SGS II - Audio Problem, the other party can't hear me clearly.

[Limilicious]

I think it is the phone not the service provider because it was by the same person and this person called two different phones. A Samsung Galaxy SII and an iPhone 4S with the same service provider at the same location. The person said she could only hear pieces and not full sentences and sometimes nothing.

Any person have any ideas why this could be so? And how to fix it? If there are no solution, any recommendations for a phone that "shouldn't" have these problems?

 

[DroidArmy]

I think it is the phone not the service provider because it was by the same person and this person called two different phones. A Samsung Galaxy SII and an iPhone 4S with the same service provider at the same location. The person said she could only hear pieces and not full sentences and sometimes nothing.

Any person have any ideas why this could be so? And how to fix it? If there are no solution, any recommendations for a phone that "shouldn't" have these problems?

I'm pretty sure this is a microphone gain issue which I have seen on many s2's and s3's (but not all). You would need to root the phone and use a kernel that supports faux sound to solve this issue

 

[Limilicious]

I'm pretty sure this is a microphone gain issue which I have seen on many s2's and s3's (but not all). You would need to root the phone and use a kernel that supports faux sound to solve this issue

First off, thank you for replying.

I'm sorry to say this but I got no clue how to root the phone nor check whether the kernel would support faux sound. I do, however, understand what rooting the phone and what kernel is. But I don't know what faux sound is. If you don't mind, could you do a little explanation?

Alternative, from your experience, what other smartphones have you not seen/heard about with this issue?

 

[DroidArmy]

First off, thank you for replying.

I'm sorry to say this but I got no clue how to root the phone nor check whether the kernel would support faux sound. I do, however, understand what rooting the phone and what kernel is. But I don't know what faux sound is. If you don't mind, could you do a little explanation?

Alternative, from your experience, what other smartphones have you not seen/heard about with this issue?

No problem, I can do a little bit of explaining. Faux sound allows you to modify the gain levels of the phone, increasing the quality, the volume, and a few other things. It can be controlled using the faux sound app available on the play store. For kernels that support this there are a few. I'm not sure of any at the moment because I don't have an s2, but I could do a little bit of background research if you wish. As for rooting the phone if you decide to do so, there are many videos on youtube which should show you how. You will need a custom recovery (personally I like twrp) and root access to solve this issue. Once you do this, flash a touchwiz kernel (make a backup first!) that supports faux sound. Download the faux sound app (It's a few dollars, but it's worth it) and set the microphone gain to -6 or -7. This should solve the issue hopefully.

For phones that don't have this issue it's pretty much all of them. Samsung is the only manufacturer I know of to have this issue (maybe HTC, but I don't know). The s4 has solved pretty much all of the issues with the galaxy line of phones, It's excellent. I have a galaxy s3 and I HAVE to run an aosp rom to get everything running smoothly. I haven't however had the microphone issue. The only real issue I've had is a terrible headphone hiss which I've fixed with a kernel that uses faux sound

 

[Limilicious]

No problem, I can do a little bit of explaining. Faux sound allows you to modify the gain levels of the phone, increasing the quality, the volume, and a few other things. It can be controlled using the faux sound app available on the play store. For kernels that support this there are a few. I'm not sure of any at the moment because I don't have an s2, but I could do a little bit of background research if you wish. As for rooting the phone if you decide to do so, there are many videos on youtube which should show you how. You will need a custom recovery (personally I like twrp) and root access to solve this issue. Once you do this, flash a touchwiz kernel (make a backup first!) that supports faux sound. Download the faux sound app (It's a few dollars, but it's worth it) and set the microphone gain to -6 or -7. This should solve the issue hopefully.

For phones that don't have this issue it's pretty much all of them. Samsung is the only manufacturer I know of to have this issue (maybe HTC, but I don't know). The s4 has solved pretty much all of the issues with the galaxy line of phones, It's excellent. I have a galaxy s3 and I HAVE to run an aosp rom to get everything running smoothly. I haven't however had the microphone issue. The only real issue I've had is a terrible headphone hiss which I've fixed with a kernel that uses faux sound

Thanks for the great details. In the past day or two, I've did a couple things. I tried to find the kernels that support faux sound, but that kind of failed. So, I'm pretty sure I'm not searching the right terms or at the right places. So, if you don't mind, it would be greatly appreciated. The other thing I tried was asking people to call me and hold pointless conversations for several minutes. Apparently, they were able to hear me clear as crisp and didn't experience any problems. So, it was quite confusing as to why the other person wasn't able to hear me. But nonetheless, I think I will root my phone and ensure I wouldn't experience this problem later on.

That sounds great! My contract is finishing up in the next few months, so I'm considering on getting a new one.

Thanks a lot for the great details.

 

[DroidArmy]

Thanks for the great details. In the past day or two, I've did a couple things. I tried to find the kernels that support faux sound, but that kind of failed. So, I'm pretty sure I'm not searching the right terms or at the right places. So, if you don't mind, it would be greatly appreciated. The other thing I tried was asking people to call me and hold pointless conversations for several minutes. Apparently, they were able to hear me clear as crisp and didn't experience any problems. So, it was quite confusing as to why the other person wasn't able to hear me. But nonetheless, I think I will root my phone and ensure I wouldn't experience this problem later on.

That sounds great! My contract is finishing up in the next few months, so I'm considering on getting a new one.

Thanks a lot for the great details.

No problem. That definitely is a weird situation you have. It might actually be something to do with your carrier, but the kernel shouldn't hurt. I'll try to find you a kernel, but I need to know which version of the galaxy s2 you have. Which carrier is it on? Can you give me the model number of the phone?

 

[Limilicious]

No problem. That definitely is a weird situation you have. It might actually be something to do with your carrier, but the kernel shouldn't hurt. I'll try to find you a kernel, but I need to know which version of the galaxy s2 you have. Which carrier is it on? Can you give me the model number of the phone?

Sure, thanks. I bought the phone in Hong Kong, so it doesn't actually updates automatically as I'm in a different region now. My service provider is Fido (Rogers Wireless).

Model number:
GT-I9100
Android version:
2.3.5
Baseband version:
I9100XXKI3
Kernel version:
2.6.35.7-I9100ZSKI3-CL603802
se.infra@SEP-78 #2
Build Number:
GINGERBREAD.ZSKI3

If you need anything else, just ask.

 

[DroidArmy]

Sure, thanks. I bought the phone in Hong Kong, so it doesn't actually updates automatically as I'm in a different region now. My service provider is Fido (Rogers Wireless).

Model number:
GT-I9100
Android version:
2.3.5
Baseband version:
I9100XXKI3
Kernel version:
2.6.35.7-I9100ZSKI3-CL603802
se.infra@SEP-78 #2
Build Number:
GINGERBREAD.ZSKI3

If you need anything else, just ask.

Hmm....I just noticed your android version. That is the factory unlocked edition, you should be able to update. Have you tried updating through kies?

 

[Limilicious]

Hmm....I just noticed your android version. That is the factory unlocked edition, you should be able to update. Have you tried updating through kies?

I tried that several years back when I first got the phone. And it didn't do anything. But I tried it again just now and found out the exact reason:

Your device's current firmware version is not supported to update firmware via Kies.
Current firmware version: PDA:KI3 / PHONE:KI3 / CSC:KI3 (KOR)

 

[DroidArmy]

I tried that several years back when I first got the phone. And it didn't do anything. But I tried it again just now and found out the exact reason:

Your device's current firmware version is not supported to update firmware via Kies.
Current firmware version: PDA:KI3 / PHONE:KI3 / CSC:KI3 (KOR)

I see, so it's running Korean firmware. I'm leaning more on the idea that the software is out of date and it was just a bug. I'm not 100% positive the kernel will fix the issue like you had hoped (or that any of the kernels I know of supports android on this phone that far back). I know this may seem silly, but have you ever tried to flash it with an American firmware? Don't do it now if you were going to, it could mess it up. I was just wondering. It doesn't make sense why the Korean edition would be so out of date

 

[Limilicious]

I see, so it's running Korean firmware. I'm leaning more on the idea that the software is out of date and it was just a bug. I'm not 100% positive the kernel will fix the issue like you had hoped (or that any of the kernels I know of supports android on this phone that far back). I know this may seem silly, but have you ever tried to flash it with an American firmware? Don't do it now if you were going to, it could mess it up. I was just wondering. It doesn't make sense why the Korean edition would be so out of date

Well, that is unfortunate. But I guess it's alright. I only have to hold out for another few months. I have never tried to flash it with an American firmware before. I don't even know how or considered it. To be fair, I purchased this phone on ebay and the user was located in Hong Kong. So it wasn't exact a phone purchased at a proper retailer, I think. So, your guess to why it's so out of date is as good as mine.

 

[DroidArmy]

Well, that is unfortunate. But I guess it's alright. I only have to hold out for another few months. I have never tried to flash it with an American firmware before. I don't even know how or considered it. To be fair, I purchased this phone on ebay and the user was located in Hong Kong. So it wasn't exact a phone purchased at a proper retailer, I think. So, your guess to why it's so out of date is as good as mine.

I did a little bit of kernel searching and I couldn't find one that has faux sound that supports your version of android. They're all 4.0 and up. Just a word of advice for the future: Always try to buy the American or European variant of the phone if possible.

 

[Limilicious]

I did a little bit of kernel searching and I couldn't find one that has faux sound that supports your version of android. They're all 4.0 and up. Just a word of advice for the future: Always try to buy the American or European variant of the phone if possible.

Thanks for all the effort. At the time, my carrier or service provider didn't carry any Samsung Galaxy models. So I had to look elsewhere, plus it was significantly cheaper too. I'll try to stick to American/European variants now.