Sound not working on iPad

What actually failed

Sound on an iPad is two separate paths. Playback is the built-in speakers, a wired headset, or a Bluetooth audio device. Capture is the built-in microphone or an external mic. Camera video is a third path and does not restore audio on its own. The essential split is whether you hear nothing, or whether other people and recordings cannot pick up your voice.

If videos, games, alerts, or the other person on a call are silent, the output path has failed: volume, Silent mode, or audio routed to another device. If you can hear playback but a call, video meeting, voice memo, or in-app recording has no voice, the input path has failed: microphone permission, the app’s selected input, or a mic already taken by another app. A still-connected Bluetooth headset, speaker, or car system can take both playback and the microphone even when you expect the iPad’s built-in speaker and mic to work. That connected device is the condition that most often changes the answer.

Check output first if you hear nothing

Raise volume with the physical buttons while audio is playing, then open Control Center and confirm the volume slider is up. Some iPad models have a side switch that can mute sounds; if yours has that switch, move it and watch for a mute icon. On models without a mute switch, Silent mode and Focus settings in Control Center can still suppress alerts. They do not always silence media, so a silent video still points to volume or output routing rather than Focus alone.

• Play a known working clip in a built-in app such as Photos or Music to see whether the problem is system-wide or limited to one app.
• If a Bluetooth name appears in Control Center, tap it and choose the iPad speakers, or turn Bluetooth off briefly to force local playback.
• Unplug any Lightning, USB-C, or headphone adapter. A connected accessory, even a charging cable with a pass-through jack, can steal output.
• If you use a case or cover over the speakers, move it so the speaker grilles are clear.

Check the microphone if others cannot hear you

Device detection, access permission, and active input selection are different steps. The iPad can see a microphone, still block the app, or send the app to the wrong input. Open Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Microphone, and allow the app you are using. If the app has never asked, open it once and accept the prompt. A denied permission looks like a broken mic: the app launches and the camera may work, but capture stays silent.

• In Control Center, confirm the iPad is not routing the call or recording to a Bluetooth headset you are not wearing.
• Close other apps that might hold the microphone, including camera, voice memo, and video-meeting apps, then return to the app you need.
• If the app lists inputs, choose the iPad’s built-in microphone rather than a Bluetooth or USB device.
• Test capture in a built-in app such as Voice Memos or Camera video. If a system app records audio and a third-party app does not, the hardware is working and the other app’s permission or input selection is the problem.

When a restart is the next step

If volume, Silent mode, Bluetooth routing, and microphone permission are already correct, restart the iPad and test again in a built-in app. That distinguishes a stuck software session from a lasting hardware fault. There is no supplied diagnostic measurement here that can declare a speaker or microphone failed from software checks alone. Persistent silence in every app, with no accessory connected and permissions allowed, is the point to use the device’s official hardware service path rather than keep changing app settings.

Exact Control Center labels, Focus behaviour, and Settings paths can differ by iPadOS version and by whether the iPad has a side switch. App-specific bugs and accessory faults are also outside the evidence in this guide. Use the playback-versus-capture split above, then apply the matching check; do not treat a working camera picture as proof that sound is healthy.