Our Android device can give us issues that throws us into panic mood such as Android microphone not working during call, no network etc., because our mobile devices have become part and parcel of our lives and when it starts to malfunction it becomes a major source of worry.
Now that you are in this situation, this article highlights different troubleshooting ways and solutions.
Causes of Android microphone not working during call
There are numerous causes of the Android microphone not working during calls. Before explaining the solutions, firstly, let’s look at possible causes of microphone problem in our Android device:
1. Dirt
An Android device has several openings which if not cleaned up regularly could accumulate dirt overtime. The microphone opening is one of such openings and a build up of dirt in your microphone opening causes sound hindrance.
2. Software glitches/updates
It’s important to update your phones regularly. A new software update will fix bugs and errors that could affect your microphone.
3. Third-party applications
Some third-party applications in your Android device can tamper with your microphone settings. It could reconfigure or disable your mic even without you knowing about it. Though third party applications do not harm your device hardware, but it can be the cause of your microphone not working.
4. Mobile Network problem
Have you been on a call and suddenly the person you are talking to no longer hears you. Then the problem maybe from your network.
5. Physical damages
Your Android microphone malfunction can be caused by physical damages such as falls, exposing your android device to water especially if it’s not a water-resistant device, mishandling your device. These can also be the causes of your microphone malfunction.
If you suspect your Android device microphone is not working properly, it’s important you test run by doing the following:
- Recording with your phone recorder and playing the recording out to check for any malfunction. If your device has no sound recorder you can download one from Google Play.
- You can simply call a friend to know if they can hear you.
- In addition to that, you can run a system diagnostic test on your device. This can be done manually using specific codes *#0*# which checks for general performance of various hardware of your device such as the state of your volume or power button.
The other code is *#*#4636#*# * which displays information about the software such as data network connection amongst other things.
Not all devices supports using the code, if your device is one of those then you can use third party applications like Phone Check and Test, Test M all available on Google Play.
How to fix Android microphone not working during call
If you have done the checks and you discover your Android microphone not working during calls, these few highlighted solutions here will help you solve your Android microphone malfunction:
- Restart your phone
- Check for system updates
- Clean your phone mic
- Check your sound settings
- Use one microphone at a time
- Check for third-party app interference
- Restore to factory setting
- Reach out to a certified technician
1. Restart your phone
Restarting your phone clears all processes and open apps thereby refreshing your Android system. This could be a quicker way to fix your microphone problem. Simply hold the Power button, then click on Restart phone to enable your phone reboot, or you click on the Power off button to switch off totally, and then wait for at least a minute before switching back on. Then check to see if your problem is solved or If it still persists.
2. Check for system updates
Check for system updates, because a system update will fix bugs on your phone that could affect your device microphone. Simply go to Settings > System > Advanced > System update.
3. Clean your phone mic
It has been established earlier that accumulation of dirt in your microphone opening can cause your Android microphone problem. Simply clean the mic hole located besides your phone USB port. Use a small pin to clean gently. Also ensure that your phone case is not covering your mic opening, as this could suppress sound.
4. Check your sound settings
Some android devices comes with a noise suppression feature. The noise suppression feature helps reduce the background noise when you are on call, recording a voice note, playing music, etc. Disable this setting and recheck your mic. Simply go to Settings > Call settings/ Sound settings > Noise reduction option > Disable.
Restart phone and then recheck. You can also check if your device is connected to a headphone or Bluetooth headset. Ensure that the headphone symbol on your device is not indicating. Go to Settings > Connected device > Disable any active device and try using your microphone again.
5. Use one microphone at a time
If you realize you have connected your phone to a Bluetooth headset that has its own mic, chances are it’s affecting you device’s microphone. Be sure to disconnect from such device and restart your phone. Try using the mic after this.
6. Check for third-party app interference
Your Android device microphone might not be working because a third party app is tampering with your phone settings. These irregularities can be viewed as nothing by the user but it might be affecting your microphone. Most of these apps disable your microphone settings.
To check if your device has this problem, put your phone in safe mode, this automatically disables all third party apps and prevents them from functioning.
To activate safe mode:
- Press and hold the power button.
- On your screen touch and hold the power button.
- This will display safe mode at the bottom of your screen, select it to reboot to safe mode, you can also hold the power button to boot your phone.
- When the animation starts, press and hold your phone’s down volume button, hold till the animation ends and your phone is in safe mode.
When you put your phone in safe mode, try recording and play the voice recording to check if your microphone is now working. If the mic is working then they are third party apps affecting it. You have to disable such apps. You can access the apps that use mic in the settings menu. Settings > Apps and Notifications > Advanced > Permission manager > Microphone. Apps that could be responsible for this are enhancer apps, revoke the mic access of the apps you suspect.
7. Restore to factory setting
Inasmuch as it is not a guarantee, restoring your phone to factory settings could be the solution to your problem. Ensure that you backup your important files before you restore your phone to factory settings so that you don’t lose your files.
8. Reach out to a certified technician
If none of the above fixes solved your Android microphone not working during calls, then it’s best you take it to a certified phone technician for hardware troubleshooting.
Your microphone might need total replacement or minor repairs.
Conclusion
The best way to avoid any kind of problem in your Android device is to handle your phone with care especially the delicate parts like the microphone area etc.
Follow the steps highlighted in this article and hopefully you will be able to fix Android microphone not working during call.
This article was first published on June 21, 2022 9:00 a.m. WAT
