Phone microphone not working: the other person can't hear you

You talk and the other person keeps asking you to repeat yourself, or can't hear you at all. Voice messages come out quiet or hissy. It can be a setting, dirt, or the microphone itself.

A phone has several microphones

Most smartphones have 2–4: at the bottom (for calls), at the top by the earpiece, and by the camera (for video and noise cancelling). So you need to find out which one isn't working.

How to test each one

• Bottom: record a voice memo, speaking into the bottom edge.
• Top/front: record a video with the front camera.
• Rear: record a video with the main camera.

If the sound is fine in one test but quiet or missing in another, it's that specific microphone.

What to check yourself

1. Case and screen protector: are they covering the microphone holes?
2. Bluetooth: are headphones or a speaker connected and taking the audio? Turn Bluetooth off and test again.
3. Permissions: Settings → Privacy → Microphone: is access on for your messenger?
4. Restart and update the system.
5. Dirt in the hole: shine a torch. Gently remove dust with a soft dry brush. Don't poke needles in: there's a thin membrane underneath.

Common causes

• Dirt and dust in the microphone mesh — the most common case, especially in summer and after the beach.
• Moisture: after rain, a shower or the sea, sound can disappear or turn muffled.
• A drop: damage to the bottom port cable, which carries the microphone on many models.
• Board damage: less often, usually after water.

On many iPhones and Android phones the bottom microphone is on the same flex cable as the charging port, so replacing the port sometimes revives the microphone too.

What the technician does

Cleans the meshes and holes, checks the cable and microphone, and replaces the cable or module if needed. The phone inspection is free, and you get the price before the repair. More: speaker and microphone repair.

If it's the other person you can't hear, that's the speaker: see can't hear well in the earpiece.

Read also

• Phone fell in water: what to do in the first 10 minutes (and why not rice)
• Phone dropped in the sea: why salt water is worse than fresh water
• IP68 water resistance: can you swim with your phone?
• Cracked glass but the screen works: can you replace just the glass?