Have a dual sim Note 9, 6 GB/128 GB variant, Sim Free.
Around a week ago started having call issues whereby the other party calling can't hear me but I can hear perfectly well. Once this started happening, it was most of the time, but strangely not always. Every once in a while, a call would come through with no issues.
Happens on both lines on the phone, thus ruling out it's a problem tied to any one specific sim card/ network.
Curiously however, if I'm the one initiating the call, pretty much 99% of the time, calls aren't affected by the same problem - both parties can hear perfectly.
Having done everything I know: cleared cache partition, soft reset, restarted the phone etc. with no luck, stumbled on an additional oddity- if I switch a call from the handset to the speaker phone, then back to the handset once I've received the call, it ensures a trouble free connection - other party hears just fine.
I make calls off WhatsApp rather regularly, probably even more than I do network calls, and don't experience the same issue.
Exasperated, took my device into an authorised Samsung care centre, and they said it was the hardware and they'd need to replace the mic.
Not a problem as the phone is still under warranty, but balked at the idea of leaving my phone for the required five working days for the part to be ordered and fixed.
Rely on my phone for work, and I'm frankly not too convinced they know what they're on about. The customer service guy even suggesting I was experiencing no issues with WhatsApp because it uses a different set of protocols to network calls. Something about using the speaker phone rather than the phones mic. Found that odd and goofy, but hey, what do I know. He might be right, and I might just be a little too preoccupied with my frustrations to be thinking clearly.
Decided not to leave the phone, and while researching my problem, come across a number of threads where other Samsung users complained of the same thing happening to them after a recent update.
Strongly feel its a software problem rather than hardware issue myself, and want to explore along those lines a little more before committing to having my phones innards disrupted and gutted. Something tells me very little good will come of that last scenario in the long term.
By the way, just jumped on One UI 2.5 within the last month, shortly before the phone started misbehaving. Coincidentally recieved a further 1st November, 2020 update yesterday on getting back from Samsung which had "stability improvements", and which I hoped might fix the problem, but sadly didn't.
At my wits end and would greatly appreciate suggestions for a fix and/ or learning if anyone else has had similar issues.
Further info: No I haven't dropped my phone, its in pristine condition, resides in a Spigen case and has never been in water.
I have not done a factory reset, but have bought a memory card to back up my phone in its entirety, in the eventuality I'll be forced into doing so.
Saving that as a last resort as there's no guarantee that particular measure might work.
Saw a YouTube video where someone with the identical problem on a Note 8 used a bent out of shape staple pin to poke a few times through the mic. Lots of comments with people professing how it worked and solved their problem. I'll wait to make this a last last resort. Somehow think a pin poke too far might do more harm than good.
Finally, apologise for the War and Peace length of this. Well done you for getting through it. Needed to try to get all the facts on here in order to try to find a solution.
Many many thanks in advance.
Around a week ago started having call issues whereby the other party calling can't hear me but I can hear perfectly well. Once this started happening, it was most of the time, but strangely not always. Every once in a while, a call would come through with no issues.
Happens on both lines on the phone, thus ruling out it's a problem tied to any one specific sim card/ network.
Curiously however, if I'm the one initiating the call, pretty much 99% of the time, calls aren't affected by the same problem - both parties can hear perfectly.
Having done everything I know: cleared cache partition, soft reset, restarted the phone etc. with no luck, stumbled on an additional oddity- if I switch a call from the handset to the speaker phone, then back to the handset once I've received the call, it ensures a trouble free connection - other party hears just fine.
I make calls off WhatsApp rather regularly, probably even more than I do network calls, and don't experience the same issue.
Exasperated, took my device into an authorised Samsung care centre, and they said it was the hardware and they'd need to replace the mic.
Not a problem as the phone is still under warranty, but balked at the idea of leaving my phone for the required five working days for the part to be ordered and fixed.
Rely on my phone for work, and I'm frankly not too convinced they know what they're on about. The customer service guy even suggesting I was experiencing no issues with WhatsApp because it uses a different set of protocols to network calls. Something about using the speaker phone rather than the phones mic. Found that odd and goofy, but hey, what do I know. He might be right, and I might just be a little too preoccupied with my frustrations to be thinking clearly.
Decided not to leave the phone, and while researching my problem, come across a number of threads where other Samsung users complained of the same thing happening to them after a recent update.
Strongly feel its a software problem rather than hardware issue myself, and want to explore along those lines a little more before committing to having my phones innards disrupted and gutted. Something tells me very little good will come of that last scenario in the long term.
By the way, just jumped on One UI 2.5 within the last month, shortly before the phone started misbehaving. Coincidentally recieved a further 1st November, 2020 update yesterday on getting back from Samsung which had "stability improvements", and which I hoped might fix the problem, but sadly didn't.
At my wits end and would greatly appreciate suggestions for a fix and/ or learning if anyone else has had similar issues.
Further info: No I haven't dropped my phone, its in pristine condition, resides in a Spigen case and has never been in water.
I have not done a factory reset, but have bought a memory card to back up my phone in its entirety, in the eventuality I'll be forced into doing so.
Saving that as a last resort as there's no guarantee that particular measure might work.
Saw a YouTube video where someone with the identical problem on a Note 8 used a bent out of shape staple pin to poke a few times through the mic. Lots of comments with people professing how it worked and solved their problem. I'll wait to make this a last last resort. Somehow think a pin poke too far might do more harm than good.
Finally, apologise for the War and Peace length of this. Well done you for getting through it. Needed to try to get all the facts on here in order to try to find a solution.
Many many thanks in advance.
Last edited:
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