Galaxy Note 5 microphone volume is low, video sounds not working, other audio issues

We get reports about the #GalaxyNote5 audio functionality acting up from time to time so this post will address some of these sound issues.

If you are looking for solutions to your own #Android issue, you can contact us by using the link provided at the bottom of this page.

When describing your issue, please be as detailed as possible so we can easily pinpoint a relevant solution. If you can, kindly include the exact error messages you are getting to give us an idea where to start. If you have already tried some troubleshooting steps before emailing us, make sure to mention them so we can skip them in our answers.

Below are specific topics we’re bringing for you today:

Problem 1: Galaxy Note 5 microphone volume is very low

People tell me that, during phone calls, they cannot hear me unless I raise my voice almost to the point of yelling. Is there a way to increase the microphone volume on the Samsung Note 5. — Syran Austin

Solution: Hi Syran. There’s no option that you can manipulate to increase the sensitivity of a Note 5 microphone. Either you accept how your phone’s microphone volume is right now, or have the phone replaced.

We very seldom hear microphone volume problems in this device but if you want to check if it’s really a microphone issue in your phone or simply a speaker problem on the other side, we suggest that you record your voice and listen to it. This is the only way to determine how your microphone picks up your voice. If you can hear yourself comfortably, then the problem is most likely outside your device.

To record your voice, follow these steps:

  1. From a Home screen, navigate to Apps > Tools > Voice Recorder.
  2. Tap the Record button (located at the bottom) to begin recording.
  3. When finished, tap the Stop button (located at the bottom) to discontinue recording and save the file.
  4. Tap the appropriate sound file to play. If necessary, press the Volume buttons (located on the left-edge of the device) up or down to adjust the volume.

NOTE: To delete a sound file:

  • Touch and hold the file name.
  • Tap DELETE (located at the top).
  • To confirm, tap DELETE.

Remember, if you can hear your recorded voice fine, that’s an indication that your microphone is working fine. There may be a network problem during calls, or the recipient’s phone may be problematic. Contact your carrier and let them know about this issue. If a lot of their customers are having the same or similar experience, that may be an indication that your network is causing the problem.

Problem 2: Galaxy Note 5 video sound not working

Videos do not play sound anymore. It worked fine last night but all of a sudden today it doesn’t. The media volume bar is orange, as if I have headphones plugged in, but there isn’t any. Notifications still sound. Phone calls still sound. It’s any media i try that just won’t work. — Kevin Kern

Solution: Hi Kevin. Restart can sometimes work wonders. Be sure to do it as the first troubleshooting step. We suggest that you do a soft reset instead of a simple restart. Here’s how:

  1. Press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons for 12 seconds.
  2. Use the Volume down button to scroll to the Power Down option.
  3. Press the Home key to select. The device should power down completely.

If the problem won’t go away after a soft reset, the next thing that you want to do is to wipe the cache partition. This will ensure that the phone uses a good set of system cache. If you haven’t did it before, here are the steps:

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 completely.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home buttons first, and then press and hold the Power key.
  3. Keep the three buttons pressed and when ‘Samsung Galaxy Note5’ shows, release the Power key but continue holding the other two.
  4. Once the Android logo shows, release both the Volume Up and Home buttons.
  5. The notice ‘Installing system update’ will show on the screen for 30 to 60 seconds before the Android system recovery screen is shown with its options.
  6. Use the Volume Down key to highlight the option wipe cache partition and press the Power key to select it.
  7. When the process is complete, use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key to restart the phone.
  8. The reboot may take a little longer to complete but don’t worry and wait for the device to become active.

If you have a lot of third party apps, it’s also good to see if any one of them is causing this problem. To do that, you need to restart your Note 5 to safe mode. Safe mode prevents third party apps and services from running so if one of them is the reason for the problem, audio should work normally. In other words, if the issue won’t occur while the phone is on safe mode, one of the apps must be to blame. To boot your phone to safe mode, follow these steps:

  1. Turn off the phone completely.
  2. Press and hold the Power key.
  3. Once ‘Samsung Galaxy Note5’ shows, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume Down button.
  4. The phone will restart but keep the Vol Down button pressed.
  5. Once the phone has finished restarting, ‘Safe mode’ will be display in the lower-left corner of the screen.
  6. You may now release the Volume Down button.

Finally, if nothing changes even when the phone runs in safe mode, you’ll need to return all software settings to their defaults. Unless the cause of the problem is hardware-related, factory reset should work. Here’s how:

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 completely.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home buttons first, and then press and hold the Power key.
  3. Keep the three buttons pressed and when ‘Samsung Galaxy Note5’ shows, release the Power key but continue holding the other two.
  4. Once the Android logo shows, release both the Volume Up and Home buttons.
  5. The notice ‘Installing system update’ will show on the screen for 30 to 60 seconds before the Android system recovery screen is shown with its options.
  6. Use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power key to select it.
  7. When the process is complete, use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key to restart the phone.
  8. The reboot may take a little longer to complete but don’t worry and wait for the device to become active.

IMPORTANT: Factory reset will wipe the phone clean. Be sure to create a backup of your files (photos, videos, contacts, etc.) before doing it.

Problem 3: Galaxy Note 5 audio stops working after hours of usage

After a set amount of time (something like an hour and a half to two hours maybe even less) my audio cuts out. This is all audio. Youtube, native music players, podcasts, they all pause and I have to go back in click play again. As you can imagine it’s really frustrating. Could this have anything to do with my changing my device voice to English (UK)? — Chloe

Solution: Hi Chloe. An issue like this can sometimes be caused by a corrupted system cache so make sure that you clear the cache partition first. If that won’t fix the problem for good, you can then move on to observing the phone to safe mode. As mentioned above, safe mode blocks third party apps and services so if audio works normally, that’s a confirmation that one of your apps is problematic.

Finally, don’t hesitate to factory reset the device. There may be an operating system bug that turns that messes with the system’s audio function so it’s good if you can observe how the phone works after you’ve restored all software settings to their defaults. Like in safe mode, be sure to observe the phone long enough to notice any difference. We suggest that you try to replicate the issue for at least 24 hours after a factory reset. Make sure that you don’t install anything during this period.

Sometimes, updates can fix bugs and glitches. If possible, be sure to install updates for Android and all apps before doing a factory reset.

Problem 4: Galaxy Note 5 music won’t play when connected by aux cable to car entertainment system

Music won’t play when aux cable is connected to car aux jack. Headphones work, music will play through speaker but will not play in car. Every once in awhile it will but most of the time it does not. Got new cables, reboot — didn’t work. Has plug that keeps dirt out of jack. No settings affect issue. Mute is not on. Bluetooth is not on and headphone, sound switches are all set on. Any fix know for this issue? — Julie Miller

Solution: Hi Julie. You’re dealing with two devices here — your Note 5 and your in-vehicle’s entertainment system. Be sure that you troubleshoot both of them to know where the problem lies.

For Note 5 troubleshooting, these are the things that you should try:

  • clear the cache and data of the music app you’re using
  • use a different music app
  • wipe the cache partition
  • do a factory reset

For reference, these are the steps on how to clear an app’s cache and data:

  1. Open the Settings menu either through your notification shade (drop-down) or through the Settings app in your app drawer.
  2. Navigate down to “Apps”. This may be renamed to something like Applications or Application Manager in OEM skinned versions of Android 6 or 7.
  3. Once in there, look for the application and tap it.
  4. You’ll now see a list of stuff that gives you information about the app, including Storage, Permissions, Memory Use, and more. These are all clickable items. You’ll want to click on Storage.
  5. You should now clearly see the Clear Cache and Clear Data buttons for the application. Try wiping the cache first. If it won’t do anything, that’s the time that you clear the app’s data.

If the problem remains after doing all these Note 5 troubleshooting, do some research on how to troubleshoot your particular car entertainment system.

 


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