How to turn off setting that automatically makes speakerphone?

The speakerphone feature allows you to talk on the phone without holding it up to your ear. It utilizes a phone’s built-in speakers and microphone to enable a hands-free experience. This can be useful in situations like conferencing in multiple people on a call or when you need to free up your hands for other tasks.

However, many users have experienced an issue where the speakerphone turns on automatically during calls without prompting. This can be annoying and disruptive, especially if you intended to have a private phone conversation. The sudden blast of audio from the speakers may alert those around you to your call against your wishes. Additionally, speakerphone audio quality is degraded compared to standard handset mode. Users understandably want full control over enabling speakerphone only when needed.

Verify the Feature is Enabled

Before trying to disable the automatic speakerphone feature, you’ll first want to verify if it’s even enabled on your Android device. This feature was introduced in Android 9 Pie, so newer Android phones are more likely to have it turned on by default.

To check if your phone model has this enabled, go to Settings > Accessibility. Look for an option called “Auto speakerphone” or “Automatic speakerphone for calls.” If you see this and it’s switched on, then your phone has the auto speaker feature enabled.

According to a Reddit thread, certain brands like Samsung and LG have this turned on by default for their newer phones (source). So you may want to disable it if you don’t want every call to automatically go to speakerphone.

Disable in Call Settings

You can turn off the automatic speakerphone feature directly in your Android phone’s call settings menu. Here’s how:

Open the Settings app on your Android phone.
Tap “Accessibility” or “General management.”
Tap “Call settings.”

Find and turn off the option labeled “Automatic speakerphone,” “Auto speaker,” or something similar.

This will prevent your phone from automatically routing calls through the speakerphone during calls. You’ll need to manually turn on the speaker yourself when desired by pressing the speaker button during calls.

To find the call settings, on some Samsung Galaxy phones, go to Settings > Connections > More connection settings > Call https://androidsparks.com/how-to-disable-speakers-in-android/. Turn off “Automatic speaker.”

Disable for Specific Contacts

If you only want to disable the auto speakerphone feature for certain contacts and not all calls, you can customize the settings for individual contacts on both iPhone and Android.

On an iPhone, go to Contacts, select the contact you want to customize, tap Edit in the top right corner, then scroll down and toggle “Auto-Speakerphone” off. This will disable auto speakerphone calls only for that specific contact.

On Android, go to Contacts, select the contact, tap the menu button or icon in the top right, choose Options or Edit contact, then toggle “Auto-Speaker” or “Always speak on this device” off to disable it for that contact. Some users recommend going to Settings > Accessibility and disabling “Auto-answer incoming calls” if you want to fully customize speaker settings per contact.

So in summary, you can selectively turn off auto speakerphone on a per-contact basis by customizing individual contacts and disabling the auto-speakerphone option specifically for them.

Use Hardware Button

If your phone has a physical button to activate speakerphone, you can press that to override the auto switch to speakerphone during calls. This will allow you to manually control when speakerphone is on.

Simply press the speakerphone button during a call to toggle the speaker on or off. This will override the automatic switch that enabled speakerphone without your input. You’ll be able to hear the call through the phone’s regular earpiece again after pressing the button.

The speaker button is typically located on the side of the phone near the volume buttons. It may have a small icon like a speaker or megaphone. Consult your device’s manual if you’re unsure of the location.

Pressing the hardware speaker button during a call gives you manual control to override the automatic speakerphone function. This allows you to decide when speakerphone is activated.

Get a Headset

Using a wired or wireless headset is an effective way to prevent the speakerphone from automatically turning on during calls. When a headset is plugged in or connected, the phone recognizes that and will route the call audio directly to the headset instead of the loudspeaker.

According to this Quora post, most smartphones have a setting that enables auto speakerphone when headphones are not plugged in. So using any wired headphones with a 3.5mm jack or Bluetooth wireless headphones will override this setting.

Reddit users on this thread also confirm that connecting headphones prevents calls from automatically going to speakerphone on iPhones. The phone recognizes the headset and keeps call audio private.

In summary, using a wired or wireless headset is a simple and effective solution to stop the speakerphone from automatically turning on when you receive calls.

Adjust Sensitivity

One way to prevent the speakerphone from activating automatically is to adjust the motion sensor sensitivity on your phone. The motion sensors detect when the phone moves close to your face during a call and toggle the speaker on or off.

On many Android devices, you can tweak the motion sensor sensitivity in the Sound settings. Go to Settings > Sound > Advanced/Additional sound settings. Look for an option like “Motion and gestures” or “Flip to mute.” Lowering the sensitivity of the motion sensors can prevent accidental speakerphone activation.

For example, on Samsung Galaxy devices, go to Settings > Advanced features > Motions and gestures > Smart alert. Turn off “Auto speakerphone call” to disable the motion sensor triggering during calls.¹

You can also try adjusting the touch sensitivity of the screen if that is triggering unintended speakerphone toggling. Under Settings > Display > Touch sensitivity, set the sensitivity to a lower level.

Use a Different Phone App

Another option is to download and use a third party phone app that does not have the automatic speaker feature enabled by default. There are many alternative dialer apps available on the Google Play Store, such as ExDialer, TrueCaller, or GO Contacts. Some of these will allow you to make and receive calls without automatically switching on the speakerphone.

However, the main downside to using a third party app is that they often lack some of the functionality or integration of your phone’s default calling app. You may miss out on features like visual voicemail, call blocking, integration with contacts, call recording, and other useful tools by switching to a basic third party dialer. Additionally, some apps may have privacy concerns or display excessive ads. So while they solve the speakerphone issue, third party calling apps have some significant drawbacks to consider.

Factory Reset

As a last resort, you can perform a factory reset to erase all data and restore the phone to its default settings. This nuclear option will turn off any customized settings like automatic speakerphone.[How to Turn Off the Automatic Factory Reset Feature on android](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogzL8g77xlg) While a factory reset will disable automatic speakerphone, it will also delete all your apps, files, and settings, so make sure to backup anything important first.

To perform a factory reset, go to Settings > System > Reset options > Erase all data (factory reset). Tap Reset phone and then Erase everything. You’ll then need to reconfigure the phone from scratch. Only use this method if nothing else has worked to disable automatic speakerphone and you’re okay with wiping the phone completely.

Conclusion

Turning off the setting that automatically enables speakerphone can improve your call privacy and prevent unintended speakerphone usage. A few key things to remember:

Disable the auto speakerphone feature in your phone’s call settings or app settings.
For specific contacts, customize their contact to prevent auto speakerphone.
Use your phone’s hardware volume or speaker button to manually control speakerphone.

Get a headset to bypass your phone’s external speaker entirely.

With these tips in mind, you can take control over your phone’s automatic speakerphone function. Just be careful not to accidentally broadcast private call details when you don’t intend to.