Online speaker cleaner — clean water and dust from your phone speaker

Speaker cleaner

Pick Water or Dust and press Start. The sound is generated in this page — nothing is installed or uploaded.

Mode

Volume up to max, case off, speaker facing down.

Length
Wave

Using headphones? Turn the volume down before you start.

A speaker cleaner plays sound through your phone’s own speaker so the vibrating membrane shakes water and loose dust out of the grille. This one has two sounds: a 165 Hz tone for water and low-frequency sweeps for dust, each running 30 seconds to 2 minutes in the browser.

This page covers cleaning with sound on any phone, the dust sound, iPhone specifics and an honest answer to whether it works. For a phone that just got wet, the water eject tool on the home page is the quicker start.

How to clean a phone speaker with sound

Cleaning a phone speaker with sound takes about a minute per round, and the position of the grille matters more than the exact frequency. The same steps work on iPhone and Android.

  1. Step 1

    Remove the case

    Cases and screen films can cover part of the grille. Apple lists removing them as a first check for poor speaker sound.

  2. Step 2

    Volume to maximum

    The membrane moves further at higher volume. Disconnect Bluetooth headphones so sound comes from the phone.

  3. Step 3

    Grille facing down

    Hold the phone so the speaker opening points at the floor, letting loosened water and grit fall out.

  4. Step 4

    Run Water or Dust

    Water if the phone got wet, Dust for dull or crackly sound with no water involved. Keep the page open until it ends.

  5. Step 5

    Listen and repeat

    Play a voice note or a song you know. Two or three rounds are normal before the sound clears.

Each mode is a fixed schedule, so you know exactly what is playing.

ModeWhat it playsBest for
Water165 Hz steady, then in pulses of 0.6 s on and 0.3 s off, then steady; a third of the session eachMuffled sound after rain, a shower or a swim
DustSweep 60 → 250 Hz, pulsing 120 Hz, sweep 250 → 60 Hz, pulsing 180 Hz; a quarter eachDull or crackly sound without water

Speaker dust cleaning sound

A speaker dust cleaning sound uses low frequencies that make the membrane move widely, in sweeps and short pulses rather than one steady note. The movement may shake loose particles sitting on the surface of the grille, though we know of no published measurement of how much. It cannot pull out lint that has been pressed into the mesh.

That limit is why the dust sound works best as the first half of a two-step clean. Apple’s guidance for a dirty speaker or receiver opening is a small, soft-bristled brush that is clean and dry. Apple also says not to use cleaning products or compressed air on iPhone dust.

Sound for what is loose

Run the Dust mode with the grille down first. It costs nothing and does not touch the mesh.

A soft brush for what is stuck

Brush across the opening gently. Apple specifies a small, soft-bristled brush that is clean and dry.

Nothing sharp, no air cans

Apple’s method for the speaker opening is a brush, and its dust advice rules out compressed air and cleaning products.

iPhone speaker cleaner

An iPhone speaker cleaner needs nothing installed: open this page in Safari, turn off Silent mode, raise the volume and press Start. The tone plays through the same speakers as music and videos.

Before cleaning, it is worth ruling out the checks Apple lists for an iPhone speaker that sounds wrong: Silent mode, Do Not Disturb, and a case, screen protector or film over the openings. The iPhone speaker troubleshooting guide goes through Apple’s checks in order, and the online speaker test tells you whether one end of the phone is quieter than the other.

Does a speaker cleaner actually work?

A speaker cleaner works on water and loose particles in the grille, and does little beyond that. Sound moves air; air moves what is light and close to the opening. That is the same principle Apple uses when Apple Watch plays tones to clear its speaker after Water Lock.

Speaker cleaner sound

A low tone or sweep at full volume, played through the phone’s own speaker.

Best for Droplets in the grille after water, loose dust on the surface of the mesh.

Where it falls short Can’t reach water inside the phone, can’t remove packed lint, can’t repair a damaged speaker.

Drying time and a soft brush

Leaving the phone to dry with airflow, then brushing the opening gently.

Best for Water that has gone past the grille, and lint stuck in the mesh.

Some claims about cleaner sounds go further than the physics. No phone maker publishes a cleaning frequency, and we found no published measurement showing that one frequency outperforms another. If three rounds and a few hours of drying change nothing, the cause is somewhere sound can’t reach — the wet phone guide covers the next steps, and the phone speaker repair checklist covers the rest.

Common questions

How do I clean my speaker?
Cleaning a phone speaker starts with the least invasive step. Remove the case, play a cleaning sound at full volume with the grille facing down, then brush the opening gently with a small, soft, dry brush, which is what Apple recommends. Apple's instructions also rule out compressed air and cleaning products for dust.
How do you fix a muffled phone speaker?
A muffled phone speaker usually has water or debris in the grille. After water, run the 165 Hz tone two or three times and let the phone dry in open air. Without water, try the dust sound and a soft dry brush. If the Ringtone slider in iPhone Settings stays silent, Apple says the speaker might need service.
Is there a free online speaker cleaner available?
A free online speaker cleaner is available on this page, and it works without an account, an app or an upload. The sound is generated in the browser, so it plays through whatever phone, tablet or laptop opened the page. Several other free sites offer a 165 Hz tone; this one also publishes its exact schedule.
When won't a speaker cleaner sound help?
A speaker cleaner sound won't help with lint pressed into the grille, liquid inside the phone body or a speaker that is physically damaged. Sound moves only what is loose near the opening. If the speaker stays silent or distorted after drying and gentle brushing, the fix is a repair, not another cleaning round.