Main Speaker Stopped Working on Samsung Galaxy J7 Sky Pro

[Android Central Question]

The main speaker on my Galaxy J7 Sky Pro appears to have stopped working (I have TracFone). I was watching a video on YouTube the other day, and midway through the video, the sound started to crack and break up, then it went silent, and it hasn't worked since.

I tried all the usual fixes:
- Checked all sound settings
- Re-booted multiple times
- Shut off phone for a while
- Tried wiggling the SIM card
- Factory reset

None of these fixed the issue.

I DO have some sound, specifically when using the phone I hear:
- Ringing when I dial out
- The voice of someone talking on the other end
- And they can hear me

However, that is the only sound I hear (which is the sound when I hold it up to my ear - the main external speaker does not appear to be working at all). Here is what does NOT work:
- The phone does not ring for incoming calls
- The phone makes no sound for incoming texts
- I cannot hear any sound when watching any videos on the internet (on any site, YouTube, ESPN, etc)
- No apps make any sounds

I can set the phone to "vibrate", and that appears to be the best I can do.

Does anyone have any ideas of what the issue might be and how I can fix it? My next step would be to take it to a repair shop, or buy a new one.

I have posted this question over on the Samsung forum too, in hopes that someone can help me. I am pretty desperate!

Thanks

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Can you hear things using wired or Bluetooth headphones? Does the problem persist in Safe Mode? https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-30290