Guides

Apple Watch has a built-in Water Lock feature that ejects water from its speaker with sound. Here’s how to use it, when to use it, and what to do if your watch still sounds muffled.

If callers sound distant or muffled only when the phone is at your ear, the earpiece speaker is probably blocked by dust, oil, a screen protector or water. Here’s how to fix it.

If your phone speaker has become quieter than it used to be, the cause is often a setting, a blocked grille or a volume limit. Here’s how to find it and fix it on iPhone and Android.

How to tell when a speaker problem needs a professional, what a technician will check, questions to ask before a repair, and how to choose between an authorised service centre and a local shop.

Find out whether both of your speakers are working, which side is left and right, and what a failed left/right test actually means, with a free online stereo test.

No sound, crackling or muffled audio from your laptop speakers? Work through these checks for Windows 10, Windows 11 and macOS, from output settings to drivers and hardware.

Why do speaker cleaning tools use 165 Hz, what does the sound actually do to water in a speaker, and what can’t it fix? A plain-English explanation without the hype.

Dropped your phone in water? Here’s exactly what to do in the first few minutes and hours, why rice and hair dryers are bad ideas, and when to get professional help.

Crackling, popping or buzzing from a phone, laptop or Bluetooth speaker can be caused by water, dust, Bluetooth interference, software or a damaged driver. Here’s how to tell which one you have.

Lint and dust slowly clog phone speaker and earpiece grilles, making sound dull. Here’s a safe, step-by-step cleaning method with tools you already have, plus what to avoid.