The most useful finding on Samsung's forums about S24-family speakers is that the equalizer can make them sound broken. Owners of the S24 and S24+ report a speaker that is very quiet, with louder output only when the equalizer is set to Normal, and a harsh crackle when a custom setting boosts the bass on the phone's small drivers. Others report distortion that began after an update, and an S24 Ultra owner described a buzzing noise after One UI 8. Samsung's moderators give a short list in reply: force a reboot, set the equalizer to Normal, and switch off the audio enhancements, including Dolby Atmos. Only if the sound is still wrong after that does a hardware check make sense.
Differential
Likely causes of “Samsung Galaxy S24+ speaker is quiet, distorted or has no sound”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
An equalizer setting other than Normal
What separates it The speaker is quiet or tinny on music and video
How to confirm Settings, Sounds and vibration, Sound quality and effects, Equalizer: choose Normal
- 2
Dolby Atmos or other enhancements
What separates it A harsh crackle at higher volume
How to confirm Switch off Dolby Atmos and the other audio effects
- 3
A software update that changed the audio tuning
What separates it Distortion started after an update
How to confirm Force a reboot by holding Volume down and Power for more than seven seconds, and install the next patch
- 4
Output set to another device
What separates it The phone plays silently
How to confirm Open the media output control and choose Phone
- 5
A damaged speaker or water
What separates it Crackle at every volume in Safe mode
How to confirm Samsung Members, Phone diagnostics, Speaker
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- The equalizer and Dolby Atmos settings in Sound quality and effects
- Whether the sound changed after a specific update, and which
- Whether Safe mode sounds the same
- The speaker test result in Samsung Members
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedSet the equalizer to Normal
ReversibleSettings, Sounds and vibration, Sound quality and effects, Equalizer, Normal. Owners found the S24+ is loudest on this setting.
Switch off the enhancements
ReversibleIn the same screen turn off Dolby Atmos and other effects.
Force a reboot
ReversibleHold Volume down and Power together for more than seven seconds until the phone restarts.
Choose Phone as the output
ReversibleOpen the media output control and select Phone.
Run the speaker test
ReversibleSamsung Members, Phone diagnostics, Speaker.
Reset all settings if it persists
Reset / data riskSettings, General management, Reset, Reset all settings keeps your data.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- What small drivers mean
- The S24 line's speakers are small, so a custom equalizer that boosts bass pushes them into distortion that a larger speaker would hide.
- Reporting
- Samsung asks for error reports through Samsung Members when a sound fault appears after an update.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the speaker still crackles with the equalizer on Normal and effects off in Safe mode, ask Samsung for a speaker repair
- !If buzzing started after One UI 8 and others report it, send a Samsung Members error report
- !A wet phone needs a day to dry before judging the speaker
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Samsung's speaker checklist.
S24 owners reporting a very quiet speaker and the equalizer fix.
Owners reporting distortion after an update.
Per-model battery, charging, chip, display, storage and update promise for the S24, S24+ and S24 Ultra.
Exact questions
Common questions
Why is my Galaxy S24+ speaker so quiet?+
Owners report it is quietest when the equalizer is on any setting other than Normal. Setting it to Normal restores the volume.
Why does my S24+ speaker crackle?+
A bass-heavy custom equalizer can overdrive the phone's small drivers, and Dolby Atmos can add distortion at high volume.
Did an update cause my S24+ speaker distortion?+
Owners describe distortion since specific updates, and a buzzing after One UI 8 on an S24 Ultra; a reboot and the next patch are the steps reported.
Does Reset all settings erase my data?+
No, it keeps apps and files.