How to fix wet speaker issue on Galaxy Note10 | audio sounds robotic, sound can’t be heard clearly

The Galaxy Note10 has IP68 certification so it enjoys dust and water resistance to some degree. Some users may find that their speaker may not work normally after their Note10 device is exposed to water. So, if you have a wet speaker issue on your Galaxy Note10 right after using it in a pool or exposing it to moisture or water, this article will tell you what needs to be done.

How to fix wet speaker issue on Galaxy Note10 | audio sounds robotic, sound can’t be heard clearly

Fixing wet speaker issue on Galaxy Note10 is easy. In most cases, the cause may be presence of water in the speaker area. All that needs to be done is to dry the phone and the issue should be gone. However, if that’s not working, there are other possible solutions that must be followed. This post will show you what to do.

Galaxy Note10 wet speaker issue fix #1: Dry the phone properly

If you have a wet speaker issue on Galaxy Note10, the first troubleshooting step that you want to do is to ensure that you dry your phone thoroughly. The Galaxy Note10 is water resistant by design so unless the protection has been compromised before you exposed it to water, there’s no danger of water damaging the speaker. The most likely reason for your problem must be presence of water or moisture in the speaker area, which can be addressed relatively easily. All you have to do now is to rub the phone dry with tower or sleeve and give it a gentle shake. 

You know if there’s still water in the speaker because audio coming out may sound robotic or has static. Continue drying the phone by wiping the speaker area with clean, soft cloth and shaking it smoothly a few times. Using cool wind is also recommended to hasten the drying process. Make sure to hold the speaker face down while shaking the device and exposing it to wind or fan.

Galaxy Note10 wet speaker issue fix #2: Try calling to dislodge excess water with vibration

If you still have the a wet speaker issue, try calling on your Galaxy Note10 so vibration will dislodge water particles from the speaker mesh. Try to make your call as long as 10 minutes in order to give vibration a long time to work the water out.

Galaxy Note10 wet speaker issue fix #3: Do soft reset

If the problem remains after drying the device and doing the calling suggestion, the cause of the problem must be software or app-related. To begin software troubleshooting, try restarting your device. To do that, simply press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons for about 10 seconds. Once the phone has restarted, release the buttons. This is usually effective in clearing bugs that developed when a system is left running for some time. We suggest that you restart your Galaxy Note10 using this method at least once a week to lessen the chances of bugs.

For some Galaxy Note10, there may be a slightly different way to arrive at the same method. Here’s how:

1. Press and hold the Power + Volume Down buttons for approximately 10 seconds or until the device power cycles. Allow several seconds for the Maintenance Boot Mode screen to appear.
2. From the Maintenance Boot Mode screen, select Normal Boot. You can use the volume buttons to cycle through the available options and the lower left button (below the volume)

Galaxy Note10 wet speaker issue fix #4: Clear cache partition

Sometimes, a corrupted system cache can result to all sorts of issues. To see if the reason for your problem is a bad system cache, try to clear the cache partition. This is usually effective in fixing bugs stemming from corrupted or outdated system cache. Don’t worry, this won’t delete your personal data.

To wipe the cache partition on your Galaxy Note10:

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby / Power key.
3. When the green Android logo displays, release both keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
4. The Recovery screen menu will now appear. When you see this, release the buttons.
5. Use the Volume Down button until you are highlighting ‘Wipe cache partition.’
6. Press the Power button to select ‘Wipe cache partition.’
7. Use Volume Down to highlight Yes.
8. Press the Power button to confirm the action to clear the cache.
9. Wait for a second as the system wipes the cache.
10. Press the Power button again to reboot the device. This will return the device to the normal interface.
11. That’s it!

Galaxy Note10 wet speaker issue fix #5: Observe on Safe Mode

Sometimes, audio problems may be coming from a bad third party app. If your speaker problem occurred coincidentally after installing an app, that app may be the cause. Try to restart the device to safe mode to check. If you can’t remember the app, try to restart the device to safe mode and see what happens. So, if the problem goes away on safe mode only, that’s a clear indication that the cause is a bad third party app. To boot the device to safe mode:

1. Press and hold the Power button until the Power off window appears then release.
2. Touch and hold Power off until the Safe mode prompt appears then release.
3. To confirm, tap Safe mode.
4. The process may take up to 30 seconds to complete.
5. Upon reboot, “Safe mode” appears in the lower-left of the home screen.
6. Check for the problem by calling.

Remember that third-party applications are disabled in this mode so what you can use are pre-installed apps. If Galaxy Note10 wet speaker problem on safe mode only, that means that the problem is due to a bad app. Uninstall the app you recently installed and see if that will fix it. If the problem remains, use the process of elimination to identify the rogue app. Here’s how:

1. Boot to safe mode.
2. Check for the problem.
3. Once you’ve confirmed that a third party app is to blame, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added.
4. After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
5. If your Galaxy Note10 still won’t turn on normally (but works on safe mode), repeat steps 1-4.

Galaxy Note10 wet speaker issue fix #6: Reset app preferences

Some apps, including including IMS Service, requires other default system apps in order to work. Sometimes, these default apps may be turned off by other apps or after some system changes like after an update. To ensure that all default apps are enabled again, you can do these steps:

1. Open Settings app.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Tap on More settings at the upper right (three-dot icon).
4. Select Reset app preferences.
5. Restart your Galaxy Note10 and check for the problem.

Galaxy Note10 wet speaker issue fix #7: Update software and apps

Keeping the software updated can sometimes fix errors determined by the developer. At the least, it can help minimize bugs from developing. In general, system updates are there to address known issues as well as to improve some aspects of the software. Your Galaxy Note10 is set automatically notify you for system updates but if you want to manually check, you can go under Settings > Software update.

For app updates, all you need to do is to open the Play Store app and see if any of the apps has pending updates. To check for Play Store app updates on your Galaxy Note10:

1. Open Play Store app.
2. Tap More settings icon at the upper left (three-horizontal lines).
3. Tap My apps & games.
4. Tap Update or Update All.

If you are on Cellular Data connection, we suggest that you update via wifi only to avoid additional charges. Here’s how:

1. Open Play Store app.
2. Tap More settings icon at the upper left (three-horizontal lines).
3. Tap Settings.
4. Tap App download preference. 
5. Select Over wifi only (select Over any network if you don’t have wifi).
6. Tap Done.

Make sure to also keep your apps updated all the time by enabling auto-update option.

1. Tap Auto-update apps.
2. Tap Over wifi only (select Over any network if you don’t have wifi).
3. Tap Done.

Galaxy Note10 wet speaker issue fix #8: Factory reset

In some rare cases, audio or speaker problems can actually be caused by a coding or software bug. To see if the issue is fixable on a user’s level, try doing a factory reset. This will return all software settings to defaults and delete your personal data. Be sure back your files up if you don’t want to lose them.

To see if factory reset is effective, follow the steps below. 

Method 1: How to hard reset on Samsung Galaxy Note10+ via Settings Menu

This is the easiest way to wipe your Galaxy Note10+. all you have to do is to go under Settings menu and follow the steps below. We recommend this method if you have no trouble going under Settings.

1. Create a backup of your personal data and remove your Google account.
2. Open Settings app.
3. Scroll to and tap General management.
4. Tap Reset.
5. Select Factory data reset from the given options.
6. Read the information then tap Reset to continue.
7. Tap Delete All to confirm action.

Method 2: How to hard reset on Samsung Galaxy Note10+ using hardware buttons

If your case is that the phone is not booting up, or it boots but Settings menu is inaccessible, this method can be helpful. First, you need to boot the device to Recovery Mode. Once you successfully access Recovery, that’s the time that you begin proper master reset procedure. It may take some tries for you before you can access Recovery so be patient and simply try again.

1. If possible, create a backup of your personal data ahead of time. If your problem prevents you from doing that, then simply skip this step.
2. Also, you want to make sure that you remove your Google account. If your problem prevents you from doing that, then simply skip this step.
3. Turn off the device. This is important. If you can’t turn it off, you’ll never be able to boot to Recovery Mode. If you are not able to shut the device off regularly via the Power button, wait until the phone’s battery is drained. Then, charge the phone for 30 minutes before booting to Recovery Mode.
4. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby / Power key.
5. When the green Android logo displays, release both keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
6. The Recovery screen menu will now appear. When you see this, release the buttons.
7. Use the Volume Down button until you are highlighting ‘Wipe data/factory reset.’
8. Press the Power button to select ‘Wipe data/factory reset.’
9. Use Volume Down to highlight Yes.
10. Press the Power button to confirm the action to clear your phone data.

Galaxy Note10 wet speaker issue fix #8: Repair

The final potential solution that you can try in this case is factory reset. However, if this did not work out and the speaker still appears problematic after wiping the device, there may be a hardware reason for it. For that, you need to let Samsung check the device. Visit your local Samsung service center or store so you can set repair up if necessary.

 

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