this article.
Is Do Not Disturb On?
Another setting to check is your iPad’s Do Not Disturb feature.
Go to Settings > Do Not Disturb and make sure this is not enabled.
You can also toggle this setting on and off via Control Center.
Look for the crescent moon–if it’s highlighted, it’s on. Tap it once to toggle it off. 
iPad Sound Not Working Without Headphones?
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.
Inspect them for any dust or debris clogging the speakers’ screen.
If they 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?
- 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
Turn Bluetooth Off
Sometimes our sound is connecting to a nearby or previously used Bluetooth accessory.
The easiest way to check if the sound is routing to a BT device is to turn Bluetooth off temporarily.
Go to Settings > Bluetooth and toggle it off. 
iPad Sound Not Working: Restart your iPad
When in doubt, restart!
- On an iPad with no Home Button and iPhones X or later: press and hold the Side/Top/Power button and either volume button until the slider appears
- On an iPad or iPhone with a Home Button and iPod Touch: press and hold the Side/Top/Power button until the slider appears
- Drag the slider to turn the device off and after the device turns off, press and hold that Side/Top/Power button again until you see the Apple Logo
- With iOS 11 and above, restart using Settings > General > Shut Down
Following this soft Reset, the sound should return to your iPad. If not, try a forced restart
Perform a Forced Restart
- On an iPhone 6S or below plus all iPads & iPod Touches with home buttons, press Home and Power at the same time until you see the Apple logo
- For iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus: Press and hold both the Side and Volume Down buttons for at least 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logo
- On an iPhone or iPad with no Home Button or iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Then press and promptly release the Volume Down button. Finally, press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo
Factory Reset Your iPad
Warning: Please note that this erases all the information on your iPad.
- You need to have a backup to restore your iPad
- Connect your iPad to your computer and make a backup in iTunes, if possible. If iTunes isn’t available, backup to iCloud
- Disconnect your iPad from the computer and plug into its charger–make sure the iPad is charging before proceeding
- After you make a backup, go to the Settings App on your iPad
- Click General, scroll down to Reset
- Click on Erase All Content and Settings
- When prompted, click through the warning messages
Reader Tips 
- A few readers had success when resetting their network’s settings. Go to settings > general > reset network
- Use your vacuum’s crevice tool to suck out any dirt that clogging your iPad’s ports. Worked for me in about 2 minutes!
- I tried just about everything I could think of to get my iPad mini’s speakers working again. What finally worked was using a toothpick and lightly scraping the insides of the speakers and the charging port
- For me, the solution ended up being very simple but not very intuitive! Open Settings > General > Accessibility and toggle Mono Audio under Hearing on and off
- It sounds unbelievable, but I fixed my problem by installing and then using the Skype App. 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!
- I did this: go to settings> general > reset>reset all settings. And that fixed the no sound problem on my iPad Pro
- I changed my iPad’s language to English UK and then back again to the US & it worked!!
Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.
Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.
In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.
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Control Panel shows volume on full with an insignia showing, volume is mute despite volume display. Holding off to reset.
Hi, my iPad has suddenly stopped playing audio through the inbuilt speakers.
When I toggle the side volume switch nothing happens.
Nothing on screen either to say the volume is going up or down.
Also, there are no volume controls on the screen for any apps to change the volume.
It doesn’t even work with a Bluetooth speaker.
However, when I plug headphones in it works. I have tried everything including setting my iPad up as new. Any ideas?
HI Anthony,
Sorry to hear about your speakers not working on your iPad.
Have you tried changing the volume using Control Center?
For iOS 12, the control center is now in the top right corner instead of the bottom. So to bring it up, you need to swipe down from the top right corner–then you see the volume control.
Then, make sure your iPad isn’t connected to a Bluetooth device by completely turning it off. Go to Settings > Bluetooth and turn off Bluetooth.
Next, go to Settings > Sounds and drag the Ringer And Alerts slider back and forth a few times–eventually resting it in the maximum position.
It’s also possible that your iPad is stuck in what’s called headphones mode, take a look at the tips outlined in this article to address an iPad stuck in headphone mode.
Hope something works!
Let us know if you fix it or if the problem persists,
Liz
Hi Liz. Thank you for your reply.
I have tried all of your suggestions but still nothing.
Dragging the alerts and ringer slider back and forth, I can hear a ringtone, so the speaker is still working, but nothing else.
I was hoping to reset my iPad to factory settings would sort it but no joy.
Beginning to think it now could be a software fault.
Regards
Antony.
Hi Antony.
This is so strange!
Have you tried resetting all settings–it seems redundant given that you set everything back to factory defaults, but hey, why not try?
Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings.
What model of iPad are you using as well as the iOS version?
To locate that info, go to Settings > General > About and find model name and number as well as software version–provide this to me and maybe I can find something else to try!
What a pain for you, I am so sorry.
Keep me posted,
Liz
Hi Liz.
I tried what you said but still no joy.
It is an older iPad running iOS 9.35 because Apple won’t let me update to the latest version. Model no is MC707LL/A.
I believe it’s an ipad4.
Today the sound came back a couple of times then disappeared again along with the sound controls.
Totally confused now.
Looks like it may be time to upgrade!
Antony.
Hi Antony,
Darn it!
Wow.
Hi Liz, even if the repair out weighted the cost the tech still could have told me how to turn up the volume. And, two optional methods? Who needs the button if you Siri will do it for you. I just tried that. Awesome! I guess you still have to hold the Home button to get her attention though, or not? And, you have to push it again to get back to the sound? I did.
I think the tech in Boise was a scammer. I know almost nothing and still stumbled onto the drop down with volume control.
So, that is not in “Settings”? If it is I have missed it. But, the drop down is far easier anyway.
I love my pad. People who see it go, “Wow, that’s big”. In deed. And, I have been asked several time lately how I get the cool arrows, boxes, circles, ovals, and texts on photos. The photo “edit” feature is very handy. The auto “vertical” adjust and rotation is nice too. And, the “Light” edit is incredible.
Thanks for all,
Bob
Update:
12.3.1
iPad Pro (12.9-inch)
ML3N2LL/A
Hi Liz,
Thanks for the repair information.
Before I discovered the drop down, I happened to stop in the Apple sales store at the Boise Town Square, Boise, Idaho.
I asked if the volume control could be repaired.
A lower lever sales tech called an upper-level tech.
He said it could not be repaired and I would have to buy a new iPad. Wow.
Did he fail to show me the drop down where I could control the volume and get sound back on purpose, just to sell me a new iPad?
Bob
Hi Bob,
Wow, indeed!
I am surprised that they said it couldn’t be repaired AND that they didn’t even show you alternative methods like control center.
If you would like to get it repaired, you might want to contact a repair center in your area that specializes in Apple products.
Most things on iPads can be repaired, and we don’t see why your case should be any different.
Sometimes, the cost of repair is indeed more than the cost of a new device–in your case, that would be labor costs since the actual parts are relatively inexpensive. So perhaps, this is what the tech person believed.
I forgot to mention but one way I control my iPad’s volume, especially at times when my hands are full, is with Siri.
Just Ask Siri to “turn up the volume” or “turn down the volume,” you can even ask Siri to “turn up (or down) the volume by 20% or any other percentage.” For me, it works pretty well!
Glad you have your workaround and keep enjoying your iPad!
Cheers,
Liz
Update:
12.3.1
iPad Pro (12.9-inch)
ML3N2LL/A
No mute button.
I finally found, inadvertently, the drop-down window with screen-lock and volume control.
On my iPad it is from the top right of the screen. I had never seen it before.
So, with that I can control the volume.
I think the “Volume Up” Button has failed, lost its spring that keeps it ‘afloat’ as the Volume Down Button still has.
Can that be repaired?
Tks, Bob
Hi Bob,
We’re glad you got a fix for your issue. What the drop-down you describe is where iOS12 places the Control Center–we’ll update the article to clarify this change. Sorry about that!
Apple Support or an Apple service provider should be able to repair your iPad’s volume button. Unless your iPad is covered under AppleCare+, you will need to pay for this repair.
Good luck,
Liz
12.3.1
iPad Pro (12.9-inch)
ML3N2LL/A
*** No mute button.
The answer here is probably simple, but maybe not inexpensive.
I have no sound from my iPad speakers.
The head phones and head phone volume works.
I can “see” the volume/mute adjust on the screen.
I can decrease/mute the volume with the iPan Control Button.
I can not increase the volume with the iPan Increase Control Button.
*** There is no spring resistance with the Increase Volume Control Button as with the Decrease Volume Control Button.
It seems as the Increase Volume Control Button is the problem.
Thank you for any insight.
B
I am having a problem with getting sound from my iPad Pro and I don’t know what else to do. Could you please help me. Thank you.
wow,,I was looking fo this problem for a week,
I knew about sound and keyboard off- and on, what never came to my mind and I just find here was:
” Open Control Center and adjust Mute or Volume from there”
Might accidentally have hit mute there.
I was searching for a week why my keyword has and the camera makes no more sounds:(
Thank you
I have experienced another source of sound problem. My iPad mini sound stopped to work in tropical climate in Sri Lanka. I tried to fix it by restarting, then reseting, cleaning,…nothing worked. When we came back to Europe sound started to work again.
I don’t know if this is because I have a different kind of iPad.
These tips didn’t work out thank you.
Hi Sapphire,
Please let us know what model iPad you have so we can assist.
To check, go to Settings App > General > About and let us know your iPad Model Name, Number, and Software Version.
Once we have that info, we can help!
I could not get the sound to work in embedded videos in the Montage on Demand app that I jsut downloaded on my iPad Pro. After a lot of frustration, I ran across the suggestion above to toggle the Mono Audio on and back off. Bingo! Sound now works perfectly in the app.
Thank you so much. I figured it out by your instructions!
So my iPad, whilst sitting unused, decides to just not play any sound.
I hadn’t changed any of the settings, made any changes to my preferred settings, but this morning (as with yesterday morning), the iPad just refuses to play sound, until that is, I reboot it.
Now, this is going to be rather annoying if every morning I have to reboot the iPad just because it’s decided it doesn’t want to play any sound.
Come on Tech Geeks, why is this happening?
I can’t scroll down on my Facebook groups
Audio works on only one channel. Using different headphones, sound only comes from one side.
Hi Solly,
Check this setting: Settings > General > Accessibility and scroll down to the Hearing section. Check that the slider is in the middle of L to R–you could also try toggling on Mono Audio.
If your iPad has a headphone jack, make sure you push the headphone connector all the way in, so it’s not loose.
If this still doesn’t help, test with Bluetooth headphones (if you don’t have a pair, borrow them), it’s possible there’s a hardware issue with the connection that’s causing the sound to only route to one channel.
If Bluetooth headphones work, then the problem is either with the specific pair of wired headphones (unlikely since you tested with two different pairs) or a hardware issue (more likely).
The final software thing you could try is to reset all settings, just in case a random setting is getting in the way of your audio playing on both channels.
Reset All Settings
Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All
This resets to default everything in Settings, including notifications, alerts, brightness, and clock settings like wake up alarms.
Performing this action does not impact any of your personal device data, including photos, texts, documents, and other files.
Resetting all settings also reverts all your personalized and customized features like wallpapers and accessibility settings back to factory defaults.
So you need to reconfigure these settings once your iPhone or iDevice restarts.
Sam
This help so much! Now my iPad is back to normal! Thank you so so much! Definitely suggest this website!!
Why is there even a mute button in the first place
Excellent Question. Just the type of thought I fail to ask, and very likely there’s a mute button. Maybe despair induced by control center loosing ability to effect volume….for now, in full agreement.
Another example of how if you take the simplest thing in the world – sound on or sound off – you can make it into something nearly impossible to figure out. Jesus Christ, Apple, you could fix this if you wanted to.
My voice is gone in my I pad I have tried everything and it doesn’t work
Just to say THANKS ! Finally this is what did it for me after trying all the rest.(see below), Too bad it was listed at the bottom of the list :-). I did not try re-setting factory stuff. So thanks so VERY MUCH for your help, very grateful here, lost in Normandy in France :
For me, the solution ended up being very simple but not very intuitive! Open Settings > General > Accessibility and toggle Mono Audio under Hearing on and off
This website helped me, so thanks x
The audio is ok when I connect headphones or blue tooth speakers
But despite a factory reset, there is no audio in the iPad i
My sound still not working on my iPad. I did the 10 sec reset and also the hardcore Reset. I’m getting frustrated because my kid can’t hear the cartoons on Youtube kids. Any advice?
When I start my itablapro, I am facing the audio initialization problem The message says ‘there was a problem setting up audiobus communication, audiobus will be disabled; how do I rectify this? Recently I updated my iOS at that moment the Bluetooth was on accidentally; Please tell me how to rectify this without disturbing anything else.
Thanks, your advice helped
iPad sound wasn’t working,so reset as per your instructions,now OK thanks.
i tried reset but it not work. and i dont have a computer to connect my ipad to so that i can do factory reset. only in youtube my sound works everything else does not. i checked mute and everything. what should i do?
Soft reset worked. Thanks for this reminder.
My sound became intermittent then scratchy and now won’t com on at all. I have tried all the suggested solutions except factory reset. Could my speaker just be broken? There is still sound coming from the headphone jack, but that’s a pain!
Hi Bill,
Yes, it’s possible there is a hardware problem with your speaker. Or a cable has become loose, so the speakers not getting a solid and stable connection. The only way to know for sure is to have the iPad inspected either at an Apple Store or service provider.
Given the symptoms of scratchy, intermittent problems, and now won’t come on, it sounds like a hardware issue rather than software.
SK
Go to iTunes and try to play something. If you hear nothing, look at the bottom of screen to see if it says, “Not playing,” click to find the sound line. If it is all the way to the left (muted), move it to the volume you want.
Lucky me,found my hearing aid was the culprit when switching it on it connect itself to the Wi-Fi
Hi Tommy,
Thanks for sharing what worked for you! That’s something we had not considered but quite astute.
Appreciate the heads up!
Cheers,
SK
This keeps happening to my iPad 2. Each time I have to reset. It is very annoying and is surely a fault.
Can’t I go to Apple for a replacement. It is happening enough to be v frustrating
I am constantly having troubles with my iPad sound I honestly don’t know what’s happened to it. I have no switch because I have the iPad2 I’ve checked that I haven’t muted anything but I haven’t rest anything as I don’t want to lose any data at all. I just don’t want to risk it. Is there anything else I can do or should I just give in and go to a repair shop and get it fixed?
Clara, Try a hard reset. You will not loose any data. Press the Home and the on/off button together for 10 seconds or so till you see the Apple logo. Release and let the ipad start up on its own. Check your sound. Also try connecting your iPad to a headphone and check if you are able to hear sound. Let us know and Good Luck.
The sound of my ipad is not working
Have you already tried a quick reset by pressing the Home and on/off buttons together for 10 seconds or so? Does the sound come through when you use a headphone or a bluetooth speaker?
I smashed my iPad it fell and my sound was working then so my mom took it to a place to get the screen fixed and when I got it back wich is today I tryed Camera Fine searching stuff Fine. But when I FaceTimed my friend and tryed to listen to music and tryed to watch YouTube there’s no sound I reset the iPad I even updated it to see if that was the problem but nope PLZ HELP
Hi Braden,
Sorry to hear about all your troubles with your iPad. Do you hear sound on anything? I’m sure you already checked, but make sure your iPad is not on mute. And check and see if you hear sound when changing tones in your Settings > Sounds.
If you don’t hear any sound whatsoever and mute is not enabled, it’s possible that the recent repair may have inadvertently impacted your speakers. In that case, contact the place that repaired your iPad’s screen and let them know that following this repair, you are no longer able to play any sound from your iPad.
Liz
I have a double home screen/overlay it appears to be duplicated. How can I remove one.
Thank you
My iPad still doesn’t have a sound I really want someone to fix it
Liban, What happens when you try to plug in a set of headphones or use the bluetooth to connect to an external speaker. Do you hear any sound?
After the reset my sound worked again!
I was watching a YouTube video when suddenly the sound cut out , I thought I had switched the mute on and when I checked I hadn’t then I checked the volume and it was at max , how can fix this !
Hi Izzie,
Try a forced restart:
Perform a Forced Restart
On an iPhone 6S or below plus all iPads & iPod Touches, press Home and Power at the same time until you see the Apple logo
For iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus: Press and hold both the Side and Volume Down buttons for at least 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logo
On an iPhone X or iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Then press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Finally, press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo
If this doesn’t help, let us know.
Liz
I was having the weird static sound Amanda described. I did the “soft” restart, and the sound is working again. I’m glad I read this before I took it for “repairs” and got charged a bunch. Thanks for the help!
I went to pickup my iPad yesterday night and this weird static sound happened then I no longer had any sound!!
HI Amanda,
That doesn’t sound good. It could be a hardware or possibly a software problem. Hardware problems need a person with Apple repair expertise. Software problems are the ones most everyday users can solve, or at least attempt to solve.
So first, restart your iPad by pressing and holding the power button until the slider appears. Slide off, wait 30 seconds, and then power back up.
If the problem is still there, force restart your iPad by holding down both Home and Power until you see the Apple Logo.
If neither of the restarts worked, backup your iPad using iCloud or iTunes and then perform a restore.
If a restore didn’t work, you’ll need to perform a DFU Restore.
And if none of these options worked, it’s time to have it looked at for hardware problems.
Keep us posted and fingers crossed it’s one of the easy solutions, aka restarting!
SK
Hi Kevin,
That is exactly my problem. There is no sound from the iPad but if I use the headset I’m able to hear the sound.
HI Arasu,
It sounds like your iPad is stuck in headphones mode. Please look at this article for tips on fixing an iDevice stuck in headphone mode.
Cheers,
SK
Thank you so much. My sound problem has now been fixed. This is a very helpful website.
Interesting article. Would like fewer ads when viewing from an iPad. Thanks.
I tried all except the factory reset but personally I rekon the speaker has blown 🙁
Ipad 2; My sound went during a video and doesn’t work what ever I do ! But I have sound coming through the head set when I plug in !
I had same problem I can’t get sound I risked reset still didn’t work I tried everything even the soft plz someone help us
Mine too, I’ve tried everything, but it still didn’t work. Help us, please