Google recognizes microphone problems in Pixel smartphones

Google recognizes the problems with the microphones in the Pixel and Pixel XL in its product forum. It would be a hardware error that could cause one or more of the three microphones in the devices to stop working.

The problem with the microphones could be caused by two different things, according to Google employees. First, it could be a crack in a soldering point on the audio codec. In cases where all three microphones are having issues, this is the most likely cause. Depending on temperature and how the user is holding the phone, the problem may disappear at certain times. Problems with individual microphones may be due to the mechanism that has become stuck. Google rules out a software problem.

The problem would mainly occur with Pixel devices that were produced before January of this year. Google employee Brian Rakowski states that Google has already taken steps to prevent these problems from this year. With this year’s Pixels, the probability of these issues occurring should be below 1 percent. It is not clear how high that percentage is for older devices.

Although for a problem with an individual microphone, users could try heating it with, for example, a hair dryer to loosen the cone, Google does not recommend this. Instead, it is recommended to contact the company’s customer service. Users who suffer from this problem get a new device apparently without ifs and buts.