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Help Call quality concerns

toriaoxford

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Mar 29, 2013
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I have my new HTC1 and its a beautiful thing to behold BUT there is an awful hissing when talking on the phone. Has anyone else experienced this? It is reported on other handsets in the One range from HTC. I'm on contract on Three and wonder if I should take back for a replacement?
 
I have my new HTC1 and its a beautiful thing to behold BUT there is an awful hissing when talking on the phone. Has anyone else experienced this? It is reported on other handsets in the One range from HTC. I'm on contract on Three and wonder if I should take back for a replacement?

Take it back and try out another one in the store, maybe a demo model and see if the same hissing exists. In this day and ago the number 1 thing a smart phone should do is at least make very good & clear phone calls. This whole nonsense with varied phones just not being able to perform the task they are meant to do first and foremost is ridiculous.

My advice is take it back and try to see if the issue duplicates on the demo, if it doesn't then ask for an exchange, if it does...well them thats something you have to ask yourself if your willing to deal with.

Good luck
 
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For those of you who followed the call quality issue I am having with my new One, I went back to the Sprint store today to discuss with them. It is kinda funny how they are your best friend before you buy a phone, but you get a "why are you bothering me" kind of attitude after you buy the phone. Anyway, the store manager also has a new One that the store got as some kind of promo or something. We did some tests and at first he was like "I don't hear the problem" - even though it was obvious. Finally he agreed that he kinds sorta hears the problem. Interestingly, his phone did it too! His comment was that he never noticed it. I can hardly imagine this. In a quiet room, when talking with someone, it is like talking to them on a walkie-talkie. So now it comes down to this. Is this an HTC ONE issue or could it be related to Sprint and the customizations done to make it a Sprint phone. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone on AT&T that has a One who can check this. The other way to go is try a Galaxy S4 on Sprint and see if the same issues are present on a completely different brand of phone. Again, unfortunately, I don't know of anyone who has the S4 either.

Any input would ge greatly appreciated. I only have 4 days left before I am stuck with the phone/new carrier. The closer I get to that end date, the more pressure I will feel to do something rash like port back to AT&T and go back to my old flip phone. :rolleyes:
 
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I have intermittent call quality issues also,both with & without BLUETOOTH in use.

Audio w/media is fine, so,without anything else to go on,I'm guessing an update from HTC will address these issues.

Not to make excuses,but, bugs in early models of anything are almost inevitable & I'm optimistic it'll be addressed soon.

An HTC Customer Care agent experienced it 1st hand when I was on the phone via B/T last night & in so many words, told me an update was imminent before I could even broach the subject. ;)
 
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I have intermittent call quality issues also,both with & without BLUETOOTH in use.

Audio w/media is fine, so,without anything else to go on,I'm guessing an update from HTC will address these issues.

Not to make excuses,but, bugs in early models of anything are almost inevitable & I'm optimistic it'll be addressed soon.

An HTC Customer Care agent experienced it 1st hand when I was on the phone via B/T last night & in so many words, told me an update was imminent before I could even broach the subject. ;)

Thanks for the response, Kolio. That was my next thought - to contact HTC, but getting to an experienced agent is tough at best. If there was a different department to talk to, I can see going down that path.

As for the details, I should have directed readers to the prior string in the "Reviews from actual users" thread. The problem is not related to bluetooth. It is a call quality problem for both speaker phone and for the "on ear" calls. I get a "white noise" kinda like a walkie talkie that is in the background while a person is talking to me. As soon as the person stops talking, the sound disappears. As soon as the person starts talking again, the background noise (also could be charactorized as a hissing sound) starts up again. It is much more pronounced on the speaker phone. But again, I am unsure if this could be a carrier (Sprint) issue. I ported over from AT&T to get the better plan rates and unlimited with Sprint, but now I am beginning to wonder if this is related to Sprint. I have no measure for this having come from AT&T. I did not have this issue on my old phone on AT&T, but that does not mean much. If there were lots of these phones out there, I could get a good cross comparison between call quality on the One with Sprint and call quality with AT&T, but I don't know anyone else around here that has a One - on either carrier.
 
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I have at&t and my ONE is rock solid in the call/phone dept. Calls are loud and crystal clear...Speaker phone works very well also.

I would deff port back to at&t though...I hated Sprint when I was with them and had the HTC EVO, they're support IMO was down right terrible next to the service also being very spotty here in NYC.
 
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T-MOBILE here. My speakerphone calls & normal calls are OK, w/an occasional rattling/metallic sound on normal calls, as if a speaker is damaged. But, that's not the case, as audio w/media is fine.

BLUETOOTH however, is a different story, definitely something going on there, as callers on the other end make quick note of the problem. (Used 2 different B/T's, same results).

Possibly a network issue as well,I'll go that route next & contact T-MOBILE to see if others are experiencing issues in my area &/or if it's an HTC ONE/T-MOBILE specific (known?) issue.

FWIW,my phone is less than 3 weeks old,manufactured on 4/16/2013.That lends to me theorizing the issue is software &/or network issues & not a hardware defect/manufacturing problem, as most, if any issues of that nature were probably addressed beforehand.
 
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I don't want to be another one to jump in and imply that there isn't a problem when you say your having one...

I have not had any issues myself.
The call quality on the One over the N4 is night and day.
My wife even made that observation without me mentioning it.
However, I have used all the carriers.. and audio quality is subjective... here is my take on them...

I think one thing that people fail to take into account is the codecs that get used and on the air interface.
T-Mobile has the hd voice thing going on with AMR-WB. (only on HSPA)
Having used the T-Mobile HD voice I can say that it's quite good.
IIRC, the One on T-Mobile also supports it.

AT&T has started to change codecs in some markets already from what I have read to AMR-FR and the difference there is noticeable.

Now... My experience on Sprint and Verizon which I believe are still using SVC on their networks is that it is subpar.
It works but I have never liked talking to anyone on a Verizon or Sprint device because it just sounds bad to me.

Again, call quality is subjective... it's just my take that the CDMA networks use a codec that sounds bad to me.
This may be what you are experiencing.

If you like the device, go to an AT&T store and see if you can get some test calls and get a One from them.
If you find the same issues then perhaps you can hear something that most people cannot or does not bother them as much.

This is one of those techie things that interests me so I would be curious to know what you end up doing or find out.
 
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I have sprint and have not had any call issues. Sorry to hear you are though :(

I wonder if the towers in Hawaii are different/better. But Abird, please do listen closely while on a call (speaker phone). Listen for a background/hissing nosie at any point that the other person is talking. It goes away as soon as the person stops talking. Let me know what you find out. I mention that because the only other Sprint user that has the One (the Sprint store manager) had the same problem on his phone, but his response was "well, that noise doesn't bother me." At least he admitted he heard it. :rolleyes:

I have at&t and my ONE is rock solid in the call/phone dept. Calls are loud and crystal clear...Speaker phone works very well also.

I would deff port back to at&t though...I hated Sprint when I was with them and had the HTC EVO, they're support IMO was down right terrible next to the service also being very spotty here in NYC.

Crap!! It's too bad you are on the opposite side of the country. I would like to get together and try each others phones. I guess I should be more detailed on the issue, now that I see some responses. The person on the other end of the line is fairly clear. However, the background walkie talkie type noise is screwing the overall call quality up.
 
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I wonder if the towers in Hawaii are different/better. But Abird, please do listen closely while on a call (speaker phone). Listen for a background/hissing nosie at any point that the other person is talking. It goes away as soon as the person stops talking. Let me know what you find out. I mention that because the only other Sprint user that has the One (the Sprint store manager) had the same problem on his phone, but his response was "well, that noise doesn't bother me." At least he admitted he heard it. :rolleyes:

I highly doubt the towers here are better, I've contacted sprint twice about the towers and they were no help lol
But I just was on the phone with my dad and I didn't hear the hissing it sounded normal the same if not a bit better from my previous phone. But I will listen more carefully my next call.
Can you post an audio clip of what it sounds like?
 
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For those of you who followed the call quality issue I am having with my new One, I went back to the Sprint store today to discuss with them. Anyway, the store manager also has a new One that the store got as some kind of promo or something. We did some tests and In a quiet room, when talking with someone, it is like talking to them on a walkie-talkie. So now it comes down to this. Is this an HTC ONE issue or could it be related to Sprint and the customizations done to make it a Sprint phone. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone on AT&T that has a One who can check this.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. I only have 4 days left before I am stuck with the phone/new carrier. The closer I get to that end date, the more pressure I will feel to do something rash like port back to AT&T and go back to my old flip phone. :rolleyes:

I performed the HTC Function Test v4.01.04g (DIALER > *#*#3424#*#*)
FWIW,when it came to the audio record & playback,listening to playback through the top speaker,I could hear the hissing quite clearly.Not sure if this is the same as to what you're hearing,but,when the test is repeated & using a wired headset,the hissing/white noise disappears.

BTW,everything else checked out OK on my handset.

If you want to perform the system-wide 100% diagnostic test,have a wired headset, B/T headset & a flat surface available.

Not sure if the hissing on playback directly relates to what you hear on a phone call;any input from others more schooled on the subject is definitely welcome.
 
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I don't want to be another one to jump in and imply that there isn't a problem when you say your having one...

I have not had any issues myself.
The call quality on the One over the N4 is night and day.
My wife even made that observation without me mentioning it.
However, I have used all the carriers.. and audio quality is subjective... here is my take on them...

I think one thing that people fail to take into account is the codecs that get used and on the air interface.
T-Mobile has the hd voice thing going on with AMR-WB. (only on HSPA)
Having used the T-Mobile HD voice I can say that it's quite good.
IIRC, the One on T-Mobile also supports it.

AT&T has started to change codecs in some markets already from what I have read to AMR-FR and the difference there is noticeable.

Now... My experience on Sprint and Verizon which I believe are still using SVC on their networks is that it is subpar.
It works but I have never liked talking to anyone on a Verizon or Sprint device because it just sounds bad to me.

Again, call quality is subjective... it's just my take that the CDMA networks use a codec that sounds bad to me.
This may be what you are experiencing.

If you like the device, go to an AT&T store and see if you can get some test calls and get a One from them.
If you find the same issues then perhaps you can hear something that most people cannot or does not bother them as much.

This is one of those techie things that interests me so I would be curious to know what you end up doing or find out.

Thanks Loyal. This was good advice. I called around and found an AT&T store that has a functioning ONE in the store. I am going to head over there tomorrow.

---

I performed the HTC Function Test v4.01.04g (DIALER > *#*#3424#*#*)
FWIW,when it came to the audio record & playback,listening to playback through the top speaker,I could hear the hissing quite clearly.Not sure if this is the same as to what you're hearing,but,when the test is repeated & using a wired headset,the hissing/white noise disappears.

BTW,everything else checked out OK on my handset.

If you want to perform the system-wide 100% diagnostic test,have a wired headset, B/T headset & a flat surface available.

Not sure if the hissing on playback directly relates to what you hear on a phone call;any input from others more schooled on the subject is definitely welcome.

Thanks Kolio. Do you type everything in between the () marks or just everything after Dailer >
 
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I performed the HTC Function Test v4.01.04g (DIALER > *#*#3424#*#*)
FWIW,when it came to the audio record & playback,listening to playback through the top speaker,I could hear the hissing quite clearly.Not sure if this is the same as to what you're hearing,but,when the test is repeated & using a wired headset,the hissing/white noise disappears.

BTW,everything else checked out OK on my handset.

If you want to perform the system-wide 100% diagnostic test,have a wired headset, B/T headset & a flat surface available.

Not sure if the hissing on playback directly relates to what you hear on a phone call;any input from others more schooled on the subject is definitely welcome.

I ran the audio portion of the test you mentioned above. Yes, when it came to the record/playback and it was playing back my recording, that is the white noise/hissing sound I have been talking about. My problem is that I hear this sound every time a person is talking to me in a call.

At least we now have something others can definitatively test and listen for. I would be interested in seeing what others have to report after running the audio test and then listen for this sound during a call with someone.

Thanks for the test info, Kolio
 
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I ran the audio portion of the test you mentioned above. Yes, when it came to the record/playback and it was playing back my recording, that is the white noise/hissing sound I have been talking about. My problem is that I hear this sound every time a person is talking to me in a call.

At least we now have something others can definitatively test and listen for. I would be interested in seeing what others have to report after running the audio test and then listen for this sound during a call with someone.

Thanks for the test info, Kolio


@ TOOLWARRIOR :

Just to let you know,your Call Quality Concerns aren't an isolated incident:

HTC One Problems: Bugs users complain about most (and solutions) | Digital Trends


As the international models have already received an update,I'm guessing something is in the works from HTC.
 
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I registered just to report that I'm having the same issue!!

My new HTC One from T-Mobile when paired with my cars bluetooth, the call quality is really bad. It would cut in and out and its hard to understand the person at the other end. My old cheapo motorola phone is way better and has really crystal clear bluetooth audio.

For a phone this expensive, didn't HTC even test it???
 
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I am having the same issue with calls, as well as an intermittent problem with my media volume control. Sometimes it says that it is muted by showing an x symbol over the speaker symbol, but just for the media. The odd part is that the volume bar for my media will say that it is turned all the way up. When I try to turn it up using the volume rocker on the side, it won't let me, it stays in one place. I called tmobile and asked them if this was a common problem, and before finishing telling them what is going on, they just told me to bring it in, and exchange it for a new One. I am not sure that I am going to waste my time now that it seems like it is a software problem and not a hardware problem. Any thoughts?
 
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@ TOOLWARRIOR :

Just to let you know,your Call Quality Concerns aren't an isolated incident:

HTC One Problems: Bugs users complain about most (and solutions) | Digital Trends


As the international models have already received an update,I'm guessing something is in the works from HTC.

Thanks Kolio. Seems it was a good idea to keep this thread alive. Apparently this problem is a lot more widespread than just me. It's a long thread, but worth the read. Very interesting, indeed.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2215718

Worse yet, one guy said HTC has acknowleged the issue (but would not provide a source), another guy said HTC stated that the issue was unconfirmed. There seems to be two catagories to the problem. Some folks are having the issue with headphones. Others, like myself, have the problem when in a phone call -when the other person is talking.

I only have 3 days left. With no confirmation by HTC and a pending solution, I (with great sadness) am going to turn the phone back in and port back to AT&T and my old phone. So ends my short lived time with the HTC One. :rolleyes:
 
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Thanks Kolio. Seems it was a good idea to keep this thread alive. Apparently this problem is a lot more widespread than just me. It's a long thread, but worth the read. Very interesting, indeed.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2215718

Worse yet, one guy said HTC has acknowleged the issue (but would not provide a source), another guy said HTC stated that the issue was unconfirmed. There seems to be two catagories to the problem. Some folks are having the issue with headphones. Others, like myself, have the problem when in a phone call -when the other person is talking.

I only have 3 days left. With no confirmation by HTC and a pending solution, I (with great sadness) am going to turn the phone back in and port back to AT&T and my old phone. So ends my short lived time with the HTC One. :rolleyes:

I just put in a ticket w/HTC on my BLUETOOTH/call quality issues.The CSR will get back w/me after some investigating/mining for info on the subject.She actually gave me a specific call-back time for tomorrow,from the same agent,no less. :D :congrats: :thumbup: :rock:

BTW,the response time had to be some kind of record,about 5 seconds tops!

:vroam:

VERY NICE!,a great example for the rest of the industry to follow. ;)
 
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I just put in a ticket w/HTC on my BLUETOOTH/call quality issues.The CSR will get back w/me after some investigating/mining for info on the subject.She actually gave me a specific call-back time for tomorrow,from the same agent,no less. :D :congrats: :thumbup: :rock:

BTW,the response time had to be some kind of record,about 5 seconds tops!

:vroam:

VERY NICE!,a great example for the rest of the industry to follow. ;)

Hey, thats great, Kolio. I hope that gets fixed for ya. See if you can get the gal to confirm that HTC is aware of the call quality issue and has a fix ready to release soon. :D Wishful thinking.....
 
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