GS3 Mic Problems?

[Anonymous]

Anyone having problems with calls?

I've had my S3 since June last year and it's been fine until yesterday. When making or taking calls, I can hear the caller clearly but they can't hear me.

I've noticed if I hold the phone's mic right against my lips flat in my hand and shout directly into the mic (kind of like an elderly person who's confused about phones would lol) they can fainly hear me but when holding the phone normally and talking normally, the sound is too quiet to pick up.

I've tried Noise cancellation on and off, made sure mute is not activated and tried extra volume on and off. None of it helped,

Any ideas anyone? 

[MI5]

Faulty mic...? Is your firmware up to date? Has the phone got wet?

[Anonymous]

I'm on 4.1.2 currently.

I haven't got it wet as far as I can think and I haven't dropped it suddenly that I can remember.

It's bizarre, I didn't notice until I made a call yesterday and now every call I've made or recieved has been the same. There is slight volume, but like I said it has to be at shouting volume to be picked up or with the phone's mic end up against my mouth. 

I'll drop into my nearest store on my day off mid week but after googling, it seems to be something people have had problems with before but I couldn't find anyone with a similar problem on here strangely 

[MI5]

I asked about your firmware because some handsets early on ICS had low mic volume issues which was fixed with an upgrade. Doesn't sound like it applies to you though so unless a reboot doesn't help it looks like its gone faulty.

[Anonymous]

I see. I've just tried a voice recording and that's also faint compared to the volume of the sound I used, I'd say deffo a mic issue. 

Assuming it is a fault, what are my options? if it's sent away do I get a replacement in the meantime or do I have options to change to another device etc?

[MI5 · Accepted solution]

It will get sent away for repair and you will be offered a loan phone if you need one (deposit will have to be paid for this). If O2 fail to repair the fault after 3 attempts then you can request a replacement phone, but not after the first fault. You have the option of taking it back to O2 or to Samsung directly - It's your choice.

[Anonymous]

Ok I'll see what they say next week. I'll see what the staff say in store first. I'm still expecting it to be something I've done becuase it's odd that it's just happened without dropping it or anything but who knows. 

Thanks for the info 

[MI5]

Did you add any new apps or update anything? If you want to rule out software or settings then back up the phone and do a factory reset. This will set everything back to default settings and remove any apps or changes you may have inadvertently made.

[Anonymous]

I tried a factory resest about half an hour ago but it's still the same.

The thing that makes me thing it's a user issue is because I only noticed the noice reduction setting and the extra volume setting in the last couple of days and wondered if I'd change their settings and caused the problem but I can't seem to rectify it after mucking around with them. 

[MI5]

Noise reduction is default to on and you can turn it off/on when in a call. Extra volume is just for the ringtone when the phone is in your pocket so it helps you hear it ring. Neither, AFAIK, effect the recording volume of the mic... The factory reset would have reset them back to default anyway.