THL T100S Microphone problem (could be general Android)

[arih]

Hi,

I have a THL T100S which was running the stock ROM that it came with (4.2). Last week, the microphone stopped working for most apps. It didn't work in the dialler app, Google Now voice search, Skype or Whatsapp. It did, however, work in Sound Recorder and when using the camera app to record a video.

I tried all kinds of things, including uninstalling apps to see if I could get it to work but to no avail. In the end, I decided to do a factory reset, but that bricked the phone.

I have now used SP Flash Tool to flash the phone with the new official ROM for this phone (4.4), and i expected that that would fix my microphone issue, but no! It's exactly the same! I have reinstalled minimum apps (just what's on the ROM and a few others like whatsapp for testing) and still, the microphone works for video recording, and sound recorder, but doesn't work for the dialler or whatsapp. I'm really at the end of my tether! Can anyone help me please?

[WuddaWaste]

I think they might be physically different microphones. A lot of phones have a tiny hole next to the camera on the rear of the phone. My THL T200C did. My understanding is that that's a secondary mic (with probably a different pattern and sensitivity) to capture the audio which accompanies video recordings.

I'm guessing your problem is unfortunately a physical/hardware problem with the mic at the bottom of the phone.

[Trenzalore]

I agree with @WuddaWaste. It sounds like a hardware issue, given that it was working at one point and it has the same response with 2 different ROM versions.
If your phone is rooted, I guess it couldn't hurt to try varying the mic sensitivity levels via Mobileuncle tools. Go to Engineer Mode (MTK)>Hardware>Audio>Normal then choose Type: Mic. Try lowering/increasing sensitivity and see if something will happen. But if the mic doesn't work at all (not just bad reception), this will probably not have any effect.
Can you make calls on loudspeaker? Maybe use a bluetooth headset for calls?

[arih]

You're right that there are two microphones, but would the one on the back, near the camera, also be used by the sound recorder app? I have been trying to test it by covering both of the holes with my fingers, but to be honest, it doesn't make much difference.

I did change the screen recently, so maybe I damaged the mic then, but it worked for a while after that. Does anyone know if it's possible / easy to replace a broken mic?

[Cleopatra]

Hi arih !

Maybe the video-tutorial below will help you :



Regards :-)

[arih]

Yeah, that's the one I used to replace my screen! The mic is actually not disconnected at all as far as I can see, but maybe I did some damage to it...

Does anyone know if there is a way to check?

[WuddaWaste]

My ghettoidea to diagnose which mic is being used is to try recording while blowing into the holes. Wind noise is pretty distinct. I would do one audio recording and just say something like "Test 1. Bottom mic. *blow blow blow*. Test 2. Rear mic. *blow blow blow*" and repeat a few times. Listen to playback and see if you can tell a difference.

As far as testing for a hardware failed mic, I can't think of a way to do it without specialized equipment and a schematic.

[edcoolio]

If you are going to do the testing above (which is a great idea, BTW) and it either produces nothing or a failure, then replace it directly.

There are no suppliers I know of on this site that carry this very very specific part.

So, at the risk of getting this post deleted, you are left with Aliexpress. The main board flex ribbon cable on this model has the microphone built into it. They are cheap at under $8, so once all other options are exhausted, you should pull the trigger ASAP.

As it is, it sounds like you cannot really use the phone, so as long as you are comfortable with the risk of taking your device apart then you may not have another option.

Good luck and keep us posted!