In recent months, the Google support forums have been flooded with Pixel and Pixel XL users reporting that one or more of the microphones on their smartphones have stopped working. The problems have become widespread enough that Google has issued an official response.
According to Brian Rakowski, a Google employee actively engaged in the thread, two manufacturing defects are the cause of the issues.
In some instances of one or more of the microphones is malfunctioning, there’s a hairline crack in the solder connecting the audio codec to the Pixel’s microphones. As a result of the minute nature of the defect, factors like ambient temperature or how a person holds their phone can temporarily alleviate the issue without offering a permanent fix. Rakowski says Google believes less than 1 percent of devices are affected by this issue. He also notes the defect could show up after months of normal use after an unfortunate drop.
Meanwhile, the consistent failure of a single mic is caused by a faulty microphone. Rakowski says this issue is even rarer than the damaged solder.
In either case, the company recommends affected users contact support and request a return. Rakowski says Google has already trained its support staff the staff from any third-party retailer that carries the Pixel and Pixel XL on the issue. However, the return process will play out differently depending on where Pixels owners bought their phone.
For individuals that bought their phone directly from Google, the company will send a replacement immediately. Google will place a hold on the owner’s credit card until it has verified the returned device suffers from a manufacturing defect.
Meanwhile, if the device was purchased from a third party, the company will only ship a replacement once it has received the device and verified it’s broken, in which case some Pixel owners may be without a smartphone for several weeks.
Has your Pixel smartphone had issues with its microphones? Tell us in the comment section.
[source]Google Support[/source][via]Android Police[/via]
