Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[tickmike]

My wife and I are finding it harder to hear our daughter on FaceTime on my old iphone4, especially when the log fire is crackling, is there any way to boost it ?.

I was going to have an new Samsung tablet for Xmas but thinking about an 'ipad WiFi' now just to use facetime. 

Are ipads sound much louder than iphones.
I am not an Apple fan but when needs must.

[chenks]

well if you use facetime then a samsung tablet is out, as facetime is only available on apple devices.
one solution is to simply move further away from the log fire? make sure your volume is up full and that at their end they aren't too far away from the microphone.

[Weaver]

The sound on iPad Pro is better than on the normal iPad, could be louder because there are more speakers in the Pro. My wife’s iPhone SE is very loud indeed, incredibly loud in fact, under certain conditions. So I’m not sure about the differences between sound on an iPhone versus on an iPad,

I don’t suppose there is a possibility that it is to do with either the mic at other sending end or with FaceTime’s volume setting itself compared the volume level set in other apps or situations? Worth testing out the mic at the other end by recording some sound. Also check the sound level generally by generating some sound, maybe playing some recorded sound.

The mic on my iPad Pro v1 just went bad (crackly sound or no sound) so I got a free replacement machine from Apple.

[sevenlayermuddle]

I wouldn’t pin your hopes on an iPad a huge improvement. Unless you want an iPad for other reasons too,  it’s an expensive mistake if it turns out to not help.

What about trying a cheap bluetooth speaker, a lot cheaper than an iPad you don’t want?    I think that you can then configure the iPhone to route facetime audio through the speakers.   But I don’t have such a configuration to play with, so can’t be certain.... do your own research before parting with any significant cash.

[Weaver]

Definitely, the Bluetooth speaker route is the way to go, provided it is not also a mic-related problem. As I said earlier, an iPad may well not have better sound than an iPhone. If you could try an iPad Pro and ordinary iPad, in a shop, or borrow one, then at least you might get an idea. The results I get though from comparing an iPad 5, iPad 6 and iPad Pro v1 with an iPhone SE are not that encouraging. The improved sound is one of the reasons why I got an iPad Pro.

[tickmike]

Sorry for the late reply as our daughter came up from Kent to see us for four days so we have been on walks etc. and also we have all been on the train to Birmingham, we went into the Apple store as well (what a fantastic building , an old bank ) for a look at an ipad (Not a 'pro' as they are silly prices !) It was very noisy in the building but could hear the music playing, I have since been into a Curry's store in Derby were it was a lot quieter, The ipad 9.7 128GB is the one I am interested in, so I tested it well and liked it that much I have ordered one for Santa to deliver  .

I think Santa is also getting me a keyboard cover for the ipad as well .

I tried the various tips for making the iphone 4 louder but did not do much to help.
I needed a tablet so hope this will serve me well.
Curry's giving £30 off at £379

[chenks]

hope you've checked that the sound issue isn't at the other end, otherwise you've spent money that won't make any difference.

[sevenlayermuddle]

I tried hard not to encourage you to buy the iPad as it had to be your own decision.   But now that you have made that decision, I’m optimistic you will like it.  And latest generation do seem spectacularly good value, by any standards.

And by and large, they generally seem to be allowed by Apple to have a very long service life.   Our iPad Mini (forget which generation) was purchased December 2013, still works good as new, and still runs latest iOS.

Exception was iPad 2, which became largely useless after iOS 9, owing to hardware insufficiencies.   All the same our own iPad 2 still works (as badly as ever post iOS 9), nearly 7 years old, was my own ‘goto’ device up until a year ago, and holds its charge for, literally, weeks on standby.

[tickmike]

It is the Apple hype etc that I do not like, but the products are good quality , well built and like you say last well (that is what the the Tech chap at Curry's said (( I could tell by what he was saying he knew he tech stuff and it was not sales talk !)) yesterday and he gave me some insight in what other tablets go wrong a lot quicker than the Apple products  ).
The Apple store has a lot of 'Free' apps I use on my iphone4 iso 7.2 , so at least with iso 12 on the ipad I can use a lot more apps than on my phone.

[Weaver]

@tickmike - I was born in Derby, don’t know it that well - occasional trips to the cinemas were the usual reason to make the 20 mile journey from my parents’ farm, that or hospital visits, infrequent shopping.

[tickmike]

@ Weaver, yes I think you have said before, I was born in a part of Derby as well, it has changed a lot and some of it not for the good. !
I live in a small village now.
There used to be an Apple store in the center a long time ago but not any more.

[sevenlayermuddle]

There used to be an Apple sore in the center

Many here would agree with that sentiment.

[tickmike]

Just an update, we used my new iPad 9.7" iso 12 to Facetime our Daughter for the first time tonight and what a difference, we could hear her and see her a lot clearer than my old iPhone 4, she also said our picture her end was a lot clearer.

My daughter bought me a keyboard case for Xmas and that works very well and is a fraction of the Apple price.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/eoso-Keyboard-Wireless-Protective-Backlight-New-2018-2017-iPad-Pro-9-7-Air-1-2-Backlit-Dark-Blue/dp/B07H3X2GFM/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546812047&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=eoso+ipad+cover+9.7+inch+2018+with+keyboard

The iPad is very well built product but expensive. 

[chenks]

The iPad is very well built product but expensive. 

except for the ones that are bent
https://www.macrumors.com/2019/01/05/apple-addresses-2018-ipad-pro-bending-controversy/

[tickmike]

That does not look good