Microphone in speakerphone mode unusable due to background noises on Pixel4a

[tve]

• I have searched open and closed issues for duplicates
• I am submitting a bug report for existing functionality that does not work as intended
• I have read https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Android/wiki/Submitting-useful-bug-reports
• This isn't a feature request or a discussion topic

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Bug description

On a pixel4a when turning on speakerphone during a call the microphone picks up ambient noises like crazy and makes it very uncomfortable for the remote party. This started a couple of months ago (have used Signal for many years). Previously the speakerphone microphone was perfect and did not pick-up ambient noises (basically normal).

I am using CalyxOS (Android 14 AOSP-based) and have done some testing:

• regular phone calls (AOSP dialer) have the speakerphone microphone working perfectly: clear audio, no ambient sounds, etc.
• it also works fine with the last (Android 13) stock google image
• speakerphone microphone unusable in the last Android 13 CalyxOS build (dec '23 or jan '24, I'm not sure), same for an august '23 CalyxOS build (the speakerphone microphone feature worked fine at that time)
• exactly the same issue with the latest LineageOS 21.0
• I also reverted to the oldest version of Signal that currently still works (7.1.3) and the issue persists

Steps to reproduce

• install clean OS
• install signal
• set-up signal account
• make signal call and test voice quality
• turn on speaker and have the other party report sound quality, they should hear a change where the voice becomes softer and ambient noises get picked up and amplified, for example computer fan or just about anything else
• hang up, make a regular phone call to the same party, turn on speaker and observe that it sounds great

Actual result: speakerphone microphone picks up and amplifies ambient noises driving other party crazy
Expected result: speakerphone microphone sounds normal and is usable

Device info

Device: Google Pixel4a
Android version: 13 and 14
Signal version: 7.4.2 (tried back to 7.1.3, can't test previous ones as they won't connect to servers)

Link to debug log

https://debuglogs.org/android/7.4.2/2259a6b61f4e6960b1deab5c253ff581b272077f4e1d8292ce47e91ee95467a3

[tve]

Thanks for the suggestions. However, during regular phone calls the speakerphone mic works perfectly. This is a software issue, not a hardware or system configuration issue.

1. Enable Noise Suppression:

* Go to **Settings > Sound > Advanced > Noise cancellation** and turn it on.

This setting does not exist in AOSP-based builds as far as I can tell.

2. Update Software:

* Ensure your device is running the latest software. Go to Settings > System > System update** to check for updates.

I am running the latest version of CalyxOS (may 2024), I also tried the latest version of LineageOS.

3. Clear Microphone Area:

* Make sure the microphone openings are clean and unobstructed.

I did that several times. Also, it works great during regular phone calls.

5. Third-Party Apps:

* Use third-party noise-cancelling apps like Krisp [ent](https://educonnectnormandie.online/ent/) for better noise management during calls.

I will try this app, but the problem is that somehow Signal does not use the microphone the same way that the AOSP dialer does, since the latter works great.

6. Factory Reset (if other steps fail):

* Back up your data and perform a factory reset. Go to **Settings > System > Advanced > Reset options > Erase all data (factory reset).

I did that several times and installed LineageOS as well to verify.

These steps should help improve the microphone quality during speakerphone calls.

They don't. The speakerphone calls work great using the AOSP dialer during regular calls, but with Signal it's unusable.

[tifriis208]

Hi. For information, I got the same issue with my Pixel 3 with also CalyxOS. But I don't have this issue with my Pixel 4a (also with CalyxOS), last build. Let's hope we find the issue :)

[stale]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had recent activity. It will be closed if no further activity occurs. Thank you for your contributions.

[jim-signal]

Hello @tve and @tifriis208, can you please try with the Signal 7.16 release or later? We are trying different audio interfaces for CalyxOS devices. In either case, please let us know your results and if you can, send us logs (Settings->Help->Debug Log) if there are still problems. Thanks!

[tve]

I can confirm that this issue is fixed! yay& thanks!
details: the pixel 4a i reported the issue for sadly died but i had the exact same issue with the 8a that replaced it. with the recent upgrade it now works as expected, i.e. no more pick up of background noise.

[tifriis208]

hello @jim-signal, sorry for my late answer. I still had this issue with last signal version (7.23.1) on calyxos and lineageOS with Pixel 3. However, I can't give you a log file for now since I juste brick my phone, trying to go back to android stock rom (android 12) to solve this issue 😭

I confirm I never encountered issue on my other phone, Pixel 4a (not 4a 5G), running on CalyxOS. Thanks for your support btw

[jim-signal]

@tifriis208 Sorry to hear about your Pixel 3, I hope you can eventually recover it.

[jim-signal]

Closing this issue because the OP's issue is fixed.

If anyone experiences echo on Android, please create a new issue and be sure to include logs that capture the bad call and the associated device/app details. See here for how to get a link to a log file.