WhatsApp is a Swiss knife of all instant messengers. Along with its many great features, it was one of the first IMs to introduce voice messages. However, some users are having a hard time with WhatsApp for Android as the voice message feature is not working for them.
If you are unable to record voice messages, make sure to check the steps below.
Table of contents:
- Check the in-app permissions
- Check Volume options
- Clear cache and data from WhatsApp
- Reinstall the app
- Downgrade to an older version of the app
- Ensure that your mic is working
WhatsApp microphone not working during calls
There are not many reasons why voice message is not working in WhatsApp. Although, once you are certain that the app has permission to access the microphone, it usually starts working. Alternatively, try clearing the cache and data from the phone and grant permissions again.
1. Check the in-app permissions
Let’s start by confirming that the mic permission is indeed granted to WhatsApp on your Android device.
Follow these instructions to grant mic permission to WhatsApp:
- Open Settings.
- Choose Apps & notifications.
- Select All apps.
- Open WhatsApp from the list of available apps.
- Select Permissions.
- Ensure that WhatsApp has access to your Microphone.
2. Check Volume options
This one is quite obvious but it’s worth mentioning that even something as silly as the accidentally lowered volume can trick you into thinking that there’s a problem with the app.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Open Settings.
- Choose Sound.
- In the Volume adjustments section, use the Call volume slider to max the in-call volume.
Alternatively, while you are in WhatsApp during recording or voice call, press Volume up to ensure that the mic volume is at the max.
3. Clear cache and data from WhatsApp
If the issue persists, you can reset the app without reinstalling it by clearing the locally-stored data.
Follow these instructions to clear cache and data from WhatsApp:
- Navigate again to Settings > Apps & notifications > All apps and open WhatsApp.
- Open Storage & cache.
- Clear cache and data.
- Restart your device and sign into WhatsApp again.
- Test the voice message feature again.
4. Reinstall the app
If the previous step fails, you can reinstall the app and look for improvements. This is an especially useful solution if you recently upgraded to Android 10 or Android 11.
Here’s what you need to do to reinstall WhatsApp on your Android device:
- Open the Play Store and look for WhatsApp.
- Uninstall the app.
- Restart your device.
- Get back to Play Store and install WhatsApp again.
- Sign in and look for improvements.
5. Downgrade to an older version of the app
The problem might as well lie in the current version of the app so you can either switch to the latest beta or, preferably, switch to an older version of WhatsApp. To do that, you’ll need to install an APK version of the app from a third-party source, like APK Mirror.
Follow these instructions to roll back or upgrade the current version of WhatsApp:
- Navigate to APKMirror and download an older APK version of WhatsApp. Alternatively, you can try any other version except the one currently installed on your device. Beta versions are also an option but we suggest avoiding them due to stability issues.
- Uninstall the app as explained in solution 4.
- Allow app installation from external sources.
- Install APK, sign in, and look for improvements.
6. Ensure that your mic is working
Finally, if the issues persist, you can try updating your firmware and reporting the issue to the OEM. If the microphone doesn’t work in other apps, consider resetting your device to factory settings or, if the issue persists after a fresh start, inspect your mic and clean it with compressed air.
With that in mind, we can call it a wrap. Thank you for reading and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more articles like this.
