Fixing A Samsung Galaxy S3 That Echoes During Calls

Some owners experienced having to hear echoes when in a call (for both incoming and outgoing). Others reported that only the ones calling them are hearing echoes. The problem, while uncommon, was consistent, they said. Meaning, when the problem started it didn’t disappear until they did some troubleshooting procedures to their phone. Fortunately, there were solutions and workarounds to the problem.

Here is one email from our reader that exactly describes the problem:

Hey Droid Guy, 

It was about a couple of months since I got my Galaxy S3 in 2012 that my brothers complained having to hear echoes when I call them or they call me. Basically, the problem started when I began doing some tweaks on my phone like experiment with its features, change some settings, etc. I also bought some cases that looked cool to me and changed the stock case. So yes, I could have done something that could have caused the problem. 

The thing is, I don’t quite use my phone for calls, only text messages and social networking (FB and Twitter), so I left as it is. However, just recently my bros were complaining having to hear the echo louder than my real voice so the problem has become unexpectedly annoying. My question is pretty obvious: Do you know how to fix it? 

Please note that I would consider factory reset as the last desperate option because it would take for me some time to back everything up. I have thousands of contacts, photos, music and customizations I don’t want to lose. So, if you know a thing or two on how to fix this problem, tell me. 

Thanks.

Solving Galaxy S3 Echo Problem

There is a high probability that it’s with the exterior or the case that’s having the problem and not the software. People who encountered this problem said that it’s with the case (the non-Samsung case).

There is an active speaker at the back of the phone near the camera. Many non-Samsung cases would cover the microphone, which is believed to be the cause of the echo in Galaxy S3. So, here’s what you’re going to do:

1. Pop the back cover up or use the original one.
2. Let someone call you or call someone you know and ask him if he hears and echo of your voice.
3. If he does, then it’s not the case.
4. If he doesn’t, then it’s time you find another case that would make your phone look sleeker minus the echoes.

In case the problem persists after changing the case, you may have to go to the software and see if it’s the one causing the problem: go for the dialer app then TouchWiz.

NOTE: The following procedure will guide you through clearing data of both the Data and TW. You may lose some of your settings, call logs and home screens.

1. From the Home screen, tap the Menu key.
2. Choose Settings and tap on Applications Manager.
3. Swipe left to choose All tap.
4. Scroll to and tap Dialer.
5. Tap Clear Data button.
6. Check if the echo still exists.
7. If it does, follow the same steps but this time clear data of TW.

If all else fail, factory reset may just solve this problem. However, back everything up with your phone you set your phone back to its original settings.

Having problems with your phone?

Tell us about them by emailing us at [email protected]. Make sure to include as much details as possible so that we could understand the problem well and find the best solutions for you. If you can share a screenshot or two, that would be better.

We may not be able to respond to every email we receive but rest assured we do read them… yes, all of them even if some do look like spams.