Phone mic not working on xz1 compact

[GHammy]

My mic has stopped working for using my phone to call people or speech to text (like "hello Google").

I can speak to people by switching calls to speakerphone and audio is recorded over videos. I'm guessing there are two mics on this phone and one is dead. 

Is there any known fix or is this a return to seller job as I only bought it last month.

Thanks,

Greg

[Jonas]

Hi @GHammy, sorry to hear about this.

There are two microphones on the device, that is correct. The main microphone is used when you talking on the phone and using services, such as Google Assistant.

The second microphone is one the one used to record sound in videos and gets activated when you turn the loudspeaker on during a call.

There is an inbuilt test in the device for the main microphone and you can find it under Settings > Support > Tests > Microphone. Here you will get to record a short voice message and then you can listen to it in the second step of the test. Is the microphone working in this test?

Let me know how it goes!

[GHammy]

Hello, 

I've done the test and the mic didn't work.

What next?

Thanks 

Greg

[Jonas]

Hi again and sorry to hear that there was no change after trying the microphone out in the test.

The next step is to perform a software repair using Xperia Companion to see if this is caused by the software in the device or not. The software repair will delete all data stored on the device though, so it's important that you create a backup using the same program before starting with the actual repair.

Once the repair has finished, start the device up without restoring the backup and do the same test again for the microphone and it works, go ahead and restore the backup.

If the microphone still is not working, it's a defect and your device will need to be examined at an authorized service centre by a trained technician. Your Local support team will assist you further with this as all service cases are handled on a local level, so get in touch with them.

Keep me posted!

[LF3]

Good luck with getting that fixed. I have had this problem too with the XZ1 and Vodafone insisted I sent the phone back 3 times for a repair before they would replace it. Each time it came back, the problem still existed. I have now had a replacement XZ1 for 2 weeks and the problem is the same. I can always hear the person at the other end, but apparently they cannot hear me at intervals. The hours I have wasted with the Vodafone tech department, in the store and onto customer support! I've had Sony phones for years but this model is a disaster.

[Jonas]

Hi @LF3, very sorry to hear about this.

When you received the device back from the repairs, was any parts changed or did it say that the service centre could not reproduce the behaviour? I'm not sure what kind of troubleshooting has be done previously, but if you haven't tried with a new SIM card or a different SIM card preferably from a different operator, I would recommend doing so, as you still experience the behaviour with the replacement device as well.

Keep me posted!

[Stratege00]

Hello everbody,

I have the same issue with my new XZ1 compact. My phone is new out of the box. When I do the microphone test which comes with the support function I cannot hear a thing. If I turn on the Speaker my conversation partner can hear me again.

Could anyone fix the problems? I cannot find any positiv case in the forum.

Greetings from Germany

[Jonas]

Hi @Stratege00, very sorry to hear about this.

Have you installed a case on the device, and made sure that the microphone is not covered by anything? On the link below you can see where the main microphone is located on the Xperia XZ1 Compact (number 12).

https://support.sonymobile.com/global-en/xperiaxz1compact/userguide/overview---ki/

If it is not covered by anything and since the device is that new, I would recommend that you check with the retailer where you bought it if they can replace it directly. I'm not very familiar with the routines for this in Germany, but in the Nordics where I'm situated, the retailer are offered a dead on arrival policy that is valid for 6 days after the device was purchased, in case the customer notices any unexpected behaviour with the device.

If you are not sure how this works in Germany, you can also get in touch with your Local support team as they are very well informed about these kind of routines.

Keep me posted!

[Stratege00]

Hi @Jonas,

thanks for your reply.

I don't use any type of case or cover at all. 

After some more tests I figured out, that the mic seems to be on a very low sensitivity level. If I try the self test (Settings -> support -> tests) and screem into the bottom of the phone, I can hear my voice very silent afterwards in the playback. I guess that there is a problem with noise reduction software or sens settings of the mic. Is it possible to get that fixed by myself?

Regards from Germany

[Jonas]

Hi again @Stratege00, sorry for the late reply.

There is no setting to change the sensitivity/noise reduction of the microphone (the setting only applies to when you record sound with an external microphone).

Just to make sure that there is no downloaded application that is causing this behaviour, try restarting your device in safe mode and do the same microphone test. Should there be no change in here, perform a software repair using Xperia Companion, but remember to backup your data beforehand, as the repair will delete all data stored on the internal storage.

Keep me posted!