iLoungeiLounge
  • News
    • Apple
      • AirPods Pro
      • AirPlay
      • Apps
        • Apple Music
      • iCloud
      • iTunes
      • HealthKit
      • HomeKit
      • HomePod
      • iOS 13
      • Apple Pay
      • Apple TV
      • Siri
    • Rumors
    • Humor
    • Technology
      • CES
    • Daily Deals
    • Articles
    • Web Stories
  • iPhone
    • iPhone Accessories
  • iPad
  • iPod
    • iPod Accessories
  • Apple Watch
    • Apple Watch Accessories
  • Mac
    • MacBook Air
    • MacBook Pro
  • Reviews
    • App Reviews
  • How-to
    • Ask iLounge
Font ResizerAa
iLoungeiLounge
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • News
    • Apple
    • Rumors
    • Humor
    • Technology
    • Daily Deals
    • Articles
    • Web Stories
  • iPhone
    • iPhone Accessories
  • iPad
  • iPod
    • iPod Accessories
  • Apple Watch
    • Apple Watch Accessories
  • Mac
    • MacBook Air
    • MacBook Pro
  • Reviews
    • App Reviews
  • How-to
    • Ask iLounge
Follow US

How-to › Ask iLounge

Ask iLoungeiPhoneReviews

Using iPhone speaker and dock

Last updated: May 16, 2021 5:21 pm UTC
By Jesse Hollington
Using iPhone speaker and dock

Q: I have an iPhone and I use it every day for work now. One feature I’d really like to use is speakerphone in the dock, but I’m having trouble interpreting a feature Apple lists on their site with the dock: 

Advertisements

Place your iPhone in the Dock and enjoy clear audio during speakerphone calls thanks to special audio porting.

Using iPhone speaker and dock

I take this to mean when I answer a call on my iPhone in the iPhone dock, which has external speakers or a headset plugged in to the line-out port on the back of the dock, the audio should come through the external speakers instead of the built-in speakers in the iPhone. However, this doesn’t work. What DOES work is I can listed to music from the iPod part of the iPhone through external speakers via line-out port in dock, like you’d expect. However, when I answer a call and the music audio fades out, the call audio goes through the headset or built-in speakerphone only.

Advertisements

I know it’s really niche, but since Apple called it out on their site, I wanted to know your interpretation and experience on this. Anything to be able to hear my clients more clearly would be great.

– Jason

A: Actually, this is the correct and expected behavior. Audio from the phone portion of the iPhone, including ring tones and alarms, will always be played through the internal speakerphone, rather than an external speaker connected the the Dock’s line-out port. Audio from the iPod portion (music, videos, audiobooks, and even YouTube videos) will play through the line-out if connected, or the internal iPhone speakers if nothing is connected to the line-out port.

Advertisements

What “special audio porting” means in this context is simply that the dock itself is designed to not block the microphone and speaker ports at the bottom of the iPhone, allowing audio to pass through properly, rather than being muffled.

If you examine the iPhone dock closely, you’ll notice two matching passthrough audio ports beside the Dock Connector itself, and if you turn the dock over, you can observe a small space at the very front. These are intended to allow audio to pass through clearly even when the iPhone is in the dock.

 

Using iPhone speaker and dock

How well this works will be largely dependent upon the type of surface that the dock itself is on, since the audio is still being directed somewhat downward and to the front of the dock. You may therefore want to try different positions and ensuring the dock is placed directly on top of a hard surface.

Advertisements

Latest News
The 16-inch M4 MacBook Pro 48GB 512GB is $300 Off
The 16-inch M4 MacBook Pro 48GB 512GB is $300 Off
1 Min Read
Apple Releases New ‘Hold That Train!’ Ad for Apple Arcade
Apple Releases New ‘Hold That Train!’ Ad for Apple Arcade
1 Min Read
Apple Launches New Apple Card Promo
Apple Launches New Apple Card Promo
1 Min Read
Facebook Gains Passkeys Support
Facebook Gains Passkeys Support
1 Min Read
The Anker Nano II 65W Compact Charger is $25 Off
The Anker Nano II 65W Compact Charger is $25 Off
1 Min Read
New ‘Shot on iPhone’ Short Film Debuts
New ‘Shot on iPhone’ Short Film Debuts
1 Min Read
Apple Camp for Kids Program Starts in June
Apple Camp for Kids Program Starts in June
1 Min Read
Apple to Start iPhone Foldable Production This Year
Apple to Start iPhone Foldable Production This Year
1 Min Read
The Apple Watch Series 10 is $100 Off
The Apple Watch Series 10 is $100 Off
1 Min Read
AirPods Pro 3 May Debut in 2026
AirPods Pro 3 May Debut in 2026
1 Min Read
Oakley Smart Glasses Announced
Oakley Smart Glasses Announced
1 Min Read
The Apple Watch Series 10 is $100 Off
Apple Watch Ultra 3 Might Arrive Soon
1 Min Read

iLounge logo

iLounge is an independent resource for all things iPod, iPhone, iPad, and beyond. iPod, iPhone, iPad, iTunes, Apple TV, and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc.

This website is not affiliated with Apple Inc.
iLounge © 2001 - 2025. All Rights Reserved.
  • Contact Us
  • Submit News
  • About Us
  • Forums
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?