Nexus 4 - Headphones, Microphone, Audio Recording Debacle

**brofax** · 12-10-2012, 03:53 PM

Got my phone about two weeks ago and I've been having a hell of a time the the microphone and headphones.

As many others have pointed out, the headphone jack is a tough little bugger and you have to be pretty aggressive to get the headphones plugged in all the way.

My problem is that every single time I plug headphones in, one of two things happen:

Google Voice Search pops up listening live
Whatever media I was playing starts playing automatically

The other, much more important issue, is that the mic does not consistently record. Ever. Whether I'm using the phone as a handset, with headphones plugged in, or using an app like SoundCloud. Literally the only time I'm able to use the phone as a phone is via speakerphone with no headphones plugged in.

It's very frustrating because I love using google voice typing/search/etc. and I haven't yet been able to utilize it.

My theory: When I plug in headphones, it thinks I'm plugging in a mic'd headset, which turns off the internal mic and switches over to a non-existent external mic. It also thinks I'm either hitting or holding down a "play" button on a headset, which would play my recent media or launch voice search, respectively.

What I can't figure out is why, when I've unplugged the headphones, the mic still doesn't work anywhere, as a phone, voice typing/searching or as a microphone. When I'm trying to record a note in Soundcloud, I can track the audio graph of what's being input. Here is how the recording goes:

Start recording with headphones in.
Audio is flat with a low, even level of distortion but picking up no sound.
Unplug the heaphones.
For about a second after I unplug, it records properly with a little distortion
After doing nothing to the phone and leaving the recording going, the sound cuts out again back to the same low distortion after about a second.

The same thing happens if I start with the headphones out and plug them in in the middle. 1ish seconds of recording followed by blank distortion.

This seems like a software problem initiated by a hardware problem, but I feel stuck. I ordered a replacement Nexus4, but it's been 10 days with no news from Google.

I've factory reset (no change), oem unlocked and reset (no change) and I'm about to try installing the alpha of CM 10 to see if that does the trick.

I've only seen bits and pieces of people having similar problems, so I wanted to get this all into a thread so if anyone else is having these issues they knew they weren't going crazy.

If anyone has any ideas or has had the same issues, please post below.

Thanks for listening to my rant

**Hubertsng** · 12-10-2012, 03:57 PM

It might be the fact that your headphones aren't optimized for Nexus 4. Not sure what headphones you have but that could be the reason, try another headphones that you can either buy from the androidcentral store or maybe some from ebay.

**brofax** · 12-10-2012, 04:03 PM

I'm a headphone junkie and have tried six different pairs with the same results, unfortunately.

**Hubertsng** · 12-10-2012, 04:17 PM

Then I don't see any other solution, just send it back to Google for a replacement?

**N4Newbie** · 12-10-2012, 04:51 PM

I think, like it or not, that you need to use a set of headphones with a built-in mic or, at the least, with a dummy plug. The plugs used by standard headsets (no mic) and headsets designed for phones (with mic) are quite different.

Buy a cheap set or borrow from a friend just long enough to see if that is the problem.

**rkohou** · 12-10-2012, 05:56 PM

I think the headsets without the mic have just 3 metal band one for each channel and a ground where the ones with the mic have an additional metal ring on the plug making the plug reach 2 mm deeper inside the hole and reach the microphone connection. So I believe it shouldn't matter which headphones you using as the 3,5 mm jack should not reach the mic connection in the phone. I would blame it on the hardware plug in this case. Just my 2c

**uteninja6** · 12-20-2012, 12:40 AM

I have the same exact problem have plugged in 5 different headphones and no luck so far. If I press the headphone plug toward the phone while it is plugged in it will create a good connection and sound normal, but I am no going to hold it like that so I am going to ask for a replacement.

**N4Newbie** · 12-20-2012, 05:00 AM

Originally Posted by rkohou

I think the headsets without the mic have just 3 metal band one for each channel and a ground where the ones with the mic have an additional metal ring on the plug making the plug reach 2 mm deeper inside the hole and reach the microphone connection. So I believe it shouldn't matter which headphones you using as the 3,5 mm jack should not reach the mic connection in the phone. I would blame it on the hardware plug in this case. Just my 2c

Not true. The plugs are the same length; the upper band (the one furthest from the plug tip) is split in two if the headset has a mic.

**qnet** · 12-20-2012, 07:42 AM

My problem is that every single time I plug headphones in, one of two things happen:
Google Voice Search pops up listening live
Whatever media I was playing starts playing automatically

I don't know know about the first issue but, the second issue could be in your music player settings. I use Poweramp and, by default it is set to resume whatever music I last played when headsets are plugged in. I always disable this.

**minnemike** · 12-20-2012, 09:13 AM

Originally Posted by N4Newbie

I think, like it or not, that you need to use a set of headphones with a built-in mic or, at the least, with a dummy plug. The plugs used by standard headsets (no mic) and headsets designed for phones (with mic) are quite different.

Buy a cheap set or borrow from a friend just long enough to see if that is the problem.

This sounds like worth shot. Get a short cord extension or adapter that has a 4 pole plug to isolate the mic terminal.

**imnidiot2** · 12-21-2012, 06:44 PM

You can find all the particulars on the jack on the N4 here: . XDA has a list of the materials used in the N4 and this is the jack being used. I had to really push hard to get the plug to stay in and work properly. Thought I was going to break the phone. The jack will recognize the type plug going in according to the Fairchild specs.

**galatians51** · 01-27-2013, 08:48 PM

I have the exact same issue, I am about to lose my mind. I have a feeling it is a software issue, or it could be hardware as it seems the device thinks the headset is plugged in.
I am going to try a few things, mine stopped working right after I used play music, I may try to disable the app and cleaning out the headphone jack. If that doesn't work I may try to flash a new ROM...

**sloked** · 01-28-2013, 03:27 AM

I had the same issue with my Palm Pre a few years ago. I once fixed it by restarting the phone with the mic headphones plugged in. Then removing it. But the problem came back after a while. I solved the problem by getting a replacement phone. Its probably a grounding issue where the phone thinks the headphones are still plugged in when they are not. I use both mic ear buds, headphones and aux jack in my car and never had that problem. Sorry to say, but sounds like you need a replacement phone.

**Jason Shultz** · 04-03-2013, 09:21 AM

I have the same issue. I have just regular earbuds, no microphone, and when I get a call I have to unplug the earbuds to talk because no one can hear me or they can "barely" hear me. It's really frustrating. I'm sad/glad to see others have the same issue. At least I have a feeling that it's not my phone. On my GS3 it works just fine running the 4.2.2 so I don't know what the issue is.

**Tall Mike 2145** · 04-03-2013, 09:31 AM

I haven't tried using a triple band 1/8" connector myself; I don't have any headphones or earbuds that have either an integrated mic nor a volume controller (which is basically what the third circuit is used for) and I've never had one single problem with my phone. The only time I've ever added an external mic to my phone is via bluetooth.