Can't Hear the Other Person on a Video Call? Start Here

Is it you or them? A 30-second check

1. Ask by text. Type something like: Can't hear you, is your mic on? If they reply that they're muted or never allowed the microphone, you're done.
2. Play a video in another tab. Any short clip will do. No sound there means your device is the problem.
3. Check the partner speaker button. On Omlet it's the speaker icon at the top of the other person's video, next to the red flag. A crossed-out speaker means you muted them.
4. Try the next person. If the next person sounds fine, the last partner's mic was the issue.

Fix 1: Unmute your partner on Omlet

Omlet lets you mute the person you're talking to without them knowing, which is handy when someone is loud or there's background noise on their end. It's also easy to tap by accident.

Look at the top of their video for the speaker icon beside the report flag. If it shows a speaker with a line through it, tap it once to unmute. If you muted someone earlier, glance at it again when you meet the next person, in case it's still on.

If their audio is on and you still hear nothing from anyone, keep going.

Fix 2: No sound on the video call from your device

If video call audio is not working anywhere on your device, other tabs included, the browser isn't the problem. Check the volume and where the sound is being sent.

Windows

• Click the speaker icon in the taskbar. Check the volume, then click the arrow next to the slider to see which device is selected as output.
• Open Settings → System → Sound → Volume mixer. Make sure your browser's volume isn't turned all the way down; it can be set separately from the main volume.
• Connected to a monitor or TV by HDMI? Sound may be going to its speakers, which might be off or muted.

Mac

• Click Control Center → Sound and pick the right output, or go to System Settings → Sound → Output.
• Press the volume-up key and watch for the on-screen level. A crossed-out speaker means the Mac is muted.

Fix 3: Unmute the browser tab or the site

Browsers can silence a single tab or site, and nothing on the page tells you.

• Chrome: right-click the tab and choose Unmute site. Also check chrome://settings/content/sound; if the site is under Not allowed to play sound, remove it.
• Edge: right-click the tab and choose Unmute tab, and check edge://settings/content/sound for blocked sites.
• Firefox: click the crossed-out speaker on the tab itself, or right-click the tab and choose Unmute Tab.
• Safari on Mac: a speaker icon appears in the address field or on the tab; click it to toggle sound for that tab.

Extensions that mute or boost tab audio can also get in the way. Open the site in a private or Incognito window, where most extensions are off by default, to rule them out.

Fix 4: Sound going to the wrong Bluetooth device

A frequent cause of no sound on a video call: your earbuds are still connected, sitting in a pocket or in their case, or the audio has gone to a car stereo or a speaker in another room.

• Computer: pick the speakers or headphones you're actually using as the output, as in fix 2.
• iPhone: open Control Center, tap the audio output icon on the media tile and choose iPhone or the headphones you're wearing.
• Android: swipe down, open the media output panel, and choose your phone's speaker or the right headset.
• If a Bluetooth headset makes voices sound thin and quiet, it has dropped into headset mode for its microphone. That's explained in our guide to Bluetooth headset mics on calls.

Fix 5: Can't hear anyone on video chat on your phone

Phones keep separate volumes for media, calls, ringtones and alarms, and the buttons don't always change the one you need.

• Android: press volume up while the other person is talking. If the slider says ringer or ring, tap the three dots or the settings icon below it and raise Media.
• iPhone: press volume up during the chat with the side button and watch the on-screen level.
• Silent mode and Do Not Disturb: on some phones and browsers these can affect web page sound. Turn them off briefly to rule them out.
• Stay in the browser: switching to another app can pause the page's audio and video. Keep the chat on screen while you talk.

Still silent? Close the browser fully, reopen it and try again. Phones occasionally get stuck with audio routed to a device that's no longer there.

Other sound problems and where to fix them

And if it's the other way round and nobody can hear you, the issue is your microphone permission or input. Start with allowing camera and mic access in Edge or your browser's equivalent, then the microphone not working in browser fixes.