When someone tells you that your Galaxy S23+ sounds faint or cuts out on calls, the way to find the fault is a thirty-second recording in Voice Recorder, once on the handset and once on speaker phone. The S23+ has a main microphone at the bottom edge for your voice, another near the top that listens to the background so the phone can remove it, and a third used when you film. A case that does not match its cutouts, Bluetooth carrying the audio elsewhere, a missing app permission or dirt in an opening explain most of the cases. If the clip is faint with the case off and in Safe mode, the microphone itself needs a Samsung check.
Differential
Likely causes of “Samsung Galaxy S23+ microphone is quiet, muffled or not working”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
The case rim covers the bottom opening
What separates it Your voice sounds distant in the case and normal out of it
How to confirm Remove the case and check that the cutout lines up with the small hole beside the USB-C port
- 2
Bluetooth is carrying the call audio
What separates it The call timer runs and nobody hears you, while the phone seems normal
How to confirm Swipe down, switch Bluetooth off, and place the call again
- 3
One app has no microphone permission
What separates it A game chat or video-call app is silent while a normal call is fine
How to confirm Settings, Apps, the app, Permissions, Microphone, then choose Allow only while using the app
- 4
Dust, lint or water in an opening
What separates it The recording is muffled or crackly in every app
How to confirm Let the phone dry at room temperature and brush the opening gently with a soft dry brush
- 5
A faulty microphone
What separates it The clip stays faint with the case off, in Safe mode, and in diagnostics
How to confirm Run Phone diagnostics in Samsung Members; a failed microphone test is a repair
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Whether the fault is on calls, video recordings or voice notes
- Whether speaker phone and the handset sound different
- The case and any film fitted over the openings
- The One UI version and security patch date
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedTake the case off
ReversibleRemove the case and any film near the bottom edge, then place a short call and ask how you sound.
Record in both modes
ReversibleOpen Voice Recorder, say the same sentence close to the bottom edge, play it back, then repeat on speaker phone. The mode that sounds faint is the one to chase.
Turn Bluetooth off
ReversibleSwipe down and switch Bluetooth off so a watch or earbuds do not take the call.
Check the permission
ReversibleSettings, Apps, the app, Permissions, Microphone, and set it to Allow only while using the app.
Clean the opening gently
ReversibleWith the phone switched off, brush the bottom opening with a soft dry brush; do not blow into it.
Run diagnostics, then Safe mode
ReversibleSamsung Members, Get help, Phone diagnostics, Microphone, and then restart in Safe mode to see whether an app is interfering.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Water and the S23+
- The S23+ is rated IP68, but seals age. A microphone opening that has taken in water sounds muffled until it dries, which can take a day.
- Galaxy AI features
- Features that listen to a call, such as live translation, work from the same microphones, so a faint microphone also lowers their accuracy.
- Where this phone's microphone is
- The bottom edge, beside the USB-C port, so a case with a narrow cutout is the first thing to try removing. A thick wallet case that folds over the bottom edge muffles it too.
- Why recordings are a better test than calls
- A call depends on the network, the other phone and their speaker. A Voice Recorder clip depends only on your microphone, so it separates a phone fault from a bad connection quickly.
- The S23+ and wind
- On windy days the noise-cancelling system can clip your voice. Turning your back to the wind or covering the top of the phone with a hand improves it more than any setting.
- What a good Voice Recorder test looks like
- Record at arm's length and at ten centimetres. A clean clip at ten centimetres and a faint one at arm's length points at noise suppression or distance; a faint clip at both points at the opening or the microphone.
- Calls on speaker phone
- Speaker phone calls pick up your voice from a distance and echo from the room; use the handset or earbuds for important calls.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If Phone diagnostics fails the microphone with the case off and in Safe mode, book a Samsung repair
- !If the phone was wet, let it dry for a day before taking it in
- !If only one app fails, contact that app's support
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
How many microphones does the Galaxy S23+ have?+
Several: a bottom one for your voice, one near the top for noise cancelling, and another used for video.
Why is the clip fine on handset but faint on speaker phone?+
The two modes use different microphones and processing, so only one of them may be faulty.
Can a case really cause this?+
Yes. A case rim that overlaps the bottom opening by a millimetre is enough to muffle your voice.
Will a factory reset help?+
Only when the cause is software; check the case, the clip test and Safe mode first.
Can a screen protector or case cause echo on calls?+
A case rim covering the bottom microphone can make the voice faint, and a speaker whose sound leaks into the microphone can cause echo for the other person; lower the volume or use a headset.
Why do video recordings from my S23+ sound muffled?+
Video uses a rear microphone on this phone, so a finger or case edge over it muffles the clip. Hold the phone away from the rear opening.
Why does my voice echo for the other person on the S23+?+
Their phone is picking up your voice from their speaker, or yours is on speaker phone; lower the speaker volume or use earbuds.
Can I record clean audio with the S23+ in video mode?+
Hold the phone so a finger does not cover the rear microphone and keep the lens side away from the wind.