How To Fix Galaxy S9 And Galaxy S9 Plus Microphone Problem

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus are both affected by an extremely annoying problem with the Microphone, which prevents the most basic function of making and receiving calls and using other applications that require the phone’s microphone.

If the microphone on your Samsung device isn’t working properly then the person on the other end will not be able to hear you and you phone will essentially be failing at its core purpose. Not to worry, though, since we have an immediate fix for the issue unless it’s a hardware problem, in which case you’ll need a technician to fix it or even replace the phone.

For both the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+, you can suspect the microphone issue is either a hardware or software problem. There aren’t many other options between those two.

However, most hardware problems will need to be handled by a professional and require a special service that the regular user should not perform unless you really want to void your warranty.

There are a couple of things we can test on the software to determine if the microphone problem’s caused by a software problem.

We can see if its a software, like a glitch or third-party app, a firmware (software that’s low level and specific to the hardware) problem, or even an issue with the device itself by following the troubleshooting instructions below.

Rule out any accessories

You may find that an accessory such as a Bluetooth headset or headphones can easily affect your microphone.

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We can see if this is causing a problem by disconnecting your Samsung Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9 Plus from any device.

Once you’ve turned off Bluetooth, test the microphone again.  If this solves the audio problem with your phone’s microphone, congratulations, you’ve solved the problem.

If you are still having a problem with your phone’s microphone, please proceed to the next troubleshooting step.

Restart your phone

The same as with other phones and with computers in general, you may find that restarting your Samsung Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9 Plus can fix the issue.

You can also remove the SIM card and let it sit for a minimum of 30 seconds. Once you have done this, put the SIM card back in the phone and restart the device.

Check if the problem is still there by testing the microphone’s audio. It the problem’s solved, congratulations! You can stop right here and get on with your day.

If it the microphone’s still not working, continue on to the next troubleshooting step.

Rule out any third-party apps

Sometimes the problem can be down to a third-party app that you may have recently installed, or if you recently performed an update this could be a cause.

You can test this by running the Samsung S9 and S9 Plus in Safe Mode, which will block all third-party apps.

If the microphone works in Safe Mode, then uninstall third-party apps one by one in normal mode.

Start with the ones you installed recently, and test the microphone every time you remove an app until you identify the cause.

Once you find the app causing the problem, then you can uninstall any others you uninstalled without worry.

To boot into Safe Mode:

1. Press the power button and tap the option to turn off the phone.
2. Wait thirty seconds and then turn the device back on.
3. Pay attention while the phone is booting!
4. When you see the first boot screen logo appear, press and hold the volume down key.
5. Continue holding it throughout the boot process.
6. You’ll know you’re in Safe Mode because there will be an indicator on the bottom left of the screen.
7. Most third-party apps won’t work in Safe Mode, so find a default app that does work to test the audio.
8. A good option would be to make a phone call and see if the microphone works.
9. If your microphone works in Safe Mode but not normally, an app you’ve installed is causing conflicts.
10. Try removing apps and clearing as much data as you can, checking periodically to see if you’ve fixed the issue.
11. If this doesn’t work at first, you can try a more comprehensive solution and do a factory reset.
12. Continue reading for instructions on the factory reset process.

Rule out corrupted firmware

By now the microphone should be working, but if it isn’t working in Safe Mode either, you have all the reasons in the world to suspect corrupted firmware or some faulty settings. Firmware is the low level (close the hardware) software that’s specifically for your Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9+. Firmware can occasionally get corrupted causing unexpected problems with your phone, including audio problems, such as the phone’s microphone not working.

To resolve this issue, it will require performing a factory reset. This will remove everything from the device and start it from new, including the microphone.

Before you factory reset your Samsung Galaxy S9 or S9 Plus you need to backup your data. ‘Starting from new’ means that all of your data on the phone will be deleted so after you do the factory reset you can restore your data and apps from backup.

To factory reset your device follow the steps below:

1. Hold down the Power button to turn off the phone.
2. Now press and hold the Volume Up, Power, and Bixby buttons at the same time.
3. When you see the blue Android screen, you will be redirected to the Recovery Menu.
4. You should now release the buttons and start using the Volume and the Power keys to navigate through the list to choose an option.
5. Use the Volume buttons to scroll down to the option that says Wipe Data / Factory Reset.
6. Then confirm with the Yes option.
7. The factory reset will now start and may take some time. A yellow message will show at the bottom of the screen once it’s done.
8. Finally, select the reboot system now option.

Once your Samsung Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9 Plus restarts, you will have to set the phone up from scratch, just as you did when you first got the device. When done, test your microphone with the recording app.

The problem should be solved, but in case it isn’t, you have only two options left:

1. Have a look at where the microphone is on your device, as it may be clogged with dirt. If you think there is dirt, then gently clean it and see if anything comes out or check for an improvement in quality.
2. Finally, if that doesn’t work, take it to the retailer or any authorized technician to fix (or replace) your phone.

The above steps should resolve any hardware issues affecting your microphone on your device. If you have tried all of the solutions above and they didn’t help, you should not troubleshoot a hardware malfunction by yourself and should instead go to an authorized service to fix it.

There is another final solution for your Samsung Galaxy S9 or S9 Plus microphone problem. You can use an external microphone, which can be found at multiple retailers

If you hate the thought of a wire getting in the way, you can use a wireless external microphone.

There may be some other TechJunkie articles on the Galaxy S9 and S9+ that might be useful to you, including this article on how to show the battery percentage display on Galaxy S9 And Galaxy S9 Plus.

Have you run into microphone problems on your Galaxy S9 or S9 Plus? If so, how did you handle the issue? What was the result? Please tell us about it in the comments below!