Help (VZW) Other person can't hear me.

[esmith818]

I had the mic cut out Saturday morning. I unrooted and re-locked my phone, then called tech support to request a different phone (non-Nexus). I was eventually transferred to a level 2 representative who said they would be willing to ship a refurb Rezound but I would not have the option to switch back again. The alternative was to allow them to test the regional network for 72 hours to see if it was something that could be resolved on their end. I reluctantly took option #2.

Verizon called back last night and left a message saying that they had discovered a problem with the network and that they would be pushing out an update to my phone to correct the issue. I checked my phone this morning and see nothing new about OS/kernel/baseband, etc. so I called them back this evening.

The person I got moments ago claims Samsun is pushing an update to this phone that will fix this issue. When I pressed him on what I should look for to know I received an update, he would only say that it was an update that the phone would ask to install once received (I assume that's 4.0.4?). I asked when this update was due to roll out, and he said it was "imminent". When I said I needed something more specific, he said he would get in touch with Samsung and call me back within an hour.

Frankly, I think he's giving me a BS answer. As I have stated before, I love this phone aside from this issue. Unfortunately, I am growing tired of explaining the issue to every caller when I first connect just to be safe. If he can not give me definitie information when (if) he calls back, I am prepared to count my losses and take a Rezound instead. I'll miss ICS and the vanilla UI, but hopefully I'll be able to place calls again without risking embarrassment.

For the record, I am in Charlotte, NC with the following setup:
Android 4.0.2
Baseband: i515.09 V.EK05/i515.EK02
Kernel: 3.0.8-gaaa2611 android-build@apa28 #1
Build: ICL53F

 

[esmith818]

James from Texas called me back and said that I apparently already have the update he was referring to. While he was talking to me the mic cut out. He called back and said he would ship me another Nexus until I explained I was already on my 2nd device (and 2nd sim). At that point he confirmed that he had found the internet mentions of the issue and wanted to discuss with other personnel before getting back to me by tomorrow night.

Not sure what I expect at this point but at least more VZW tech reps are becoming aware of the issue...

 

[Copacetic]

Anyone have a one-way audio issue yesterday? I had one last night, and it hasn't happened in about a week.

Happened two times in a row on 2/11 , first calls after installing 4.04.

 

[Lucky Armpit]

@esmith818, thanks for digging into this a little deeper with Verizon. I;m hoping that a software update does fix this issue, but I get nervous when I hear that people who have flashed to 4.0.4 already still have the problem. I understand that the final version of 4.0.4 will be a little different and/or tweaked further than the version that was released a few weeks ago, so I haven't lost all hope. What kills me (from a troubleshooting standpoint) is the total randomness of this issue, so I can't really speculate whether it's hardware or software. It has to be the way thsi particular phone interacts with Verizon's network. Has to be. I thought I remember someone (EarlyMon, possibly?) stating something along those lines?

I think I'll give Verizon a call real quick and mention the problem again.

*edit* I just tried calling Verizon and the keypad stopped responding. I could hit the numbers but nothing happened. That's happened to me before. Could the problems be related?

 

[Benjamin Crist]

I just tried calling Verizon and the keypad stopped responding. I could hit the numbers but nothing happened. That's happened to me before. Could the problems be related?

Possible, but I doubt it. Try rebooting the phone if you haven't already - I bet that fixes that issue.

Personally, I'm going to be patient till the 4.04 update is rolled out - if I get it after that, I'm going to become very vocal. This is a new phone, there will be bugs - I'm willing to wait for the first patch for resolution - after that it should be working better.

 

[Lucky Armpit]

I was wondering if they were related due to what I read about DTMF tones elsewhere on these forums...

Anyway, I just got off the phone with Verizon. I spoke to two very nice, very helpful people. The second person, of course, was 2nd-level tech support. She said she hasn't heard of this problem before but was very receptive to the issue since I told her about the troubleshooting we, as a community, have done for this issue. She also mentioned that someone else in my area called Verizon a month ago to report this exact same issue... she was wondering if it could be a tower-related issue. I'm on the same tower at work as I am at home (~3 miles between work and home and I spend 90% of my time at those two places).

Both her and the first person I spoke with didn't see anything listed about the one-way audio issue in the known issues and/or scheduled updates/bug fixes. Don't know if that's good or not but this is the unfortunate part of a company the size of Verizon... different answers when talking with different people.

Anyway, she kept stressing that the most important part is to get me some sort of resolution. She is sending me another Nexus device. I told her I wasn't trying to be ungrateful, but I've read time and time again that this didn't fix the issue for the majority of folks with the issue in question. She again said she wanted to make sure I was taken care of and said let's switch it out, and if that doesn't fix the problem she said I'm welcome to a Droid Maxx since that's their "highest-end phone next to the Nexus". I might go with an HTC Rezound if it came to that (hope it doesn't) as I think I'm done with Motorola when it comes to updates.

So a replacement Nexus is on its way to me. I should have it Monday the 20th. I'll post my specs to see if I get a phone with updated specs?

Baseband: I515.09 V.EK05 / I515.EK02
Kernel: 3.0.8-gaaa2611 android-build@apa28 #1
Build number: ICL53F
Manufacturing date: 12/05/11

 

[rhoyle]

I am having the exact same issue as everyone on here. I took the 4.0.4 update a little of a week ago and to no avail it is still an issue. It doesn't happen all the time but when it does it is annoying and will happen for every call for an hour or so then be fine.
I am absolutely clueless on the rhyme or reason for this issue.....It is nearly impossible to forcible recreate it and trust me I have tried... Hopefully they find a fix soon because I would hate to get rid of this device.

 

[Lucky Armpit]

I received my replacement device today...

Baseband: I515.09 V.EK05 / I515.EK02
Kernel: 3.0.8-gaaa2611 android-build@apa28 #1
Build number: ICL53F
Manufacturing date: 11/19/11

Aside from this phone being manufactured 16 days earlier than the one it replaces, everything else is identical. I don't know if that's good or bad, but we'll see. I'll keep everyone posted.

 

[emcd4]

Most people (including Verizon and Samsung) have been promoting this loss of outgoing audio as a software problem and that it will be fixed by a software update by the end of February or early March. I think that it is a hardware problem and here is why. It does not occur on the majority of GNs, is random in occurrence, has not been corrected by rooting and/or going to ICS 4.04. Droid-Life did a poll and about 30% responded as having this problem. A marginal component within the GN associated with a build lot seems like a more plausible theory. Surfing the various blogs seems to indicate that those of us that got the initial batch of phones on Dec 15th and had them replaced at the end of the 14 day trial, exhibited a more frequent occurrence of this problem. Those that have had their phones replaced after these dates have gotten what has been called factory refurbs which may have come from the same build lot that has a marginal component. My daughter and two of her friends got these phones in mid-February in Tucson and have not had this problem occur at any time. Therefore I don't hold out much hope that a software fix will solve this issue. I returned my phone for full refund and no restocking fee in mid-February after talking to the Verizon district manager. I will give it a couple of months to see if a software fix works or if Samsung admits to a hardware issue that will be solved in later build lots.

 

[truelove79]

It is a software issue, possibly revealed by hardware interaction, but I'm convinced it is a software issue.

 

[emcd4]

It is a software issue, possibly revealed by hardware interaction, but I'm convinced it is a software issue.

What evidence or reasoning supports it being a software issue? Marginal designs are more susceptible to marginal components. If it was software and all of the phones have the same software, wouldn't it be more widespread?

 

[Lucky Armpit]

I had problems with my replacement phone so I called Verizon yesterday and they are shipping me out another Nexus (my 3rd phone, 2nd replacement). Verizon's customer service has always been fantastic. I'll post the specs, born on date, etc., once I get it.

 

[liftoperator]

I just bought my nexus last monday 2/20. I am having the same problem, I can hear them, they can't hear me. I see no one has posted to this thread in awhile, did I miss the newsflash? Will go get a new sim card tomorrow and see. If it is a bad sim card batch, you think they would have pulled them by now?

 

[liftoperator]

I blacked out while reading this thread. People have posted recently. On a related note, firestone union jack IPA is really good.

 

[fusionta66]

I just spoke to level 2 VZW tech support. The guy helping me was very nice but stated he had not heard of the problem. I offered to email him a list of 10+ links (including this page) to look at that detailed the issues. He gave me his email and said he would look at the links and also forward them to Samsung. At least it's better than nothing I guess.

Everyone should call VZW tech support and let them know of your problem, it's the only way this will ever get fixed. The number is 800-483-7356

 

[Lucky Armpit]

I blacked out while reading this thread. People have posted recently. On a related note, firestone union jack IPA is really good.

IPA? Yuck. Definitely not for me. I'm a lager/pilsner/amber ale kinda guy. Spousal unit is a wheat/unfiltered beer drinker and I can't see how she drinks that. Different strokes for different folks of course.

I just spoke to level 2 VZW tech support. The guy helping me was very nice but stated he had not heard of the problem. I offered to email him a list of 10+ links (including this page) to look at that detailed the issues. He gave me his email and said he would look at the links and also forward them to Samsung. At least it's better than nothing I guess.

Everyone should call VZW tech support and let them know of your problem, it's the only way this will ever get fixed. The number is 800-483-7356

I agree - everyone that has this problem needs to call Verizon - that, and star the issue on Google's web site - as that's the only way it will get enough visibility to be fixed. I find it interesting that some people state the Verizon tech mentions that Google/Verizon/Samsung is aware of the issue, yet others state they have no idea what we're talking about.

Anyway, I had a long conversation with someone last night and didn't have a problem. I'm 6 minutes into a conversation today and boom, one-way audio. Sigh. I'm not confident the new phone will fix this issue but I'll give it a try.

 

[Lucky Armpit]

Anyone still having this problem? I had the issue this morning, and it happened immediately into the call. I've a 3rd replacement Nexus on the way but am reluctant as many have stated a replacement device has not helped.

 

[jkc120]

Anyone still having this problem? I had the issue this morning, and it happened immediately into the call. I've a 3rd replacement Nexus on the way but am reluctant as many have stated a replacement device has not helped.

Had it happen to me today. I rarely use my "phone" as a phone, so I'm not a great statistic. BUT, the 2 times this has happened to me it has both been on inbound calls.

Today happened to be a very, very important (non-business) call. I tried turning on speaker phone, but they still couldn't hear me. So I just ended up hanging up and calling them.

I am pretty sure the fact that it has occurred to me both times on inbound calls was a fluke (I'm fairly sure I have seen people have it happen on outbound calls as well). But frankly, it seems to be something that affects many phones and if it's NOT software (I'm not convinced one way or the other), then it should be something Samsung nuts up and admits and replaces or fixes our phones. I'm sure I'm in the minority when I say I use like 100 minutes or less a month, but if even I am seeing it, then it has to be something fairly common.

 

[chaosphoenix]

I turned off voice privacy and I haven't had this issue since. It's only been 3 days and a few calls.. so I can't say for certain yet. Any others there who've tried this, how's it working out for you?

 

[jkc120]

I turned off voice privacy and I haven't had this issue since. It's only been 3 days and a few calls.. so I can't say for certain yet. Any others there who've tried this, how's it working out for you?

Thanks, I'll give that a shot. I make like 30 second phone calls once a day (in which usually my wife doesn't answer the phone anyway, so I wouldn't know if she could hear me or not ) but I was kind of bummed that it happened on me today on a very important personal call. Actually, I was half expecting it to happen on the last longish (for me) 30 minute call but I think that was outbound. At least for me, the calls that have done this (only 2, but probably the 2 longest inbound calls I've received) have both been inbound.

The problem seems to be erratic so I wouldn't be ready to proclaim 3 days' of calls is enough to conclude this works around the problem, but thanks for the insight and I'm certainly willing to try it! For those who use their phones to make a lot of voice calls, it's probably worth a shot.

 

[chaosphoenix]

The only reason I say that is because I had this problem happen on almost EVERY single call I had before.. so to be able to carry out even a handful of calls without issue is a pretty big deal

 

[jkc120]

The only reason I say that is because I had this problem happen on almost EVERY single call I had before.. so to be able to carry out even a handful of calls without issue is a pretty big deal

That's great, and thanks again for posting. This tells me two things:

1. the OP was right that it's a software issue
2. it's correctable and people (despite the annoyance) can rest assured google/samsung/verizon will get it resolved.

Please let us all know if you happen to have another problem even with that setting unchecked.

 

[OfTheDamned]

I just thought I'd pop in and share this in case anyone has the option or wishes to try it. I had this problem on my first Nexus, but on my second it hadn't occurred. I've also been using Groove IP for about 90% of all my calls on my newer Nexus. The other day I was on the phone and using my regular minutes when my mic went dead and the person on the other end could no longer hear me. I called them back and we started to do some testing.

This was done with a total of 35 calls over a period of 3 hours:

Using regular calling the problem occurred twice when I initiated the call.

Using regular calling the problem never occurred when the other person initiated the call.

Using Groove IP for VOIP the problem never occurred at all.

Using a Bluetooth headset the problem never occurred at all.

With Voice Privacy turned off the problem never occurred at all.

 

[jkc120]

I just thought I'd pop in and share this in case anyone has the option or wishes to try it. I had this problem on my first Nexus, but on my second it hadn't occurred. I've also been using Groove IP for about 90% of all my calls on my newer Nexus. The other day I was on the phone and using my regular minutes when my mic went dead and the person on the other end could no longer hear me. I called them back and we started to do some testing.

Thanks for doing this! Appreciate your time to collect some debug data.

This was done with a total of 35 calls over a period of 3 hours:

I think you owe your friend a beer That was nice of them to help you for so long. Nice!

Using regular calling the problem occurred twice when I initiated the call.

I've probably only made 10 calls outbound on this phone, but of those 10 it didn't happen at all for me. This included 2 long (for me) calls of 20+ minutes.

Using regular calling the problem never occurred when the other person initiated the call.

Both times this has happened to me it was for inbound calls. In both cases, it happened within the first minute or two of the call.

Using Groove IP for VOIP the problem never occurred at all.

Using a Bluetooth headset the problem never occurred at all.

With Voice Privacy turned off the problem never occurred at all.

Just throwing this out there, but that's two people to report the voice privacy (disabling it) fixes it. In a sense all three of the above conditions are the same:

- using groove IP, you're bypassing the voice privacy feature of the built in phone app

- the phone may disable privacy mode when using bluetooth for some reason or it only applies to the phone's input mic

- disabling privacy via the settings obviously bypasses it

Definitely starting to point towards a software bug in the privacy mode thing.

If you haven't already, can you post your findings to the google code bug report here?

Issue 24019 - android - Galaxy Nexus mutes mid-call - Android - An Open Handset Alliance Project - Google Project Hosting

As my comments are pure speculation based on the data, I figure your real data is more important than my commentary on it, but I'd be happy to re-post this to that google bug, even if it is just my opinion.

 

[OfTheDamned]

If you haven't already, can you post your findings to the google code bug report here?

Issue 24019 - android - Galaxy Nexus mutes mid-call - Android - An Open Handset Alliance Project - Google Project Hosting

As my comments are pure speculation based on the data, I figure your real data is more important than my commentary on it, but I'd be happy to re-post this to that google bug, even if it is just my opinion.

That is a good idea and I have not done it. I will later today. If you want to throw it in on there now, feel free.