I've had my Incredible since the 29th (yes, I had to wait) and it is been fantastic except for one important thing - call quality.
I know everyone in here has been discussing signal strength and bars, but I've been experiencing very poor quality in calls. It only seems to be the audio I'm hearing (people on the other end say I sound fine) that is bad - with everything from little 1 second "scuffs" (sounds like someone blowing on the phone mic), to 1 second moments of silence while someone is talking, to what sounds like auto-tune on the person's voice. When there isn't distortion the person sounds kind of muffled. Many times even the audio of the ringing cuts out a couple times or sounds distorted when calling someone.
Anyone on here experiencing a similar issue? I stopped by my local VZW store to which the technician didn't feel there was a problem and refused to replace my phone (although they had no new phones anyways). I've done a hard reset to remove any apps that may be interfering with the calls and it's still the same. Also have tested at least 50 calls in several areas of Rochester, NY (30ish mile radius) over the past 4 days.
I've had my Incredible since the 29th (yes, I had to wait) and it is been fantastic except for one important thing - call quality.
I know everyone in here has been discussing signal strength and bars, but I've been experiencing very poor quality in calls. It only seems to be the audio I'm hearing (people on the other end say I sound fine) that is bad - with everything from little 1 second "scuffs" (sounds like someone blowing on the phone mic), to 1 second moments of silence while someone is talking, to what sounds like auto-tune on the person's voice. When there isn't distortion the person sounds kind of muffled. Many times even the audio of the ringing cuts out a couple times or sounds distorted when calling someone.
Anyone on here experiencing a similar issue? I stopped by my local VZW store to which the technician didn't feel there was a problem and refused to replace my phone (although they had no new phones anyways). I've done a hard reset to remove any apps that may be interfering with the calls and it's still the same. Also have tested at least 50 calls in several areas of Rochester, NY (30ish mile radius) over the past 4 days.
I've seen a couple posts where others had some weird sound quality issues. What is your actual signal strength? ( Settings->About Phone->Network ) Also, you are "In Service" and "Not Roaming" correct?
I've had my Incredible since the 29th and the call quality stinks. Did everyone get the new update? I have not, maybe after the update it will help with the voice quality. Honestly I was on a call today and said excuse me 5 times because I could not hear the other person, it sounded all garbled. Anyway, I'll stop by a Verizon store tomorrow to see if they can fix it. Can anyone offer any ideas to correct the problem? Thanks
Last edited by migeeman; May 2nd, 2010 at 04:12 PM.
Reason: correction
I've had my Incredible since the 29th and the call quality stinks. Did everyone get the new update? I have not, maybe after the update it will help with the voice quality. Honestly I was on a call today and said excuse 5 times because I could not hear the other person, it sounded all garbled. Anyway, I'll stop by a Verizon store tomorrow to see if they can fix it. Can anyone offer any issues to correct the problem? Thanks
I don't think any normal users have gotten the update yet. I have not, and have perfectly good call quality. I can't really think of anything to try and fix the problem, just to attempt to find the cause. Taking it in to the store is probably a good start.
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I've had my Incredible since the 29th and the call quality stinks. Did everyone get the new update? I have not, maybe after the update it will help with the voice quality. Honestly I was on a call today and said excuse me 5 times because I could not hear the other person, it sounded all garbled. Anyway, I'll stop by a Verizon store tomorrow to see if they can fix it. Can anyone offer any ideas to correct the problem? Thanks
I am having this exact same problem. I constantly have to ask people to repeat themselves because they go in and out. It is absolutely ridiculous! I did not expect to be downgrading my service by switching from AT&T to VZW.
I am also experiencing call quality issues in the Rochester, New York area. Seems better when I am at home, south of Rochester. I don't believe it is a signal strength issue, as the signal is actually stronger on this phone than it was on my HTC 6800 in my tests. Hope it's not something they can't solve soon...
I am having the same issues (I live in Kansas). Further, the speaker ear piece seems to "vibrate" and create a rattling/buzzing noise when I call someone and it rings and even when they speak. It's really annoying. I have already swapped the phone once, and the second one was a little better, but still bad. I guess I will have to swap again.
It's obvious the Incredible has some issues that need addressed. It's amazing how some members take it personal when real world issues are brought to light, and they refuse to admit as awesome as it truly is it still has some issues.
If we could be patient enough for the patches to come, I'm sure this phone will be worth the wait, but with folks who are scared to admit that there are issues (maybe ouit of fear of teasing from iphone buddies) we could get these issues addressed a lot quicker by acknowledging them when there are evident.
If you have no issues-awesome for you, but don't try to act as if no one else has issues either please don't treat everyone like they are incompetent and are not worthy of a smartphone.
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It's obvious the Incredible has some issues that need addressed. It's amazing how some members take it personal when real world issues are brought to light, and they refuse to admit as awesome as it truly is it still has some issues.
If we could be patient enough for the patches to come, I'm sure this phone will be worth the wait, but with folks who are scared to admit that there are issues (maybe ouit of fear of teasing from iphone buddies) we could get these issues addressed a lot quicker by acknowledging them when there are evident.
If you have no issues-awesome for you, but don't try to act as if no one else has issues either please don't treat everyone like they are incompetent and are not worthy of a smartphone.
Let me guess, you've read 5thElement's threads too?
I know that the crappy call quality on my Incredible happens regardless of where I am, the strength of the signal or the network of the person on the other end. It has happened when I have 100% full bars (yes, I know it's not entirely indicative of true signal quality), with 1 bar, with someone on VZW, and with someone on AT&T.
Quote:
Originally Posted by photographx
Yes, It must be my wife's Eris', my friend's iPhone, my sister's Razr and every one else's phone that sounded fine before.
I am new to the forums. I am not having the above mentioned call quality issues but I am having a different kind. When on calls or making them it periodically has almost like an echo sound or like talking in a tin can...Really wierd. It is really intermitent thoug...Anyone have this problem?
I am new to the forums. I am not having the above mentioned call quality issues but I am having a different kind. When on calls or making them it periodically has almost like an echo sound or like talking in a tin can...Really wierd. It is really intermitent thoug...Anyone have this problem?
I had the exact same issue with my first Incredible. It was really bad. They gave me a new one and that issue is not as bad, but still there. I cannot seem to reproduce it on two of my friend's incredibles or the store demo phone. So, I guess I just have to swap out again.
Interesting to see others are having the same problem. Don't know if that's good or bad.
zemerick: I've been watching my signal strength everywhere I've gone since Thursday, using the ##DEBUG field test. The dbm's have been as low as 60s downtown but most of the time are in the 80s and 90s. Rx Ec/Io is normally 6 - 10 db. Signal seems to be pretty consistent no matter where I am in about a 30-40 mile radius around Rochester, NY.
migeeman: Can you explain further what garbled sounds like? For me, I have a mix of things including "scratchy" sounds, points where the sound cuts out completely for less than a second, or the words the person is saying will get cut off early.
SGRacer: At first I felt maybe this was the case, but I've made sure to test almost every carrier and landline. It does it consistently across Verizon, ATT, Sprint, and landlines both locally and across state.
eleazar: Does your call quality sound what I've described what mine sounds like?
Interesting to see others are having the same problem. Don't know if that's good or bad.
eleazar: Does your call quality sound what I've described what mine sounds like?
I'm not experiencing the scratching or 'auto-tune' sounds, but every single call is muffled on my end, and the other person cuts out very frequently. Sometimes I can't even tell if they are still on the line. I'll ask a question and they will apparently have said "yes" or "no" but I didn't hear a thing.
I am not having any call quality issues at all. This phone is living up to It's name ! I think it must be a network issue not the phone. I am sure there are a few defective device out there but that is the law of averages. I have owned almost every blackberry and by far the Droid incredible is the best! The camera and internet are awesome! The phone runs smooth no lag or hassles what so ever.
I have also had "quality" issues in regards to the way the voice sounds on the mic and not the voice going in and out. It always sounds just a little muffled but I can always tell what the other person is saying. Its not a crisp sound that I experienced with my blackberry curve which was very loud and sharp and can hear over the roar of my engine. With the inc I have to turn it up full blast and doesnt get close to 70% of the clarity and voume I had before. Im not sure if I should return the phone or if others are having this same experience.
looks like we're in the same town, I just received your PM. I spent as little time as possible on the phone. I get stuck for probably 100 minutes a month but that's about all I can stand to be on the phone.
With that being said, I'm not sure I'm the best person to ask. I live and work in Webster, and have had one dropped call EVER (Webster park, under the bridge by the lake, BB Curve 8330).
With this phone, the first few days I had only a couple bars, but no problems with reception. I now regularly have a strong signal, on average, 4 bars, and have never once had a calling issue.
Then again, I've also got a GREAT battery life, quicker 3G connections than any other phone (I use Speed Test in the app market), and for what I use it for, the call quality is fine. So, maybe I got a D.Inc on steroids!
looks like we're in the same town, I just received your PM. I spent as little time as possible on the phone. I get stuck for probably 100 minutes a month but that's about all I can stand to be on the phone.
With that being said, I'm not sure I'm the best person to ask. I live and work in Webster, and have had one dropped call EVER (Webster park, under the bridge by the lake, BB Curve 8330).
With this phone, the first few days I had only a couple bars, but no problems with reception. I now regularly have a strong signal, on average, 4 bars, and have never once had a calling issue.
Then again, I've also got a GREAT battery life, quicker 3G connections than any other phone (I use Speed Test in the app market), and for what I use it for, the call quality is fine. So, maybe I got a D.Inc on steroids!
Cool, well at least you are in the area and have not had any quality issues.
My wife and I are also having some call quality issues. I was talking with her tonight and we were having short silent moments or quick garbled sections of speech. We were near our home which has always had a very strong Verizon signal, and our old KRZR's sounded fine around here. We might take them into Verizon as well, but hopefully there will be some type of update to address it.
Mine sounds pretty good and much better than my tour which I was always asking the person on the other end to repeat themselves. I prefer gsm voice any day as it is much more natural sounding to me, but the incredible isn't bad.
Ok so after further review and having a conversation in a quiet environment I hear static when the person on the other end speaks. This occurs only while they are talking. I can understand them fine, but there is noticeable static.
Everyone pretty much sounds muffled on mine.. though they say they can hear me loud and clear..
+2. Exactly what was happening to me. In the other thread I just mentioned that I did *228 and the PRL and ERI was updated (I checked the numbers before and they are indeed different). Hopefully this helps, but it is possible that some of us just have some bad hardware and it needs to be changed out. This can potentially happen with ANY phone.
Interesting to see others are having the same problem. Don't know if that's good or bad.
zemerick: I've been watching my signal strength everywhere I've gone since Thursday, using the ##DEBUG field test. The dbm's have been as low as 60s downtown but most of the time are in the 80s and 90s. Rx Ec/Io is normally 6 - 10 db. Signal seems to be pretty consistent no matter where I am in about a 30-40 mile radius around Rochester, NY.
...
Thats definately interesting, and goes with what eleazar said where it seems to not have anything to do with the actual signal ( I get far worse signal, and can still talk fine. ) I really couldn't guess what could actually be causing this.
You could try the *#*#4636#*#* trick. If you dial that number, you should get a screen with some menus. Choose phone information, press menu and choose "Select Radio Band" ( This WILL cause the process to stop and ask you to force close it. That's normal as the process has to restart. ) Go down, and change GSM auto (PRL) to CDMA auto (PRL). This is supposed to help with battery issues, as in theory it is mistakenly checking the wrong band by default instead of CDMA...but perhaps this is causing hickups for some people.
Also, remember that number because there is lots of good info in there such as detailed battery information and usage info for the phone. ( Just be very careful in the phone information section. I don't recommend playing with the stuff in there! )
Ok so after further review and having a conversation in a quiet environment I hear static when the person on the other end speaks. This occurs only while they are talking. I can understand them fine, but there is noticeable static.
Yes, this is the exact issue I am having. It was really bad on my first phone. Not as bad, but still bad on my second. I guess I will try a third.
I wonder how many times they will allow me to return it for replacement.
I'm having the "muffled" issue as well with all of my calls. No complaints on how I sound, so I have a feeling it's a hardware issue specific to my phone. I'm in St Louis, good reception (3-4 bars), it just sounds like people are either mumbling or talking through a pillow. I am an ATT/iphone convert, so I'm a bit disappointed. I bought directly from VZW online, anyone know if I can exchange it at a VZW store or will I have to do it online instead?
i live in webster and just got the phone today. I just tested in using the land line against my phone and the call quality was superb. I'm not sure what is going on for you guys. I've had nothing but good things with this phone today. Keep us updated
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Best smart phone so far.....Better than BB Storm & Tour. Bars on this phone appear to be nothing, 99% of the time it shows one or none and reception for data and voice are excellent!
Also, I was one of the people experiencing the reboots, but VZW fixed it as stated. Extremely happy with VZW and The DI!!!!!
Maybe the problem is the persons phone that you are talking to. My call quality is .... incredible.
But coming from a BB what wouldnt be.
Call quality on mine is "OK". Good volume & clarity on my end, but several people tell me that I do not sound as "good" as my BB Storm did. The Storm and 8830 both had very good phone quality.
my call quality sucks as well. People cutting in/out when they talk like very short silent periods. I've had to ask people to repeat themselves so many times and I never had that issue with my Dare. Love the phone but this is the main thing a phone should be good at, especially on verizon. I think I might return mine and wait for the next big thing to come out.
My call quality has been horrible. Just bought 3 Phones on a new contract coming over from AT&T. I have only seen 1 bar at most and calls are horrid compared to AT&T. Calls via Google Voice are basically not possible which I use for all calls. Echoes & break up constantly.
My call quality has been pretty good. My bars normally stay pretty well full, too. I have found that both the earpiece and the speakerphone both sound pretty damned good. My Voyager had a horrid speakerphone, but amazing earpiece, so my standards were set high. I have been pleased in both regards. I have no idea how I sound, if they couldn't hear me... I figure that they'd let me know.
If it's broken, send it back. It shouldn't sound like crap, obviously.
I don't have an Incredible however my Motorola Droid exhibits almost the exact same problem (muffled calling).
I've exchanged several times and now I'm living with it assuming that it's some bizarre combination of cell tower/signal/frequency.
I know that my Motorola Droid definitely has issues in lower signal areas which I can understand. When I've traveled to other regions the call quality doesn't get a lot better. I compare the Droid against my BlackBerry 9700 and Nexus One and there's no comparison.
There's actually a pretty active thread on the Motorola forum talking about some users who've had calling issues with the Droid
I thought this phone was going to be amazing in the hardware department, but was worried about dealing with Android.. turns out I love Android, but I don't know if I can live with the bad battery life and crappy call quality..
Re: Call quality very sub-par (not signal strength)
Quote:
...I'm not sure I'm the best person to ask. I live and work in Webster, and have had one dropped call EVER (Webster park, under the bridge by the lake, BB Curve 8330).
My wife and I are also having some call quality issues. I was talking with her tonight and we were having short silent moments or quick garbled sections of speech. We were near our home which has always had a very strong Verizon signal, and our old KRZR's sounded fine around here. We might take them into Verizon as well, but hopefully there will be some type of update to address it.
Sounds exactly what I'm experiencing. "Garbled" speech and quick moments of silence, just enough to disrupt the conversation.
Call quality very sub-par (not signal strength)
