Speakerphone echo when using hangouts on Moto X 2014. Anybody else seeing this?

[jlamb0]

For the last couple months, people have complained that they hear an echo of themselves when I call them using speakerphone. With some trial and error, I've determined that the echo occurs because the microphone on my end is picking up the sound of the phone's loudspeaker (hitting the mute button on my end stops the echo for the other person).

This only occurs when I'm using a third party application. Speakerphone works fine if I'm using the native dialer. But any speakerphone or video call from Hangouts or Facebook Messenger gives the person on the other end of the line the intolerable echo of themselves.

Nobody else I know has experienced this issue. If I use Hangouts from my old HTC phone, there's no problem. A friend of mine who has a Moto Nexus 6 also wasn’t able to replicate the echo problem.

The echo still happens in safe mode. The echo remained after I wiped the cache partition, and even after a full factory reset.
I did an advance replacement repair, and the new phone came yesterday.
**But the echo is still happening on the new phone!**

I've been on the phone with Motorola support, and they say they've never heard of this problem before, and they can't replicate the issue on any of the devices they have in the office. The Level 3 support rep I've been talking to says it's possible that either I just got really unlucky and I coincidentally was sent a replacement device that happens to suffer from the same rare defect (I'm highly skeptical of this), or there is something in my Google account that is causing the issue when I log in to the phone (I'm also skeptical of this idea, because logging out of my Google account and in to a dummy account doesn't solve the issue). They are sending me a second replacement Moto X, but I wanted to see if I could get other Moto X (2014) users to chime in.

Can any other second generation Moto X owners try to replicate the problem and let me know what happens?
Steps to reproduce:
1. Call someone using Google Hangouts or Facebook Messenger.
2. Turn on speakerphone.
3. Have the person talk back to you.
4. Ask them if they heard their own voice fed back to them after a second or two. (Usually I don't have to ask. It's so bad that the person can't carry on the conversation until I turn off the speakerphone.)

Also, when you reply, please let me know the model of your phone and the software version it is running.
I'm using an XT1095 (2014 "Pure Edition") on Android 5.1.

Thanks for your help!

 

[dpham00]

If you are using a case then try it without a case

 

[jlamb0]

It happens without a case on as well. Also, as I said in my original post, it *only* happens when I'm using a third party VOIP application such as Hangouts or Facebook Messenger. Speakerphone works fine in the native dialer application.

 

[nickname303]

I speak with my girlfriend on hangouts every day and I have her on loudspeaker. There will be a few occasions where she says she can hear herself when she talks, but 99% of the time it's OK. I'm using a Pure edition XT1092 and was using Lollipop. Upgraded to Marshmallow the other day and everything is still fine. Your problem sure is an annoyingly mysterious one

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[jlamb0]

This gives me hope that my next replacement will solve the problem. The echo occurs 100% of the time for me right now.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[jlamb0]

**UPDATE**
While waiting for my second replacement, my first replacement (now my primary phone), received the Marshmallow update. Voila! All traces of the echo when on Hangouts speakerphone disappeared!

Today, my second replacement Moto X arrived. I set it up using a dummy Google account, so this phone is running a fresh installation of Android that has never touched my Google account. I fired up Hangouts Dialer and called my cell number, left the replacement phone on speaker and went into the other room to answer. Sure enough, anything I say is reflected back to me.

Just to be sure, I pop the SIM out of my Moto X and put it in the new replacement. I then pull up Hangouts on my phone and call my cell number. The replacement phone rings. I put my phone on speaker and leave the room with the replacement to answer. No echo.

Later in the day, I was able to update the new replacement phone to Marshmallow, and the echo disappeared.

So after a lot of troubleshooting on three different units, I feel confident in saying that there is definitely a software bug in the Android 5.1 installed on the second gen Moto X, at least the XT1095. The problem seems to be that third party applications are not being given access to the noise-cancellation microphone. The bug is not present in 6.0 currently being sent out to the XT1095, so if you've been plagued by this issue as I have, don't worry, a fix is on the way!

If you're among the unlucky many with carrier branded versions of the Moto X 2014, which is doomed to be stuck on 5.1, I'm afraid you're out of luck. I would advise you to contact Motorola and your carrier and make your displeasure known if you've been hit by this problem.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[nickname303]

Glad you finally got it sorted out

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