How to Fix Android Microphone Not Working
You’re on an important call. The person on the other end says “I can barely hear you.” Or you try to record a voice memo and get nothing but silence. Maybe Google Assistant doesn’t respond when you say “Hey Google.” Or your favorite app says “Microphone permission required” even though you already allowed it.
A broken microphone on your Android phone makes half its features useless. Calls, voice notes, voice search, video recording, and talking to assistants all stop working.
The good news is most microphone problems are software issues. You can fix them yourself without any tools. Hardware failure happens, but it’s less common than people think.
Let me show you exactly how to get your microphone working again. Start from the top.
First, Figure Out Which Microphone Is Broken
Most Android phones have three microphones. One at the bottom for calls. One at the top for noise cancellation. One on the back for video recording. Depending on your phone model, you might have two or three.
Do this quick test. Open the Voice Recorder app on your phone. Tap record. Speak normally into the bottom of the phone. Play it back. Can you hear yourself? If yes, the main microphone works. If no, something is wrong.
Now open the Camera app. Switch to video mode. Record a short video while speaking toward the back of the phone. Play it back. Can you hear yourself? If the voice recorder worked but the video didn’t, the back microphone might be broken.
This test tells you where the problem is.
Fix 1: Restart Your Phone
I put this first in every guide because it works more often than people think. The microphone is controlled by software drivers. Those drivers can freeze or crash. A restart reloads everything.
Press and hold the power button. Tap Restart or Reboot. Wait for the phone to fully turn back on. Make a test call or record a voice memo.
This takes less than a minute. Do it now before reading further.
Fix 2: Check Microphone Permissions for Apps
Android’s permission system blocks apps from using the microphone unless you explicitly allow it. Sometimes an update resets permissions. Sometimes you accidentally tap “Deny” without realizing it.
How to check:
Go to Settings → Apps → See all apps. Find the app that’s having microphone trouble. If it’s calls, look for Phone or Dialer. If it’s voice recording, look for Voice Recorder or Camera.
Tap the app. Tap Permissions. Look for Microphone. Make sure it’s set to Allow only while using the app or Allow all the time. Do not choose “Deny.”
For apps like Google Assistant, you need “Allow all the time” so it can hear you when the screen is off.
After changing permissions, restart the app and test.
Fix 3: Turn Off Noise Cancellation
Many Android phones have noise cancellation features that use the secondary microphones. When these features malfunction, they can cancel out your voice instead of background noise. Call quality becomes terrible or completely silent.
How to turn it off (Samsung):
Open the Phone app. Tap the three dots in the top corner. Tap Settings. Look for Noise reduction or Call noise reduction. Turn it off.
How to turn it off (other brands):
The setting might be called “Noise suppression,” “Voice clarity,” or “Background noise reduction.” Look in the Phone app settings or in Sound settings. If you can’t find it, search your phone’s settings for “noise.”
Turning this off makes calls sound more raw but often fixes microphones that seem dead.
Fix 4: Disable “Hey Google” Detection Temporarily
Google Assistant’s “Hey Google” feature keeps the microphone listening at all times. This can conflict with other apps that try to use the microphone. Sometimes the assistant grabs the microphone and doesn’t let go.
How to disable temporarily:
Open the Google app. Tap your profile picture in the top corner. Tap Settings → Google Assistant → Hey Google & Voice Match. Turn off Hey Google.
Now test your microphone in the app that wasn’t working. If it works, you have two choices. Keep Hey Google off permanently. Or turn it back on and see if the problem returns. Some phones handle this better than others.
Fix 5: Check for Bluetooth Interference
When your phone is connected to a Bluetooth device like headphones, a speaker, or a smartwatch, the microphone routing can get confused. Your phone might try to use the microphone on your Bluetooth headphones even when they’re not on your head.
How to check:
Turn off Bluetooth completely. Swipe down to open Quick Settings. Tap the Bluetooth icon to turn it off. Now test your microphone with a regular call or voice recorder.
If the microphone works with Bluetooth off, the problem is your Bluetooth device or the way your phone routes audio. Try disconnecting specific devices instead of turning off Bluetooth entirely. Go to Settings → Connected devices → Tap the gear icon next to each device → Turn off Phone calls or Audio.
Fix 6: Clean Your Microphone Holes
This is a physical fix but it’s important. The microphone holes on your phone are tiny. They get clogged with pocket lint, dust, and dead skin. A clogged microphone hole makes your voice sound distant or completely silent.
How to clean safely:
Turn off your phone. Look for the tiny holes on the bottom edge (main microphone), top edge (noise cancellation), and back near the camera (video microphone). Use a soft toothbrush to gently brush the holes. Do not use a metal pin or paperclip. You can push lint further inside or damage the microphone membrane.
If a toothbrush doesn’t work, use compressed air. Give the holes a quick burst at an angle. Never stick anything inside.
After cleaning, turn your phone back on and test.
Fix 7: Check for App-Specific Issues
Sometimes the microphone works in some apps but not others. This tells you the hardware is fine. The problem is a specific app.
How to test:
Open these three apps and test the microphone in each:
- Voice Recorder (system app)
- Phone dialer (make a test call to voicemail)
- WhatsApp or Telegram (send a voice note)
- Camera (record a video with sound)
If the microphone works in three apps but fails in one, uninstall and reinstall the failing app. Clear its cache first. Go to Settings → Apps → find the app → Storage & cache → Clear cache. If that doesn’t work, uninstall and reinstall from the Play Store.
Fix 8: Turn Off Do Not Disturb and Quiet Modes
Do Not Disturb mode blocks sounds but it can also affect microphone access in weird ways. Some Android versions restrict microphone input when DND is on, especially for voice recording apps.
How to check:
Swipe down to open Quick Settings. Look for Do Not Disturb or DND. If it’s on, tap it to turn it off. Also check Mute or Silent mode. Turn those off too.
Test your microphone again.
Fix 9: Boot into Safe Mode
Safe Mode turns off all third-party apps. If your microphone works in Safe Mode, a downloaded app is causing the problem. This is a powerful diagnostic tool.
How to enter Safe Mode (most phones):
Press and hold the power button. Tap and hold Power off on the screen until you see “Reboot to safe mode.” Tap OK. Your phone will restart with “Safe mode” written on the screen.
In Safe Mode, open Voice Recorder and test the microphone. If it works, restart your phone normally (which exits Safe Mode). Now uninstall recently downloaded apps one by one. Start with any app that uses the microphone: voice changers, recording apps, video editors, or calling apps.
After uninstalling each app, test the microphone. When it starts working, you found the culprit.
Fix 10: Clear Cache of Google App and Microphone-Related System Apps
System apps that manage microphone input can get corrupted caches. Clearing these caches often fixes weird microphone behavior.
How to clear Google app cache:
Go to Settings → Apps → See all apps. Tap the three dots and choose Show system if needed. Find Google (the main Google app). Tap it → Storage & cache → Clear cache.
Now find Google Play Services. Do the same. Clear cache only, not storage.
Now find an app called Speech Services by Google or Google Text-to-Speech. Clear its cache.
Restart your phone after clearing these caches. Test the microphone.
Fix 11: Turn Off Voice Recorder’s “High Quality” Mode
Some voice recorder apps have a “High quality” or “Studio” mode that uses advanced microphone processing. This can fail on older phones or phones with weaker processors. Switching to normal quality often fixes the issue.
How to do it:
Open your Voice Recorder app. Tap the settings gear icon. Look for Recording quality or Audio quality. Change from “High” or “Studio” to Normal or Standard. Test recording again.
If this works, leave it on Normal quality. The difference is barely noticeable for most people.
Fix 12: Check for Physical Damage
If you tried all the software fixes and nothing works, inspect your phone for physical damage.
Look for these signs:
- Your phone was dropped recently, especially on the bottom edge
- Your phone got wet (even a little rain or sweat)
- You can hear rattling inside when you shake the phone gently
- The microphone holes look damaged or pushed in
What to do:
If you see water damage, put your phone in a bowl of dry rice for 24 hours. The rice pulls out moisture. After 24 hours, clean the microphone holes with a toothbrush and test again.
If the phone was dropped, the microphone ribbon cable might have come loose inside. This requires opening the phone. Take it to a repair shop. This is not a DIY fix for most people.
If the microphone holes look damaged or pushed in, a repair shop needs to replace the microphone module. This is usually inexpensive compared to other phone repairs.
Fix 13: Factory Reset as Last Resort
If nothing above worked and you’re certain the phone wasn’t damaged, a factory reset is the final software step. This erases everything. Your photos, apps, messages, and settings.
Only do this if:
- You tried all other fixes
- You backed up your important data
- You’re ready to spend an hour setting up your phone again
How to do it:
Go to Settings → System → Reset options → Erase all data (factory reset). Confirm. Your phone will restart like new.
Set up your phone without restoring from backup. Test the microphone immediately. If it works, slowly reinstall your apps and check the microphone after each one. If the microphone still doesn’t work after a factory reset, the problem is definitely hardware. Take it to a repair shop.
Which Microphone Fix Should You Try First?
If you want the fastest path to a working microphone, do these three things in order:
- Restart your phone.
- Clean the microphone holes with a soft toothbrush.
- Turn off Bluetooth and test again.
These three solve most microphone problems in under five minutes.
If your Android phone is also having WiFi connection issues, you may want to read this guide:
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