A Galaxy S22+ whose microphone is faint or silent usually has a blocked opening, a mute, a Bluetooth route or a permission, and the S22 series has microphones on the bottom edge, the top and the rear. Remove the case and brush the openings, then test with the Voice Recorder app and Samsung Members' microphone diagnostic: if your voice is clear there, the hardware works. For calls, turn off Bluetooth, check that the call is not muted and that Noise reduction in the call settings is not clipping your voice.
The checks in more detail
For one app, check Settings, Apps, the app, Permissions, Microphone. Restart the phone and update. If the recording is silent, the microphone needs service. After an update some owners restore sound by wiping the cache partition from recovery mode. Since the S22+ has three microphones, you can find which one is at fault by recording a video, which uses the rear microphone, a voice memo, which uses the bottom one, and making a call at the ear, which uses the top:
if only one of them is faint, the opening or the part for that microphone is the problem and Samsung's repair desk can be told which one. Voice assistants and dictation use the microphone too, so if voice typing works but calls do not, the microphone is fine and the call route or the carrier is the cause, which Samsung's Members diagnostics can confirm in a minute. The S22+ is a glass-backed phone with a mirrored camera island, and cases with raised camera rings sometimes sit over the rear microphone beside the flash.
If video recordings have faint audio but voice calls are fine, the rear microphone is blocked, and a case that leaves a wider opening solves it. Samsung's Audio Eraser and Voice focus features in the gallery and camera modes can also lower background noise and clip your voice, so test recordings with those features off. Record a short test clip in a quiet room, in the same spot each time, to compare results objectively.
Differential
Likely causes of “Samsung Galaxy S22+ microphone is quiet, muffled or not working”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A blocked opening or case
What separates it Voice is faint
How to confirm Remove the case and brush the openings
- 2
Bluetooth taking the audio
What separates it Callers hear nothing
How to confirm Turn Bluetooth off
- 3
A permission off
What separates it One app cannot use the mic
How to confirm Settings, Apps, Permissions, Microphone
- 4
Noise reduction clipping
What separates it Quiet voices are cut
How to confirm Turn off noise reduction in call settings
- 5
A hardware fault
What separates it The recorder test is silent
How to confirm Contact Samsung
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Whether Voice Recorder captures your voice
- Whether Bluetooth is connected
- Which apps fail
- The case
Try in this order
0 of 11 completedRecord with Voice Recorder
ReversibleSpeak at the bottom edge and play it back.
Turn off Bluetooth
ReversibleTest a call without a headset.
Remove the case and clean the openings
ReversibleWith a soft brush.
Check permissions
ReversibleSettings, Apps, Permissions.
Run the diagnostic
ReversibleSamsung Members, Phone diagnostics, Microphone.
Restart and wipe the cache
ReversibleAfter an update.
Test each microphone separately
ReversibleRecord a video, a voice memo and a call at the ear and compare, so you know which of the three microphones is weak.
Check for a screen protector film over the top opening
ReversibleA thick film or a case edge at the top can cover the call microphone.
Test voice typing
ReversibleOpen any text box and use the microphone key; if it hears you, the microphone is fine.
Test video audio and call audio separately
ReversibleA faint video but a clear call points at the rear microphone.
Turn off Voice focus and Audio Eraser for a test
ReversibleRecord again with them off.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Three microphones
- Bottom, top and rear.
- A cache wipe
- It can restore sound after an update.
- Three tests
- Video, memo and call each use a different microphone.
- Film over the top
- A protector can cover the upper opening.
- Telling Samsung
- Naming the faulty microphone speeds the repair.
- Dictation test
- Voice typing proves the microphone works.
- Rear microphone
- It sits beside the flash and can be covered by a case ring.
- Audio effects
- They can clip a quiet voice.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the recorder is silent after a restart, contact Samsung
- !If only one app fails, contact its developer
- !Water exposure needs service
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
Why can't people hear me on my S22+?+
A blocked opening, Bluetooth or a setting.
How do I test it?+
Voice Recorder or Samsung Members.
Does the case matter?+
It can cover the openings.
How can I tell which microphone is faulty?+
Test video, a voice memo and a call separately.
Does a screen protector affect the microphone?+
If it covers the opening, yes.
If voice typing works, what is wrong with calls?+
The call route, a Bluetooth device or the network.
Why is my video audio faint but calls are fine?+
The rear microphone may be covered.