Fairphone 3 microphone issues

Hi! I have this problem as well but it happens from time to time.
Also with both microphone and speaker while calling. I use new FP3 and problems came up pretty soon.
It always helped when I simply restart the phone.
I’m sure this is about software, my last phone (Ulefone armour) had exactly the same OS and exactly same problems.

I moved your post here, please note there are separate Help categories for FP2 and FP3.
If this topic doesn’t match your problem 100%, please consider to open your own topic in the Help - FP3 category.

I also have the same problem. When I receive or make a call people only just can hear what I say. Very anoying. It appeared after having the fp3 a couple of weeks. Those of you who contacted customer service, have you heard back from them?

1 Like

Same issue. Using same simcard as earlier phones (iphone), but the mic on the FP3 is tuned too low.

Any news, Wyvern? Did they get back to you?

Yes I did get back from the support team and they have been helpful after that. I forgot to get to the forum when they did though…

Anyway, they asked me to help them test the device and diagnose the problem by:

  1. Opening the phone dial pad
  2. Entering *#*#66#*#* to show testing menu with three sub-menus
  3. Selecting Service tests > Test Single > Microphone. This test is for two microphones. First, you need to say something to test the primary microphone (Mic1). Then the test will playback what you just said. After Mic1 test is completed, you can tap ‘Change to Test Mic2’ to test the secondary microphone (Mic2) with the same procedure. If you cannot hear anything, that means there is a problem with the modules. Specify to the support team which one is not working properly

If you want to stop the test, tap Back navigation key. Choose FAIL or PASS accordingly.

I had problems with the secondary microphone (Mic2) and I was given two options by the support team:

  1. Send your FP3 back and get a new one
  2. Send your FP3 back and get a refund

Tell the support team what you want to do and they will give you further instructions.

I hope this answer will help you who have experienced the same problem as I did.

11 Likes

I got the same issue with my FP3. The caller complaints that it sounds like I’m far away and that they barely hear me. However, when I switch to speaker, they hear me well. I’ve done the mic test, and both sounds ok. It must be some software issue? I hardly want to send it back just to get a new one. Afterall, that’s part of why we buy these phones right?

3 Likes

I haven’t been back here for a while. Status of my FP3 is that I got a new one, with the same problem!

So I contacted support again and they told me to do the same test as with the first one, but now they added that I should turn the phone upside down when testing Mic2.

It passed the test so yeah, it must be a software issue.

I’m gonna send this one back as well and get a refund, then I will get a new one through my company. Fingers crossed that one will be OK…

If it was the same problem on your new one, it appears to be a common problem. Strange they don’t come up with a fix soon. It would be nice to hear from those who experience this on the forum. I keep my fingers crossed someone solves it, or else, the phone is worthless. After all, besides to be a pocket computer, to actually be able to make a phone call is the most basic for a phone!

1 Like

Is it normal that the Mic2 recording is much quieter?

If you don’t hold the phone upside down the recording will be much quieter. I don’t know if this is the normal case for other phones but according to FP Mic2 is recieving background noise and is not supposed to give clear sound when the phone is being held straight.

1 Like

Hello!

I now have a FP3 which I ordered through my company. It turned out to have the same problem with the sound as the previous phones I had received; recipients thought I had a canny/distant sound.

I called the support of the phone provider and told them about it and they asked me to try changing the SIM card since my card is from 2011, hence quite old. It turned out to solve the problem so far! Recipients now here me loud and clear. It makes me think that the previous FP3 I had received probably worked fine as well, only I didn’t know what to do.

Happy Easter!

5 Likes

Hello everyone,

I’m having this microphone issue in these days. I bought my FP3 on the FP online store one month and a half ago.
Restarting the phone sometimes does solve the problem, sometimes not.
I have problems also with earphone, both wired and wireless: when the FP3 microphone is unusable, also earphone’s microphone is unusable. Moreover, non of them emit any sound at all.
During these cases, when I receive a call I can hear and talk only activating the speaker, no other way. Then I have to restart once or more.

@Wyvern Thank you very much for your post on microphone test.
I have to point out that SIM age couldn’t be the source of the issue as my SIM is few months old.

Given that, I’m sure it’s a software issue, as it was also an issue of the FP2 as I read in the forum. However, it’s so strange it hasn’t come out earlier. @Jense I totally agree with you.
Now I’ll contact the FP support.

Happy Easter!

Good thing it worked out for you Wyern!
I still struggle with the same problem and have to use the speaker or handsfree earphones for decent sound for the caller. Funny though, the other day one call worked fine without speaker in the beginning, then suddenly the caller couldn’t hear my until I put him on speaker. I was sitting down inside my office in the city center with good signal strenght.

I tired some tips from FP Support, but the problem persist. My sim card is fairly new, and it makes no sense that both the speaker function as well as the handsfree works fine, but not the normal mic during calls. The mic works ok when running the mic test. It has got to be a software issue!

I have tried the “66” self test and used the phone in various conditions and I am now quite convinced that this is not a direct hardware problem (like low mic gain), in some calls it is almost impossible for the other person to hear me, while in other situations it is perfect.

I have not been able to discover any systematic behind this, but it appears to me that too many have mic problems and it must be dealt with!

Yes, I totally agree! I still have the same problem, but it seems now to be a bit more random than before. Sometimes the mic works ok, sometimes it don’t. No way to tell really, an it has nothing to do with signal strength or anything.

Hi there
I had the same problem with the FP3 of my wife. I realized, it was only when I call to other cellphones, but not to wired phone.
Finally I could resolve the problem by disabling the “Enhanced 4G LTE Mode”.
Settings -> Network & Internet -> Mobile Network -> Advanced
Hopefully this can resolve the same problem for others too.

Cheers Emanuel

6 Likes

Thanks a lot for your reply Emanuel! I´ll try this!

1 Like

I’ve had my Fairphone 3 for a week now and am really thinking I made a huge mistake in switching. The sound quality is awful. Everyhing I hear or play is like it’s coming at me through a tin bucket. On phone calls my voice echoes back at me and the person I speak to can’t hear me. As other posters here have said, they report sound is really distant. Distortion both incoming and outgoing, so it can’t be the microphone. My SIM card is new and I have downloaded all the updates. Is there anything I can do other than return my phone? I have a two year contact and am shielding, so can’t go to a shop or post office.
@Emanuel_Indermuhle I tried to do as you suggested, but it wasn’t listed as an option on my phone Mobile Network settings. I’m with Vodafone. Maybe that’s different?

1 Like

I have the same problem. Only it happens also when recording on Whatsapp. I cannot see any connection between that and a “4G mode”. But I’ll try, thanks.

1 Like