If you make lots of voice and video calls on WhatsApp, then you might have considered using your headphones or earphones for better sound quality. However, some users have complained of headphones not working during WhatsApp video calls in the past few weeks. If you’re also experiencing this, you’d realize it’s such a big mess.
WhatsApp video call headphones not working could be caused by different measures ranging from WhatsApp bugs to your phone's software and hardware issue or the headphones you're trying to use. Nonetheless, this article contains a series of troubleshooting guides to help you fix earphones not working in WhatsApp video calls.
Table of content:
- Reboot your device
- Disconnect and reconnect the headphones
- Adjust the volume of the video call
- Ensure the problem is not from the other side
- Troubleshoot your headphones
- Check for updates
- Reinstall WhatsApp
- Reset your device
Ok, just reboot your device.
By default, WhatsApp routes the sound to your headphones when connected during a video call. But, headphones not working during WhatsApp video call seems strange and could be a software or hardware problem. However, you can fix that in most cases by rebooting your phone.
Rebooting your device is more than just powering off and booting up again. Many software and hardware refreshments occur during the process, which acts as a quick fix for any problem on your phone.
To restart your device, just press and hold the Power button for about 8-10 seconds. After rebooting your device, try making a video call on WhatsApp again to see if the issue has been fixed.
Disconnect and reconnect the headphones.
Next, if the sounds from the WhatsApp video calls are coming out of your phone speaker, it might be an issue with the headset itself. A quick way to fix that is to disconnect and reconnect the headphones.
- If you’re using a wired headphone, kindly unplug it during the video call and firmly re-insert it to fix the problem.
- In case you're connected to a Bluetooth headphone, you may need to turn off the Bluetooth on your device and the headphone itself. After that, turn on the headphone and reconnect them to your phone again.
Adjust the volume
Just to ensure your phone is not muted, try to turn up the volume on your phone during the WhatsApp video. This is necessary if you don't hear sounds from the loudspeaker already.
If you can’t hear any sound from the video, do yourself a favor and turn up the volume with the volume up button on your Android or iPhone. This should fix the problem in most cases. Otherwise, if you hear sounds from the loudspeaker, then you need to troubleshoot your headphones instead.
Ensure the problem is not from the other side
Although rare, the problem might be from the person you're making a video call with. Perhaps the person has muted the microphone inadvertently. To ensure that's not the problem, you can ask the other person to unmute his/her mic. Do that before you move to the next step.
Troubleshoot your headphones
To fix headphones not working during WhatsApp video calls, you need to ensure the headphones are working. This might sound silly to you, but it’s part of the process. First, you need to check if sounds are coming out of the headphones/earphones.
A simple way to check that is to play a piece of music on your phone. If it sounds normal, then your headphones are good. Additionally, you can try to make a phone call with the headphones to see if they work. If not, try these troubleshooting guides to fix your Bluetooth or wired headphones.
Bluetooth headphones? Reset it
There are a couple of ways to fix Bluetooth headphones not working during WhatsApp video calls. But the straightforward way is to reset the Bluetooth device and re-pair it with your phone.
Here’s how:
- On Android, open the quick settings panel.
- Long-press the Bluetooth tile.
- Ensure the Bluetooth is turned on.
- Under PAIRED DEVICE, you’ll see your Bluetooth devices.
- Tap the gear icon next to your Bluetooth headphones.
- On the next screen, tap Forget device and confirm it.
- Now, ensure your Bluetooth headphones or earbuds are turned on. You should see it under AVAILABLE DEVICES on the Bluetooth menu.
- Tap on it to pair it again.
Your headphones should work during WhatsApp video calls by now. Additionally, make sure you have enough battery on the headphones. Otherwise, it won't work as expected.
Wired headphones? Try these fixes
On the other hand, if you use wired headphones and it’s not producing sounds during your WhatsApp video call, try these fixes:
- Unplug the headphone
- Check the headphone port on your device. If you find debris inside it, try to clean it.
- After that, reinsert the wired headphones to the port to see if it works.
If none of these fixes works for you, you can try another piece of headphones to confirm the status of your current headphones/earphones. If they work, you need to change your headphones instead.
Check for updates
Don't overlook this! Another fix for WhatsApp video call headphones not working is to update your phone and WhatsApp itself. The current build of WhatsApp and software running on your phone might contain some bugs, which results in earphones not working in the WhatsApp video call.
To fix this, kindly update your WhatsApp from the Play Store on Android or the App Store on iOS. After that, visit the Settings on your phone to check for system updates and install any available updates.
How to update an Android phone
- Launch the Settings app
- Scroll to System and tap it.
- Select System update
- From there, check for online updates and install all pending updates.
How to update an iPhone
- Open the iPhone Settings app
- Tap General, then select Software Update.
- Ensure you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network and plug in your phone to a charger.
- Click on Download and Install.
Reinstall WhatsApp
If updating WhatsApp and your phone didn't solve the problem, the next thing to try is to reinstall WhatsApp itself. Consequently, this will erase every corrupted WhatsApp cache and data file causing the problem.
The downside, however, is that reinstalling WhatsApp will also clear your chat history. So, ensure your back up your WhatsApp chats to your phone storage before you reinstall WhatsApp. You can do so by going to WhatsApp > Settings > Chats > Chat backup.
After that, visit the Play Store or App Store (on iPhone) to uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp.
How to reinstall WhatsApp on Android
- Open the Play Store and search for
- Tap on WhatsApp Messenger.
- Below the WhatsApp icon, tap
- Wait for a few seconds and tap Install to reinstall the app.
How to reinstall WhatsApp on iPhone
- From the home screen or App Library, find WhatsApp and long-press the icon.
- Tap Delete and confirm it.
- Now, go to the App Store and search for WhatsApp.
- Click on Install and wait for a few moments until WhatsApp is installed on your phone.
After reinstalling WhatsApp on your phone, restore your chats and try making a video call again to see if it works through your headphones now.
Maybe you should RESET YOUR PHONE…
However, if all of the fixes mentioned above couldn’t fix WhatsApp video call headphones not working, you can try to reset your phone. Resetting your phone should resolve this problem if it’s attached to a software issue, or a hardware issue sometimes.
Meanwhile, it's essential to back up all the important data on your device before taking this action. Resetting your phone will wipe all files, apps, and other data stored on the device storage. After backing up your data, follow these steps to reset your phone:
How to reset an Android phone
- Open the Settings
- Scroll to the bottom and select
- Tap Reset options
- Select Erase all data (factory reset)
- Finally, tap ERASE ALL DATA, confirm your password, and wait for your phone to reboot.
How to reset an iPhone
- Go to the Settings app
- Select General
- Tap Reset
- Finally, tap Erase All Content and confirm your password.
After resetting your iPhone or Android, simply restore your data and reinstall WhatsApp. Try making a video call again to see if the issue has been fixed.
Conclusion
Headphones not working during WhatsApp video call is a kind of rare issue. It doesn't happen on all devices. However, the fixes above should help you out if you ever experience it on your device.
The bottom line is to make sure your headphones are working naturally in other scenarios. Next, make sure that your phone and WhatsApp are up-to-date to ensure the problem is not caused by bugs.
If everything else failed, you can reset your phone, but it’s not always the best solution if you don’t have a reliable backup.
