How do I stop my mic from picking up background noise Android?
Background noise during phone calls is a common issue that can be very frustrating. It can make it difficult to hear the other person on the call and negatively impact call quality. The underlying cause is that your phone’s microphone is picking up ambient sounds around you in addition to your voice. This background noise then gets transmitted through the call.
There are a variety of sources that can contribute to background noise on calls when using your Android phone. This includes noise from people, traffic, wind, appliances, and more. The specific solutions will depend on identifying the noise sources and making adjustments to reduce what the microphone picks up.
This article will cover different methods you can use to stop your Android phone’s microphone from picking up unwanted background noise during calls. Solutions range from tweaking microphone settings, using noise suppression apps, adjusting notification sounds, using headphones and dedicated mics, and more.
Identify Noise Sources
Common household noises like TVs, music players, appliances such as vacuum cleaners, blenders, or washing machines, pets barking or meowing, and kids playing can all be picked up by your microphone and transmitted to the person on the other end of the call. Environmental sounds like traffic, construction, loud neighbors, and wind can also be distracting background noise.
During video calls and conferences, keyboard typing and mouse clicks can be very audible through your mic. Paper shuffling, pen clicking, coughing or throat clearing might also be picked up and heard by others.
Take note of what kinds of noises are being transmitted through your microphone and try to identify the sources. This will allow you to take steps to reduce the background noise.
Sources:
https://neat.no/resources/how-to-eliminate-background-sounds-during-video-call/
Adjust Microphone Settings
Adjusting your Android device’s microphone settings can help reduce background noise pickup. This includes turning off microphone permissions for apps that don’t need them, disabling “OK Google” voice detection when not needed, and switching from the built-in microphone to an external one.
Go to Settings > Apps and scroll through your apps to see which ones have microphone permissions enabled. Disable microphone access for apps that don’t require it, like games or email apps. This prevents them from activating your mic unexpectedly.
You can also turn off “OK Google” hotword detection when you don’t plan on using voice commands (Settings > Google > Search > Voice > “OK Google” detection). This prevents the microphone from listening unintentionally.
Finally, consider using a dedicated external microphone rather than your phone’s built-in mic. External mics are often higher quality and pick up less ambient noise. Plug in a headset with an inline mic or connect a USB microphone to significantly improve audio quality on calls and recordings.
Use Noise Suppression Apps
Specialized noise suppression apps can help reduce background noise when on calls. Apps like Krisp and Speekie use machine learning algorithms to detect and suppress background noise in real-time. They work across various platforms and devices to clean up the audio on both ends of the call.
You can also enable built-in noise cancellation features during calls on many Android devices. For example, on Samsung Galaxy phones you can enable “Noise cancellation during calls” in Settings. This uses the microphone to sample background noise and cancel it out with anti-noise. Just note this only works for noises the microphone can pick up, not those coming from the caller’s end.
Using specialized noise cancellation apps or built-in Android features can significantly reduce ambient background noise when on calls. Just be aware they work best for constant, steady noise like fans – sudden loud noises may still come through.
Try Noise-Canceling Headphones
Using headphones with built-in noise-cancellation technology can help reduce background noise picked up by your microphone during calls. Many modern wireless headphones like the AirPods Pro have active noise cancellation to block out ambient sound.
Over-ear headphones that form a tighter seal around your ears can also passively muffle external noise before it reaches the microphone. Models like the Bose QuietComfort 45 effectively combine both passive and active noise cancellation for superior noise reduction.
Just keep in mind that active noise cancellation works best on consistent low rumbles like engine noise rather than voices. But it can still help minimize background clutter picked up by your mic.
Pick Quiet Locations
One effective way to reduce background noise on calls is to move to a quieter location when possible. If you are inside a noisy room or environment, consider stepping outside or moving to another room with less ambient noise before making or taking a call.
You may want to scout out some good spots in your home, office, or outdoors that tend to be quieter for phone calls. Then use these as your go-to spots when you need to make or take an important call. If possible, avoid rooms with loud equipment like TVs, washing machines, fans etc. Look for rooms with carpets, curtains and other soft furnishings that help absorb sound.
Also consider suggesting quieter times for calls if needed. For example, call earlier or later when fewer people are around making noise. Ask coworkers, family etc. to keep the volume down during your scheduled call times. Picking optimal locations and moments for clear communication can go a long way towards reducing distracting background noise.
As suggested in this article, moving agents to quieter spots in a call center significantly reduced ambient noise during calls.
Use Dedicated Microphones
One of the most effective ways to minimize background noise is to use a dedicated external microphone instead of your phone’s built-in mic.
Lapel microphones can be clipped onto your clothing near your mouth. Since they are positioned so close to the sound source, they pick up very little ambient noise. Popular options like the Rode Lavalier II use omni-directional mics to focus directly on your voice.
USB and Bluetooth microphones let you position the mic closer to your mouth than your phone’s mic, which is often located on the bottom or back of the device. Quality desktop mics like the Blue Yeti or compact Rode NT-USB Mini pick up clear audio from up close while minimizing distracting ambient sounds.
In both cases, keeping the microphone within close range of your mouth results in a clearer vocal signal that overpowers any background noise in your environment.
Adjust Notification Settings
One of the most common sources of background noise on Android devices comes from notification sounds and system sounds like keyboard clicks. You can adjust your notification settings to mute or turn off these sounds.
Open the Settings app and go to Notifications. Here you can toggle off “Default notification sound” to mute notification sounds. You can also set “Do Not Disturb” schedules to automatically mute notifications during certain times, like at night when you don’t want to be disturbed.
To disable keyboard clicks and touch tones, go to Sound settings. Turn off “Touch sounds” and “Keyboard sound” to mute these system sounds. You can also lower the notification volume slider to 0 to mute sounds.
On Samsung devices, open Sounds and Vibrations settings and toggle off “Touch sounds” and “Keyboard sound.” Go to Notifications and turn off notification sounds or set schedules.
According to Google Support, you can also set “Do Not Disturb” to automatically disable sounds and vibrations during certain times of day.
Educate Callers
Let callers know about background noise issues. Explain that your phone’s microphone can pick up a lot of ambient noise, which can make it hard to hear each other clearly. Ask them to find a quiet place for calls when possible or let you know if they hear distracting background noise on your end. You can also schedule video calls occasionally so callers can see your environment and point out potential noise issues.
Setting expectations can help improve call quality for everyone. If the other person knows you are concerned about background noise, they may be more understanding if issues pop up and more likely to adjust their own settings. A little courtesy goes a long way – simply explaining the situation and asking for their help in minimizing disruptions can make a positive difference. Being proactive helps ensure you have the best communication possible.
Conclusion
In summary, there are several effective ways to reduce background noise being picked up by your Android microphone.
Using noise suppression apps like Krisp can help filter out ambient sounds in real-time during calls. Switching to dedicated external microphones or noise canceling headphones blocks external noises from reaching the mic.
Adjusting notification and media volume settings prevents alerts and music from being audible during calls. Picking quiet locations and asking callers to reduce background noise on their end also goes a long way.
Changing microphone settings like noise cancellation and reducing mic sensitivity makes the mic less prone to picking up unintended sounds. Ultimately, reducing background noise results in much clearer voice and call quality.