Apple is reportedly working on a solution for its audio issues, with a team working on the mic and other technology, according to a new report from Bloomberg.
The technology could allow the iPhone to hear sounds from other speakers, and potentially other speakers inside the phone, Bloomberg reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.
Apple is not expected to reveal a timeline for when the mic is ready, the report said.
The company has been pushing to address audio problems with its iPhones and iPads for some time, with the iPhone 5S being the first major redesign to address the issue.
The redesign, which went live last year, brought a slew of new features, including improved audio quality and improved noise cancellation.
Apple has been working on improvements to audio for some years, including a headphone jack and a headphone amplifier, but it has been hard to get a firm timeline on when that technology will make its way to the iPhone.
AppleInsider first reported on the Mic tech earlier this month.
Bloomberg reported that the Mic team is “working on a new mic that would help the iPhone hear sound from other speaker systems inside the device,” which would be especially useful for people who use their phones for entertainment and social networking.
The new mic could make it possible for Apple to better connect headphones to the device, Bloomberg said, but this would still require some sort of external speaker that Apple could install.
The team is working on some kind of “smart speaker” that would act as a “mixer” for other speakers in the phone.
The team is also working on headphones that would connect to the microphone via the headphones, Bloomberg added.
Apple is reportedly looking at many different audio technologies, including microphones that use wireless technology, but the company is still far from ready to release a headset that works with its audio systems.
