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WhatsApp Sound Not Working – 8 Reasons + Fixes

WhatsApp Sound Not Working – 8 Reasons + Fixes

Are you using WhatsApp to connect with friends and family, but the sound is not working on incoming calls and messages? Do you also experience the same issue when sending voice messages and dialing calls? 

If WhatsApp sound is not working for calls and voice notes, the microphone or the speaker might be faulty. To fix this, open a recording app or place a cellular call to test your microphone and speaker and repair them if needed. If the WhatsApp notifications sound is not working, disable the silent, Do Not Disturb, and Airplane modes or try increasing the notification volume. 

In this article, we’ll discuss why WhatsApp sound is not working on your phone and how you can resolve this issue without fretting about easy solutions. 

Why is my WhatsApp sound not working?

Why is my WhatsApp sound not working?

Before exploring the fixes, let’s explore a few reasons why WhatsApp sound is not working on your phone:

  • Issues with internet connection or network settings on the phone.
  • The phone is silent, or the volume is low.
  • Issues with the phone microphone or the speaker.
  • Outdated phone or WhatsApp software.
  • Other apps on the phone use the microphone and conflict with WhatsApp.
  • Necessary camera and microphone permissions are not granted to WhatsApp.
  • Corrupt WhatsApp system files.

How do I get the sound to work on WhatsApp?

How do I get the sound to work on WhatsApp

To get the WhatsApp sound working again on the phone, here are 7 step-by-step methods for a quick fix. 

Disable Silent Mode and Increase the Volume

If your phone is in silent mode or the ringer or notification volume is too low, you won’t hear the incoming calls and message notifications on your phone. Also, with low media volume, you won’t be able what the other person is saying on calls and voice notes.  

So turn off the silent mode on your phone and increase the volume in the following way:

Android:

  • Swipe down on the home screen to access the Quick Access Menu.
  • Tap the Silent icon.
  • Set it to “General” or “Sound.”
  • Press the “Volume Up” button on the side to increase the ringer tone for WhatsApp.
  • Open “Settings,” go to the “Sounds” section, and drag the “Notifications” and “Media Volume” bars to increase WhatsApp notification and sound and speaker volume. 

iPhone:

  • Open “Settings.”
  • Tap “Sounds & Haptics.”
  • Drag the slider below “Ringtone and Alert Volume” to increase the volume and turn off silent mode.
  • While using WhatsApp, use the “Volume Up” button to increase the media volume. 

NOTE: Ensure you’ve turned off the Silent switch on the side of your iPhone. 

Once you have configured these settings on your phone, wait for a message or call notification on WhatsApp and check if the sound problem persists.

Disable Do Not Disturb

When you enable the “Do Not Disturb” feature, it silents all the calls and messages on your phone, including the WhatsApp incoming calls and notification sound.

To prevent this, turn off the Do Not Disturb option on your Android phone this way:

  • Open “Settings.” 
  • Tap “Notifications.”
  • Tap “Do Not Disturb.”
  • Toggle off “Do Not Disturb.”

If you use iPhone, swipe down the screen from the right side to access the Control Center, tap the half-moon icon to turn off the Do Not Disturb option, and see if the WhatsApp sound is working now. 

NOTE: WhatsApp sound will also fail to work if you use the phone in Airplane mode. 

Check Internet Issues

A slow internet connection might be why you are not getting sound on incoming calls or can send/receive voice notes. To troubleshoot network issues, restart your router and move your device closer to it. If this fails, contact your service provider to fix issues at their end. 

While at it, reset network settings on your phone by doing these quick steps:

Android:

  • Open Android “Settings.”
  • Select “System.”
  • Choose “Advanced.”
  • Tap “Reset Options.”
  • Tap “Reset network settings.”

iPhone:

  • Open iPhone “Settings.”
  • Tap “General.”
  • Choose “Reset.”
  • Tap “Reset Network Settings.”

Grant WhatsApp Mic and Camera Permissions

It’s possible you may not have assigned the microphone and camera permissions to WhatsApp, which is why you cannot record any sound to send voice messages.

To fix this, grant WhatsApp the necessary camera and microphone permission this way:

Android:

  • Open “Settings.”
  • Scroll and tap “Apps.”
  • Select “WhatsApp.”
  • Tap “Permissions.”
  • Toggle on “Microphone.”
  • Toggle on “Camera.”

iPhone:

  • Open “Settings.”
  • Select “WhatsApp.”
  • Toggle on “Microphone” and “Camera.”
Granting mic and camera permissions to whatsapp

Now try recording a message or attaching a video file to verify the sound is working this time.

Check Phone Mic and Speaker

If you cannot hear the sent or received voice notes sound on WhatsApp, the microphone or the speaker can be the source of the issue.

To verify this, open any recording application on your phone and see if you can hear anything back. If not, the microphone is faulty, and you need to repair or replace it. 

The phone speaker lets you hear what the other person is saying on a call or message. If it is damaged, the sound may not work. However, you can quickly test this by placing a cellular call. If the receiver hears and you hear them, the problem lies elsewhere. 

TIP: Remove the screen protector so that WhatsApp can play the voice message or call on the speaker instead of the earpiece. 

Unmute WhatsApp Chats or Groups

WhatsApp allows you to mute the chats or group notifications for 8 hours, 1 week, or Always at your convenience. However, you won’t any notification sound for their messages after doing so.

Therefore, try unmuting the WhatsApp groups or chats on the app by following the steps given below:

Android:

  • Open “WhatsApp.”
  • Tap and hold the chat or group. 
  • Tap the “three dots” at the top-right corner of the screen, and select “Unmute Notifications” for a chat or group. 
Unmuting chat notifications on WhatsApp

iPhone: 

  • Open “WhatsApp.”
  • Select the chat or group you want to unmute.
  • Tap the name.
  • Tap “Muted.”
  • Select “Unmute.”

Disable Power Saving Mode

Sometimes, the power-saving mode on your phone interferes with WhatsApp notifications, voice notes, and call sounds, causing it to stop working. 

To fix this, disable the Power Saving or Low Power mode on your phone with the steps given below:

Android:

  • Open “Settings.”
  • Tap “Battery And Device Care.”
  • Tap “Battery.”
  • Toggle off “Power Saving Mode.” 

iPhone:

  • Open “Settings.”
  • Tap “Battery.”
  • Toggle off “Low Power Mode.”

Update WhatsApp

Another solution is to update WhatsApp to the latest version, which might contain a patch to address the bugs in the app’s code, resulting in the issue. Here’s how:

Android: 

  • Open “Play Store.”
  • Choose your Profile icon. 
  • Select “Manage Apps and Devices.”
  • Tap “Updates Available.”
  • Select WhatsApp.”
  • Select “Update.”

iPhone:

  • Open “App Store.”
  • Select the Profile icon.
  • Scroll to “Available Updates.”
  • Go to “WhatsApp.”
  • Select “Update.”

NOTE: Updating the app can also help if WhatsApp keeps scrolling up

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve explored why WhatsApp sound is not working on your phone and what steps you can take to resolve the problem quickly. 

Hopefully, you can now regain the full functionality of WhatsApp audio features and enjoy a seamless messaging experience once again. If the problem persists, try reinstalling WhatsApp to get rid of the corrupt files causing the sound issues.