Phone mic dead after ICS update

[bricon123]

Well, not actually dead but.... Making calls, no one can hear me while I'm
In regular phone mode. I hear them, they don't hear me. But, they can when
I turn on the speaker. Also found that Bluetooth devices work fine. They can hear me, I can hear them.
So, not a radio issue.
Not being sure if speaker mode uses on phone mic, I turned on AndroSensor app.
Mic is working. Up to 80dB with normal voice. So... Mic works!
Radio works, Mic works. Only thing between them that's different from yesterday is...ICS update.
So sounds like a ICS update issue. Ran into 2 others with same problem this morning after ota update
on Verizon T-Bolt forum, but no joy for an answer. So since its not just me,
I started a new thread here. I will save my rants about Verizon, and updates for
later. Right now I just need my phone to be a phone. I make a living with it! Anyone else? Any ideas?:'(

 

[Rav3nCroft]

Most people are suggesting a factory reset to resolve a lot of these issues.

 

[knowaczark]

Same issue here. ICS updated by Bolt Tuesday, then no mic. Speaker phone works to talk. Verizons says it is coincedental.
Sent me a refurb replacement. Same issue. Got a second replacement. Same issue. Wiped to factory, mic now works. Download and activate my apps, and now the mic not working again. Wiped to factory and mic is again operable. Obviously not a phone issue, but appears to be ICS and an apps related mic muting issue.

I have only downloaded about 15% of previous apps and my mic is still working. Proceeding slowly.

Any suggestion on a phone number to call to verify my mic is still working as I download more apps. American Xpress is going to get piffed off if i keep calling them. LOL

 

[bricon123]

Same issue here. ICS updated by Bolt Tuesday, then no mic. Speaker phone works to talk. Verizons says it is coincedental.
Sent me a refurb replacement. Same issue. Got a second replacement. Same issue. Wiped to factory, mic now works. Download and activate my apps, and now the mic not working again. Wiped to factory and mic is again operable. Obviously not a phone issue, but appears to be ICS and an apps related mic muting issue.

I have only downloaded about 15% of previous apps and my mic is still working. Proceeding slowly.

Any suggestion on a phone number to call to verify my mic is still working as I download more apps. American Xpress is going to get piffed off if i keep calling them. LOL

Lol! Yeah, call your mom, mine says I never call enough and she's always tickled to death that I called and doesn't mind how often. But then again, I don't get a word in edgewise so I never know if the mics working. Ha!
Seriously though, that sounds fascinating. So an interplay between ICS and some as yet unknown app? Wow, that's wild. (Insert update rant here, cause I promised I'd save it for later). Sounds like you caught the bug and are methodically working towards the offending app. Bravo, I bow to you, that's a tough scenario to catch. I'm sure with the wide variances between apps you, me, or anyone else have loaded, there's little likelihood it would be the same app for both of us. But, let us know when you run it to ground. If this is the case, I can see where we all have some little sneaky app, loaded long ago, the was written for Gingerbread, but has some bit missing to play well with ICS.
To shorten your hunt, would it make sense to start loading those apps that would use the mic? It doesn't always work that way (4 years ago, my BB Storm camera quit... Because of too many cookies! Deleted cookies, camera worked. Try troubleshooting THAT one).
Seriously again, please report back if this fixes your (our) problem and let us know what app or apps. I've never factory reset my phone and I'm pretty nervous about doing so. With your new found knowledge, I may be able to shortcut and just delete and reload apps like your doing now. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE INFO. good luck.

 

[fishmap]

exact same thing here

 

[IAmTTim]

Oh holy hell! A factory reset? I so hate having to do that and load all the apps. When you have tons of apps on your phone that is such a freakin' hassle. The update came in the middle of the night yesterday morning for me, but I didn't know there was a problem until late afternoon. Yea, not having your mic work on your phone is a BIG problem. I'm going to wait a little while today before I decide to do the reset, hopefully someone will come up with a fix which doesn't require it.

 

[fdohmann]

Same here!!! Nobody can here me, mic problem with regular phone. The other issue: The new Advanced Wi-Fi setting does not allow for Static Address and a manual Router configuration.

 

[mightyfacundo]

Oh holy hell! A factory reset? I so hate having to do that and load all the apps. When you have tons of apps on your phone that is such a freakin' hassle.

Yep, it's a hassle, but to make it a little less of a hassle, get on your pc and go to the Play Store. Scroll down to the bottom and click on My Orders & Settings. All of your apps will be there. Go through the list, and click on each app you want on your phone, then click install for each. Like I said, it's still a hassle, but much less of one to do it this way.



Sent from my DNA

 

[bricon123]

Yep, it's a hassle, but to make it a little less of a hassle, get on your pc and go to the Play Store. Scroll down to the bottom and click on My Orders & Settings. All of your apps will be there. Go through the list, and click on each app you want on your phone, then click install for each. Like I said, it's still a hassle, but much less of one to do it this way.



Sent from my DNA

Mightyfanundo: between you and Unobtainium, and a LOT of looking on Google, it seems all Super Users say the factory reset is the answer. Both of you have given good advice on some steps to make it less painful (You = save txt use MyBackup Pro and Play store "My Apps" reload"Unobtanium = screen shots to remember screen layouts AND another MyBackup Pro recommendation)and I thank you both. BUT my research has found some other good advice, a whole list of what BAD things happen when you do (lose email accounts that have to be reset up, all tweaks back to 1st day, Go kill bloat ware again, remember and rework any app settings, etc) So.... because I don?t want to hijack my own thread looking for solutions to my dead mic issue, I'm going to start a new thread for "How to do a Factory Reset with the least amount of collateral damage and restore hassle/time involved". I know a lot of other guys like me who just want to have the phone work, just want to get it done and move on with life and are willing to do what it takes, will REALLY appreciate tapping the knowledge base you and others provide with great knowledge and patience for us. Please join that thread with your comments and methods. I would appreciate it, and REALLY appreciate the help so far.

 

[joy11]

So I called Verizon and this was a FIX *without* having to do a factory reset. Go to settings. Select Call. UNCHECK "hearing aids".

I had told the tech that I researched this problem on the Internet and I didn't want to do a factory reset. This worked for me!

 

[bricon123]

So I called Verizon and this was a FIX *without* having to do a factory reset. Go to settings. Select Call. UNCHECK "hearing aids".

I had told the tech that I researched this problem on the Internet and I didn't want to do a factory reset. This worked for me!

HOLY COW, THAT WORKED!!!! Wow, do you know how many *#*@)$) hours I have put into researching how to fix this, and then how many $%@#$%^ hours I put into how to Factory Reset a phone when ALL of the uber-super-phone guys told me only a Factory Reset would fix this????? Joy11, I could kiss you!!
I have found tons of guys like me who have already bit the apple and did a Factory Reset because of this, and I cant imagine how many hours they have spent trying to rebuild thier years of use on the phone.
Now my wife is laughing her a** off because she told me three days ago to call Verizon customer support and I told her they wouldnt know a damn thing about how to fix this, EVERYONE knows they dont know jack about the phones they supply.
I'm still only cautiously optimistic. Knowaczark did a factory reset, problem went away, then came back when he was reloading his apps. That doesnt make sense given this simple fix, but hey, I'm killing the hearing aids thingy and getting back to work. Joy11, Thank you again.

 

[bricon123]

Well, I promised I would save my rants about Verizon and updates for later, after I got my phone working. Thanks to Joy11, and a Verizon Customer Support person of all things, ITS TIME!
With that said, I'm too F#$#@(% mad right now to formulate one that expresses all of my thoughts and opinions about unauthorized sneak attack updates, and how there are a lot of people like me who dont want HTC or Verizon goofing with (F**k**g up) my phone just because they have some new whiz bang cool fricken ROM software that will make my phone jump higher than the moon. I didnt buy my phone to play with, or futz around with the latest ROM. I bought it to work! It's how I make my living! It is how I feed my family!!1 KEEP YOUR FU*****G HANDS OFF OF IT!!!! It took long enough to make this damn Thunderbolt battery last more than 10 seconds(first time), quit re-booting (second time), and actually make a phone call (this time) without them updating it overnight without me knowing it. I always wait before updating, so I can come here and see how bad it is (which it always is) and how others fixed the problems (theres always problems).

Oops, I told you I was mad. I think I will come back to the main forum and start a new thread titled something like "UPDATE RANTS HERE". Make a great new sticky would'nt it?

 

[Unobtanium]

. I always wait before updating, so I can come here and see how bad it is (which it always is) and how others fixed the problems (theres always problems).

Oops, I told you I was mad.

I think this update rolled out faster than previous updates due to fewer Thunderbolts still in the field. It's not something I thought about because I usually update as soon as I can get the OTA. To prevent the update, there may be a setting, or check for the OTA, and decline it.


I'm hardly a "super user," but thanks anyway. Your problem was pretty obscure, and I didn't even think about hearing aid settings because I had never had it come up for me.

Since doing the factory reset, my Thunderbolt is the phone it should have been. The radios are much more stable, it is as or more "snappy" than before, and I am coming to prefer the ICS look and feel over GB. The only "feature" that was a HUGE mistake, IMO, is the linking of Ringtones and Notification volume, with no native way to disconnect them. The app, Smart Sound Profiles, is working for me to deal with that.

Should Verizon do a better job of warning and options of dealing with major updates? Yes, absolutely.

 

[Sarai Gill]

I have the same issue after my update I could hear them but they can't hear me however if I turn on the speaker they could hear me, I don't know what to do? Is definitely not my phone and I'm glad that I found other people with the same issue.

 

[Sarai Gill]

The hearing aid work out awesome thank you !!!

 

[pet jet]

Same thing happened with mine. VRZ store knows nothing and tried to tell me my phone was too old and worn out. Triedo sell me a new one. I had a jSamsung Charge in my car that broke every week since new on May 1, 2012. This is the very first problem with my 2 year old Thunderbolt. Any solutions yet? Tom

 

[pet jet]

To solve uncheck Hearing aid check box in phone settings. Pet Jet

 

[bricon123]

Since doing the factory reset, my Thunderbolt is the phone it should have been. The radios are much more stable, it is as or more "snappy" than before, and I am coming to prefer the ICS look and feel over GB. The only "feature" that was a HUGE mistake, IMO, is the linking of Ringtones and Notification volume, with no native way to disconnect them. The app, Smart Sound Profiles, is working for me to deal with that.

Should Verizon do a better job of warning and options of dealing with major updates? Yes, absolutely.

Unobtanium, please forgive my rant where I may have stepped on some toes regarding "super users". While you may not think yourself as one, thru the years from when I dumped my BB Storm and joined the Android world, I have come to these forums to seek solutions and pick up tips on how my device can make me more productive. I've seen your post's and followed your advice, and I thank you!
Bty, while this problem may be fixed, I'm really going to take your advice in other threads, and here about the factory reset. My TB was already lagging progressively worse and since the update has just gotten horrible. It makes sense to clear out all of the bits and pieces that have accumulated thru the years, and the process and settings that may conflict with ICS strengths. I'm envious of your "snappy" and I've learned that a FAct reset isn't the dreaded death I thought it was. As you know, I started a thread on advice for the best practices and tips to do it, and I appreciate you posting there as well.
Thanks to all on this thread. I consider the mic problem solved and I'm off to make my TB zoom like it used to.

 

[hardofhearing]

I had exactly the same problem. Verizon did an "up-date" last night. Turned off Hearing Aids (Settings, Call,Hearing Aid) and the mic works again. Who'd a thunk?

 

[IAmTTim]

Okay, now I'm a bit pissed. I WEAR HEARING AIDS!!! The freakin' function should work!!! I did a test, turned the hearing aid option back on and guess what? The FREAKIN' MIC DIES, but turn the hearing aid option back off and viola! The mic works again. Anyone know of a (*()%#U*()FM)(#J(F)() FIX FOR THIS ISSUE?