Video Call Sound Not Working? Here's How to Fix It

When a video call has no sound, the cause is almost always one of six simple things, and none of them mean your phone is broken. Either the other person cannot hear you, you cannot hear them, or both sides are silent. Each of those points to a different fix, so the first useful step is working out which way the silence runs. Ask the other person, by typing in the chat or texting them, whether they can hear you.

The same checks apply across FaceTime, WhatsApp, Zoom and Skype. These apps all rely on the same two things: your phone's microphone (which picks up your voice) and its speaker (which plays the other person's voice). When sound fails, one of those is muted, blocked, or has not been given permission to work.

Work through the fixes below from the top. They are ordered from the most common cause to the rarest, so the first one or two solve most cases. You cannot harm anything by trying them, and you can undo every change.

Cause 1: You are muted (the most common reason)

A muted microphone is behind most "they can't hear me" calls. Every video app has a microphone button, and it is easy to tap by accident. Look at the bottom of your call screen for a small microphone icon. If it has a red line through it or is filled in red, you are muted and your voice is not going out.

Tap that microphone icon once to unmute. The red line should disappear, and the other person should hear you straight away. On FaceTime the button is a microphone in the row of controls at the bottom; on WhatsApp and Zoom it sits in the same place. If you are not sure, tap it once, say hello, and ask if they heard you.

Cause 2: The volume is turned all the way down

If you cannot hear the other person, your phone's volume is the first thing to check. The two buttons on the left edge of your iPhone control volume. Press the top one (volume up) a few times during the call and watch for the volume bar to appear on screen. Make sure it is not empty.

There is also a small switch above those buttons on many iPhones, called the Ring/Silent switch. If it shows orange, your phone is on silent. That mostly affects ringtones rather than calls, but it is worth flicking it back so no orange shows. On newer iPhones this is an Action Button you may have set up differently, so check your side buttons either way.

Cause 3: Sound is going to the wrong speaker

Sometimes the call audio is being sent to a Bluetooth device you forgot about, like headphones, a hearing aid, a car, or a smart speaker in another room. If that device is out of range or switched off, you hear nothing even though the call is working perfectly.

Look for a speaker icon on your call screen, often near the other buttons. Tap it and you may see options such as iPhone, Speaker, or the name of a Bluetooth device. Choose Speaker or iPhone to bring the sound back to the phone itself. If you use Bluetooth hearing aids or headphones, check they are switched on and charged.

Cause 4: The app never got permission to use the microphone

When you first install an app, your iPhone asks whether it may use the microphone. If you tapped "Don't Allow" by accident once, that app stays silent forever until you change it back. This is a frequent cause of an app where nobody can ever hear you.

1. Close the call and open Settings (the grey gear icon on your home screen).
2. Scroll down and tap the name of the app, such as WhatsApp or Zoom.
3. Look for the word Microphone with a switch beside it.
4. If the switch is grey (off), tap it so it turns green.
5. Go back into the app and start the call again.

While you are there, check that Camera is switched on too, using the same method, so your video works alongside your sound. A green switch means the app is allowed; a grey switch means it is blocked.

Cause 5: A weak connection or a tired phone

Patchy Wi-Fi makes sound break up, cut in and out, or vanish for seconds at a time. If your audio is crackly rather than completely silent, the connection is the likely culprit. Move closer to your Wi-Fi router, or if you are on mobile data, stand near a window for better signal.

A phone that has been on for weeks can also get confused. The classic fix that works surprisingly often is to restart it. Hold the side button until the screen says "slide to power off", switch it off, wait ten seconds, then switch it back on. This clears small glitches without deleting anything you care about.

When none of that works

If you have tried every step and still have no sound, the problem is likely the other person's end rather than yours. Phone them the old-fashioned way and check whether their microphone is muted or their volume is down. Sound takes two working ends, and theirs may be the silent one.

As a final test, make a quick call to a different person on the same app. If that call has sound, your phone is fine and the trouble was with the earlier contact's setup. If every call is silent, restart the phone once more and confirm the microphone permission is green in Settings. These checks resolve nearly every case without any cost or repair.

Stopping it from happening again

A few habits keep sound problems away. Before any planned call, such as a doctor's appointment or a family catch-up, open the app a minute early and check the microphone is not muted. A quick glance at the icon while you wait saves a flustered scramble once the other person appears on screen.

If you use Bluetooth headphones or hearing aids, decide before the call whether you want the sound through them or through the phone, and set it then. Trying to switch halfway through a call is fiddly, and you can lose precious seconds while the other person waits and wonders if you have gone. For most people, choosing Speaker on the phone is the simplest and most reliable option, because there is no battery to run flat and no pairing to lose.

It also helps to keep your apps up to date. Open the App Store now and then, tap your round picture or initials at the top right, and scroll down to see if FaceTime, WhatsApp or Zoom have updates waiting. Updated apps fix small bugs that can cause sound to drop. None of this takes more than a minute, and it makes the next call far smoother. A little preparation turns a stressful, silent call into an easy one, and after a few times these checks become second nature.

Frequently asked questions

Why can people hear me but I can't hear them? Your microphone works but your speaker output is the problem. Press volume up during the call and tap the Speaker icon to make sure sound is coming from the phone, not a Bluetooth device.

Why is there sound on phone calls but not video calls? Regular calls and video apps use permissions separately. The video app probably lacks microphone permission. Open Settings, find the app, and switch Microphone to green.

Could a phone case block the sound? Rarely, but a thick case or a piece of plastic film over the speaker can muffle it. Make sure nothing covers the small speaker holes at the bottom edge of the phone.