No sound on your phone: Top 15 reasons why there is no sound on Android

2022-10-06

Missing sound on your phone usually means there is a problem with the speaker. Lack of sound is a serious problem that jeopardizes communication as well as listening or viewing media content. What should I do if the sound in my phone doesn't work? Let's understand the causes and methods of elimination of this problem. Let us indicate that these are the same for the devices running on the Android and iOS platforms.

Top reasons why the sound does not work on your phone :

The main causes of speaker malfunction

The most common cause is the human factor. So you can set the sound level to zero and forget about it. Or you (a variant - your child who got hold of the phone without permission) have knocked down the settings by unintentionally turning off the sound. So the first thing to do when you have a silent speaker is to check all the sound settings. If there is nothing wrong with them, you should check the possibility:

mechanical damage;
dirty or broken headphone jack;
faulty contact at the speaker connection;
dirty or damaged speaker itself;
faulty sound control (rocker switch);
faulty sound settings on the phone
faulty audio board;
software bugs.

Most of the problems listed above can be solved at home; however, serious problems will require contacting a service center.

Mechanical damage

A frequent cause of audio loss is the presence of moisture. If you know for sure that this is the cause, unplug the phone, take it apart by removing the back cover, remove the battery, SIM card, SD card, and allow it to dry well. This method is almost always helpful if you have noticed it quickly.

Remember that the phone cannot be dried on a radiator or hair dryer (to speed up the process). It is possible to submerge the phone and the battery in a container of rice. This cereal is highly hygroscopic and will absorb the moisture contained in the device.

A more complicated case is the case of flooding the phone with a sweet beverage which, even when dry, has left sticky residues inside the device, including on the speaker and the contacts. If the liquid got on the sound control buttons, it can short circuit them at maximum volume or, on the contrary, at silent mode. In this case it is recommended to disassemble the phone and clean the contacts with alcohol.

Topical Article : What to do if the phone has been dropped into water

Invalid volume settings

All modern phones have the possibility to adjust the volume for different applications separately. If your device plays a sound while playing a game or watching a movie, but has no sound during a call, the problem may lie in the fact that it is turned off for this particular function.

You may see the different volume sliders if you hold down the volume key and to the right of the general volume slider press the "down" arrow.

The second way to adjust the sound on your Android:

Go to "settings" in the "sounds & vibration"
select "volume" there. This displays four sliders:

Ringtones - The volume at which you receive a call;
Media - games, music, video /files;
Notifications - sms, notifications from applications;
System - The keyboard volume, the volume of key presses.

Also during a call another slider appears - Call volume. You cannot adjust the call volume at normal times, only during calls.

If you notice that one of the sliders is disabled, this might be the problem. Try to turn on the sound. If the problem persists, go to the next point.

Invalid App Audio Settings

If the sound on your phone does not work in a particular application but works in the rest of your device, it is worth checking the application settings. Some games may be launched with muted sound by default. This problem is easily solved through the settings.

The problem can also, oddly enough, be in messengers. Programs like Telegram or Whatsapp, mute other apps while listening to audio and video messages. So, if you were listening to voice on telegram and then paused it, you might not get music to start. This occurs because the device assumes that the voice message is still playing.

The "drive", "do not disturb", or battery saving mode

These modes operate differently on different phones, but in most cases "do not disturb" and "drive" will mute incoming calls and notifications. In contrast, the power-saving mode provides the possibility to mute all the sounds except the incoming calls.

In the "medium power saving" mode, the user can still listen to music but in the "maximum power saving" mode the phone mutes practically everything except the calls in order to maintain the battery power.

It is therefore advisable for the user to ensure that all these modes are disabled before proceeding to check the following items.

The audio jack of the phone is blocked or worn

It is a very common problem when the audio on the device works but not the headphones. Even if they are displayed plugged in and you are sure that they are working (e.g. checked by plugging them into another phone).

In this case the problem is most likely in the audio jack. These kinds of holes on the phone are often exposed to damage by moisture or debris. You may attempt to clean the jack yourself by plugging and unplugging the headphones repeatedly or by blowing out the jack with a can of compressed air.

If these procedures did not help you, it is recommended to contact the service center where a specialist will help you to solve the problem without damaging the device. Usually the clearing of the connectors is quite inexpensive.

Devices with third party plugs

This point is particularly relevant for devices with an interactive cover, or with devices having headphones plugged not through the micro jack but through the bluetooth or the charging plug. If there is no sound on Android, try to disconnect all devices (including those connected via wi-fi and bluetooth), remove the case and check again. If the sound starts, there is probably a problem with one of the devices.

Bluetooth headphones connection problems

A rather obvious problem faced by many users. The bluetooth headphones may not be connected, are dead, or for some reason your device could only connect to one headphone. In this case, it will help you to stow the headphones in the case and then reconnect them to the phone. You may also use the "forget" bluetooth device function and reconnect the headphones.

Installation of malware or incompatible software

It is very rare but common that the sound is lost after installing an application or updating for it. As a rule, this occurs when downloading "hacked" applications, installing third-party firmware, or downloading software from unofficial sites. Sometimes the problem is not even caused by a malicious program, but is simply incompatible with the device and causes such errors.

In order to verify that the problem is in the application, you have to go to the safe mode. How to do so:

Hold the power key until you see a menu with the options "reboot" "shutdown" and "emergency mode";
Press "shutdown" and hold for 5-6 seconds;
Select "OK" in the popup window.
You have entered the Safe Mode. Now you can test if the sound works on your device.
If you hear music then the problem is with a third party software and you should remove it.

You may also try to clear the cache of the application which is preventing sound playback. This approach does not work often but may help in some cases.

Reset Settings

If none of the above methods work and your device is still not producing sound then you will have to resort to the reset procedure. Before starting the operation please save all the necessary /files to the cloud or to the SD card then perform the reset operation.

Follow the instructions for resetting:

Go to "settings";
Select the "general settings" section. On some devices this is not the case, please proceed to the next point;
Press the "reset" or "archive" button.

In the popup window select the option you wish to remove the data.

After this the device will reboot and all data and settings will be removed. If the absence of sound is due to a defective software, the sound on the phone shall be restored.

Maintenance problems

There are different types of problems, the most frequent reason for the loss of sound is that the speaker unit has stopped working.

The phone is equipped with a speaker for conversations and for playing media /files. If you notice that only one speaker does not work, it is most likely that the speaker is damaged. It may be caused by moisture, physical impact (for example, if the user dropped the phone), dust and dirt. Also in case of speaker malfunction the sound may become distorted instead of muted completely, this is the most obvious sign of speaker malfunction.

Sometimes the malfunction occurs in the volume up/down button. If you have noticed that there is nothing wrong with the sound, but the device is not responding when you press the volume keys, then it is worth looking into this. It is most likely that the device is stuck because of dust, but there may be many reasons that you will not be able to correct yourself. Please contact the service center to solve this problem immediately.

Also, very rarely, but the problem may lie in a faulty SD card. If there is no sound when playing audio /files on the sd card, it may be damaged. This is usually accompanied by other problems such as a disturbed picture when watching a movie, lags, and game crashes.

Dirty or broken headphone jack

The problem with how the speaker works is often related to dirty or broken headphone contacts. When the headset is plugged in, the contacts are shorted: the phone disconnects sound from the speaker, redirecting it to the headphones. If the contacts are stuck together or broken, the sound on your phone will not work.

The problem is definitely headphone jack related if:

The "headphones" icon is displayed continuously on the phone but not plugged in;
the headphone plug does not fit in the jack with normal slight force;
there is mud inside the headphone jack;
the headphones operate while plugged into other devices.

Try to correct the problem in the following ways.

Installing the headphone plug in the jack, try pushing it gently in all directions on the sides of the jack. It is possible that this will unlock the contacts and make the speaker function properly.
If the reason is that the connector is soiled, soak the connector with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol and turn the phone off.
Bow sharply and forcefully into the connector in order to remove any minute debris. It is also possible to place the phone for a few seconds with the connector in front of a vacuum cleaner operating at a low power level.

If the above measures do not help, the contacts are very likely broken. It cannot be avoided to replace the connector in the service center.

Lack of contact at the speaker connection

This could be the result of hitting the phone against a hard surface or when the phone is dirty. To check this possibility, please disassemble the phone and check the contact. If the cause of the damage is moisture or dirt, clean the contact.

If the contact is pressed against flat surfaces, treat them with a normal eraser.
If the speaker is attached to the stub, drop some alcohol on a stiff brush or a medium stiff toothbrush and clean the connectors.

If this does not help it is possible that the speaker itself is the cause. In this case, it may be noted that the speaker sometimes operates but the sound of the phone may become hoarse during conversations. Possible reasons for speaker malfunction:

Mistake of dirt or moisture;
factory failure;
Damage caused by the prolonged use of the phone.

In the last two cases, the problem is solved by contacting the repair center and requesting a speaker replacement.

Broken volume knob

Sometimes the volume on the phone is not working because it was first dimmed to the minimum and then the knob is broken. In this case you need to have the volume rocker repaired in the service center. If it is soiled the volume rocker will be repaired. If the cause is in fact a defect the volume rocker will be replaced with a new one.

Faulty audio board

The audio board (as well as the cord by which it is attached) may be damaged if the phone is dropped. It is difficult to diagnose a broken audio card at home, so if the cause of the problem is not obvious, please contact a service center.

Software error

It could be either a spontaneous error or serious conflicts between programs installed on the same phone and responsible for audio playback. If you are convinced that the problem is not in the speaker but in the software, try one by one:

reboot the phone, it is very often that the software error will resolve itself;
deactivate all the applications responsible for audio playback except the one of your choice (if more than one of them is present at the same time) and perform a speaker test;
reset your current settings and reset to factory default, previously making a backup of your important /files.

It is very likely that the sound will return after you reboot or disable some extra programs. If none of the above methods have helped you, all you have to do is to flash the device.

However, you may determine the cause of the speaker malfunction and eliminate the problem by following these methods.