Mic problem poll

[Guest xZaratustrAx]

There's not a shadow of a doubt that my phone is malfunctioning:

1. I'm a fog-horn. Nobody could ever accuse me of talking too quietly.
   
2. The problem is intermittent. Sometimes I sound normal, and then it suddenly clicks into 'quiet-mode' and I sound like I've moved 10 metres away from the phone
   
3. I thought I was only having the problem with one person in particular, as he was the only one that complained. However, I then asked everyone else and discovered that they were all struggling to hear me, but just assumed I was in a bad reception area so didn't bother telling me.
   
4. The moment I switch to speaker, the other person can instantly hear me perfectly. The sound quality jumps from 2 out of 10 to 10 out of 10.
   

I read somewhere that there is a way to circumvent that issue by changing mic settings.

Edited August 9, 2012 by xZaratustrAx

[Guest Pidun14]

[*]The problem is intermittent. Sometimes I sound normal, and then it suddenly clicks into 'quiet-mode' and I sound like I've moved 10 metres away from the phone

This is the difference - in my case problem was permanent. Really hard to say if it was software related (that is my thought, but why only few users have this issues?) or hardware, but as switching off dual mic setting helped I do not bother any more. Plus after editing build.prop I do not have to do it manually after every restart.

One more thing - when I had this issues with mic during phonecall it also used to affect the camera, recorded video sound level was very low, almost like no sound. Now it is all sorted.

[Guest Skip Tracer]

I brought my G300 Wednesday, it came with B882 and I did the OTA update to B885 and have no problems with the mic.

I swapped my phone for the test with my grandsons HTC phone (so I hear what the other end normally hears) and can say my G300 is fine in both directions, talk and listening.

No mods to the phone and no changes to rooting.

Chris

Edited August 10, 2012 by Skip Tracer

[Guest unaszplodrmann]

It initially seemed as if a pattern amongst those who had upgraded to the unofficial baseband (and possibly then downgraded again), but now it looks like anyone's guess. At this point, I'd be questioning the quality of information received. :D

[Guest Geoff2]

At this point, I'd be questioning the quality of information received. :D

I agree that there's a very good possibility that many people having a mic problem may just not realise it. My friend John is unusual in that he always comments on everything. He was the one that pointed out the problem with my mic, and it wasn't until I started asking people that I discovered that everyone found the voice quality was intermittently terrible.

A few people on here have given strong confirmations that they've tested theirs and found absolutely no problems, so I'm sure some of these phones do work properly. I just need to get round to resetting my phone back to standard Vodafone livery before sending it back.

[Guest unaszplodrmann]

I think the poll results should be taken with a pinch of salt; on the one hand, many may not realise there is a problem, and on the other, the figures suggest that 50%(!) of handsets have issues. People who have wittingly experienced the problem are always gonna be more likely to report on it, so that'll be the skew right there. Well, fingers crossed that it was only a problem in earlier production runs...

[Guest Skip Tracer]

I had a report last night on a call that the quality of the call was starting to drop out and becoming muffled.

This had me jumping for the phones packaging in view of returning the phone today which would be very reluctantly. :angry:

The problem is hard to put a finger on when relying on someone else at the other end on the call so after having a little think about this I thought to myself about using voice mail on another phone to hear my own voice then thought, too expensive then it dawned on me to use the Skype Test Call feature. Works a treat and I assume the mic is being used as if it’s a standard mobile phone call so what you hear played back should be as it is, taking into account any problems with the 3G network.

I have done this half a dozen times now and my mic is fine and put down last nights report to just a bad connection as the call was OK up until the last minute of it. ;)

Edited August 13, 2012 by Skip Tracer

[Guest Geoff2]

Sounds like an excellent way to test your mic because most people often don't tell you if your voice has gone quiet. A bad line is something that people just accept as normal when talking to someone on a mobile - you might be on a train or in a weak signal area etc.

To give you an idea of how frequently my mic would play up, every time I phone John, he will tell me I've "gone again" within 2 minutes. It then comes and goes throughout the call. It's tricky because all phones can sound muffled if you get a bad line. The sure-fire way of confirming your mic is playing up is to wait until someone complains about your mic quality, and then switch to speakerphone. If it immediately and dramatically improves, you know it was your mic. For me, this happens 100% of the time - if I stay on speakerphone, I never have a problem, whereas if I don't, my voice becomes inaudible every minute or so. The other give-away is if your voice becomes faint when you've still got a strong signal on your phone.

[Guest Titas]

Well, I have also concluded that I have no alternative & will send back my phone tomorrow for replacement. That means I had to restore the stock ROM & I'll probably need to buy another screen saver & another unlock code plus I'll be without a phone for an estimated 2 weeks so this was a last resort action.

I spoke to several people in the returns / technical support dept. When they asked me what the fault was - I replied " You are on Speaker atm which is why you can hear me - I'll just put you on normal mic & I think you'll understand the problem". In every case they said that I sounded very distant / faint. It was dramatic but they were immediately able to appreciate the nature of the fault & agreed it should be returned. I'll let you know when I get my new phone & of course how the mic performs.

[Guest feckineejit]

I'm on b888 atomicmod and have the sound problem, not everyone I call mentions it, was talking to my stepdaughter today on the phone and a few times she said to repeat myself as she didn't hear what I said so I put it on speakerphone and she has no problems hearing me, had the phone from the day it came out so doubt I'll be able to get it replaced, will I need to put b892 back on before I send it to get repaired?

[Guest Geoff2]

Update:

I downgraded my phone back to B885 (although it's not possible to restore the vendor pack, so no Vodafone apps etc.) and returned it to the retailer, who in turn sent it back to Vodafone. I got a new one in the post today. I just spent half on hour on the phone to my mate, and there were no problems with the sound quality. Previously, I wouldn't have lasted 2 minutes without him telling me the sound had gone.

So the problem was definitely with that handset. If you've got it with your handset, I'd recommend you return it. Judging by the speed at which it was returned to me, I suspect Vodafone are aware that there is a fault with some of these phones, and will just give you a replacement if you send it to them.

[Guest Chris Banks]

I too suffer from the low sound quality. The amount of times I have heard to words 'what' and pardon this last week has tripled lol.

Was gonna try the dualmic build prop trick, but couldn't see it listed in infusions build.prop.

EDIT: Does anyone know where the microphones gain/volume is set? Is it deep level stuff or in the ROM?

Edited August 20, 2012 by Chris Banks

[Guest Smiff2]

are you guys returning to vendor or direct to Vodaphone?

presumably you restore a stock system and remove cwm first?

[Guest Geoff2]

Was gonna try the dualmic build prop trick, but couldn't see it listed in infusions build.prop.

EDIT: Does anyone know where the microphones gain/volume is set? Is it deep level stuff or in the ROM?

I tried the dualmic trick, but it didn't make any difference. I was on B926 at the time.

are you guys returning to vendor or direct to Vodaphone?

presumably you restore a stock system and remove cwm first?

I bought my phone from an online retailer who I subsequently learned have a shockingly bad reputation for customer service. I therefore first phoned Vodafone to see if they'd deal with me directly, but they have to go through the retailer. So I contacted the retailer, and they were okay about it, as I'd only had the phone for 2 months, so it was still well within the Manufacturers warranty, and they would just send it back to Vodafone.

Before returning it, I downgraded from B926 to B885. It's not possible to put all the Vodafone bloatware back on, so in my covering letter, I pointed out that the phone had been resetting itself and losing all my data, to cover my tracks. This wasn't strictly necessary, as the microphone problem is obviously a hardware fault which affects the phone regardless of what ROM or other software you're using, i.e. my phone wasn't fit for purpose. If a product isn't fit for purpose, the retailer has a legal duty to repair, replace or refund.

[Guest Titas]

Just to say I got my replacement phone today and (phew!) people can now hear me just fine - seems to support the view that it was a batch with faulty hardware.

[Guest alwyn]

Latest Infusion ROM B220812, and I have problems with the mic.

Made 4-5 calls today, a couple of them over 20 minutes, and I had to restart the call a couple of time because the person on the other end couldn't hear me well enough.

[Guest infobleep]

Looks like I'll be having to do the same. I'd rather not get rid of the this brand of phone as I quite like it.

How safe would it be to back up the existing ROM and then place it back onto a new phone? Or can I simply transfer all my settings and apps across without having to do that?

The annoying thing will be that I have to get the new phone unlocked but that's the price one pays for buying locked phones. Still even with the second unlock purchase, my iPod Touch 4G [which cost me £107 second hand] and this Phone are still cheaper than buying an iPhone 4/4S.

Thanks

Edited August 23, 2012 by infobleep

[Guest Pidun14]

Latest Infusion ROM B220812, and I have problems with the mic.

Could you check if there is "ro.config.dualmic" entry in build.prop? There wasn't one in previous Infusion release, I added it but unfo it didn't work, still mic issues. This trick works for me on GB roms.

[Guest alwyn]

^ I looked through and couldn't find it.

I have added it to mine now, will have to see if it makes a difference.

[Guest Titas]

Looks like I'll be having to do the same. I'd rather not get rid of the this brand of phone as I quite like it.

How safe would it be to back up the existing ROM and then place it back onto a new phone? Or can I simply transfer all my settings and apps across without having to do that?

The annoying thing will be that I have to get the new phone unlocked but that's the price one pays for buying locked phones. Still even with the second unlock purchase, my iPod Touch 4G [which cost me £107 second hand] and this Phone are still cheaper than buying an iPhone 4/4S.

Thanks

You can't restore a backup from your current phone to your new phone - it doesn't take long to unlock, root, & download your apps again.

Btw, By all means give it a go but Pindun14's suggested fix didn't work for me (Gb) or Geoff2. Bite the bullet & get a replacement.

[Guest Pidun14]

^ I looked through and couldn't find it.

I have added it to mine now, will have to see if it makes a difference.

Did it work?

[Guest alwyn]

Did it work?

I don't think so, I can't say for sure because some people don't complain whereas some do.

I will let you know if there is a noticeable difference in a week or so.

[Guest infobleep]

You can't restore a backup from your current phone to your new phone - it doesn't take long to unlock, root, & download your apps again.

Btw, By all means give it a go but Pindun14's suggested fix didn't work for me (Gb) or Geoff2. Bite the bullet & get a replacement.

Thanks for that. I will be getting a replacement. I'm hoping the shop will be able to a in-store replacement.

[Guest infobleep]

I went into Vodafone but they need to send the phone away for repair which takes 5-10 days. I didn't know they actually repaired mobile phones that cost £100, thinking it might be too expensive to do so but they do. If I was a business customer then they would have replaced it the next day but I'm not. Still I choose to buy the phone from Vodafone so I have to accept their terms and conditions.

I will be sending off the phone in the next week. I'm thinking a Tuesday or Monday is the best day to get a phone sent for repair, as they are not going to do anything over a weekend.

I bought a cheap unlocked Samsung phone, Keystone2, from Carphone warehouse for £14.95. It wasn't even on display it was so new. That will have to do for the time being and in the future if I ever forget to charge my G300.

Interestingly that is the second phone to be fault that I bought this year. The other was a panasonic landline and that too must have been from a faulty batch or even a one off because the next one I got had no problems.

[Guest kirilmanika]

I have a problem with mic, but I can't found ro.config.dualmic" in build.prop. I use

INFUSION [b934] [iCS 4.0.3] [b220812].

Please, help me.