Microphone Not Working on Your Android Phone? How to Fix It

Is your phone's microphone not working properly during voice or video calls? This could be due to various factors. While microphone-related issues are pretty common on Android devices, you can follow these troubleshooting steps to fix them.

1. Check if Microphone Access Is Turned Off

Most Android phones allow you to disable microphone access manually. This means even though the mic itself is working perfectly fine, the software can block the apps on your phone from using it. You may have disabled mic access accidentally and forgot to turn it back on.

On Samsung phones, go to Settings > Security and privacy > Additional privacy controls and check whether Microphone access is toggled on.

Note that you may have restricted some apps from using the microphone and not others. You can check that under the Security and privacy > Permission manager menu.

2. Check if Your Case Is Blocking the Mic

If you use a case on your phone, you should first check whether it's blocking the microphone port. It could be that the mic is working fine, but it's not able to detect your voice well enough or at all because the case is covering the hole.

This likely won't cause the issue if you bought your case directly from the phone manufacturer. But sometimes, third-party cases have manufacturing defects, where the holes don't exactly align with the ports. Such defects could cause the case to block your phone's microphone.

3. Restart and Check for Updates

Sometimes, the easiest solution is the best solution. Restarting your smartphone refreshes your system by clearing all processes and closing apps. It can be a quick fix to your problem.

Hold the power button until the menu appears, then choose Power > Power off. Leave it off for 30 to 60 seconds before turning it back on, then check to see if the problem is resolved.

If a quick restart doesn't work, check for Android software updates by heading to Settings > System > Software update (on Pixel phones) or Settings > Software update (on Samsung Galaxy phones). A new software update usually fixes any bugs the current version may have, which could be affecting your microphone.

4. Clean Your Phone's Microphone

If you don't clean your phone regularly, dirt can build up in the small openings like the microphone port, even if your device has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. Simply wiping your phone isn't enough, as dust or other small debris can get packed in.

Your mic is typically a small hole beside the USB-C port at the bottom of your phone. Grab a small pin, thin needle, or similar, and use it to gently clean your mic. The other alternative is to blow directly at it to remove all the built-up debris. However, if you do this, be careful not to blow air further into the phone.

You can adapt our guide to cleaning iPhones for your Android phone and apply most of the same steps to avoid facing this problem again in the future.

5. Configure Your Sound Settings

Some Android phones come with a feature called noise suppression or noise reduction. Noise suppression helps reduce the background noise when you are on a call or recording a video.

Unfortunately, noise suppression can often make the sound quality worse. So, here's how to disable the setting to make sure your mic is fine:

1. Go to the Settings app.
2. Select Call Settings or Sound Settings.
3. Look for the Noise Reduction option and disable it.
4. Restart your phone and check if the problem is solved.

Not all Android phones come with this feature. Also, depending on your device and Android version, this setting may appear in a different location.

Besides this option, there's also the chance that you might have left your phone connected to a Bluetooth headset or another device with a microphone. If that's the case, your phone will use that as the primary microphone instead of the built-in one.

Make sure to check your Bluetooth settings for any connected headphones. Disconnect them and try using the mic again to fix your problem.

6. Check for Third-Party App Interference

Third-party apps can often cause your phone to malfunction, as they tend to interfere with your phone's settings. In this case, apps that can access your microphone might be the cause of your issues.

Try booting your Android phone into safe mode, which disables all third-party apps temporarily, by following these steps:

1. Press and hold your phone's Power button.
2. On your screen, touch and hold the Power off option.
3. Afterward, you should see Safe mode at the bottom of your screen. Select this to reboot into safe mode.

If your phone is off, do the following:

1. Hold your phone's Power button to boot as normal.
2. When the animation starts, press and hold your phone's volume down button. Keep holding it until the animation ends, and your phone will start in safe mode.
3. You'll see Safe mode appear at the bottom of your screen for confirmation.

Now that you're in safe mode, perform a test call or use your recorder app to check the microphone. If your mic is working fine in safe mode, then the issue lies with an app. You can find a list of apps that use your mic in the Settings menu.

Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Advanced > Permission manager > Microphone. If you own a Samsung phone, head to Settings > Security and privacy > Permission manager > Microphone instead.

If you have installed sound amplifiers or enhancer apps, they are most likely the culprit. Otherwise, try checking the apps you suspect, revoke their mic access, and then test your mic to see if they were the cause.

7. Take It to a Technician

If none of the above troubleshooting steps helped, there is a good chance your microphone issue is hardware-related. Mics are delicate parts that can easily break from accidental drops or water damage.

In such cases, we highly recommend taking your phone to one of the manufacturer's server centers, where an expert technician can determine the fault with your device.

As you can see, several factors could prevent your Android phone's microphone from working as intended. But we hope one of the troubleshooting methods we discussed here helped you resolve the problem.

As long as you take good care of your phone and keep an eye on the apps that have access to its microphone, you won't have to worry about these issues.

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