Fixing Microphone and Audio Issues

Sound problems feel alarming, but they nearly always come down to one of a few simple things: the microphone permission (your device politely blocking CallTuv from hearing you), the wrong device selected (sound going to or coming from the wrong place), or the internet connection wobbling. Find your symptom below and work through the steps in order - each one takes under a minute.

"It won't let me call - it keeps showing a message about the microphone"

This is the most common one, and it catches people out because it looks like the calling is broken when it isn't. CallTuv checks for a working microphone before it starts the call, not during it - a call you can't speak on would only waste your credit. So instead of ringing, it shows you a message and waits.

The exact words tell you what to fix:

• "Microphone permission was denied." The browser is blocking CallTuv from listening. Fix the permission - steps below.
• "No microphone was found." Nothing is plugged in or switched on. Connect a headset or earbuds with a microphone, or use a device that has one built in.
• "Your microphone could not start." Something else is holding the microphone - a video call, a voice recorder, or another CallTuv tab. Close it and try again.
• "The selected microphone is no longer available." The device you chose has been unplugged or switched off. Pick another one.
• "This browser does not support microphone access." That browser can't make calls. Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox all work - open calltuv.com in one of those, or use the CallTuv app instead.

To allow the microphone on a computer:

1. Say yes to the permission box. The first time you call, the browser asks a question at the top of the screen along the lines of "calltuv.com wants to use your microphone". Click Allow. If it flashed past or you clicked Block by accident, carry on to the next step.
2. Set it by hand. Click the small padlock (or settings) icon just to the left of the web address at the top of the browser. A little menu opens. Set Microphone to Allow for calltuv.com.
3. Reload the page. This is the step almost everybody misses. The browser doesn't always tell the page that you changed your mind, so the old message sits there looking unfixed. Press F5, or the circular reload arrow near the address bar, and try the call again.

To allow the microphone in the CallTuv app:

1. When the app needs permission it shows a screen headed Required Permissions, with Microphone listed on it. Press Continue and say yes to your phone's question.
2. If your phone doesn't ask anything, it's because you said no once before and phones only ask once. Pressing Continue then takes you straight to CallTuv's page in your phone's own Settings - switch Microphone on there, then come back to the app.
3. You can also get there yourself: on iPhone, Settings → CallTuv → Microphone; on Android, Settings → Apps → CallTuv → Permissions → Microphone → Allow.

Allowing the microphone doesn't mean CallTuv is listening to you. It only lets the microphone work while you are actually on a call, exactly as any phone does.

"I allowed it and the message is STILL there"

Genuinely frustrating, and there are only four causes. Try them in this order:

1. Reload, or fully close and reopen. On a computer, reload the CallTuv page. On a phone, close CallTuv completely (swipe it away from the list of open apps) and open it again. A message from before you granted permission can simply be left on screen.
2. Close whatever else is using the microphone. Video call apps, voice recorders, and a second CallTuv tab all hold onto the microphone and won't share it. Close them, then try again.
3. Check the computer's own permission, which is a separate switch. Even with the browser set to Allow, the computer itself can be blocking every browser. On a Mac: Apple menu → System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone - switch your browser on. On Windows: Start → Settings → Privacy → Microphone - make sure apps and your browser are allowed.
4. Check the right device is chosen. On the call screen, open the Microphone window, press Detect microphones, choose the one you actually speak into under Input device, and press Save. If you use a headset, plug it in before this step.

Our free mic test tool settles it in seconds: it shows a moving indicator when your browser can hear you. If the indicator moves there but CallTuv still complains, contact us and tell us the message word for word - that one sentence tells us exactly where it's stuck.

"The other person can't hear me"

If you're calling from a computer:

1. Check the browser permission. Look at the address bar at the top of the browser - click the small padlock (or settings) icon next to the web address. A little menu opens; make sure Microphone is set to Allow for calltuv.com. If you once clicked "Block" - maybe by accident, months ago - the browser silently remembers, and this is where to undo it.
2. Check the right microphone is chosen. If your computer has several (a built-in mic, a headset, a webcam), the call screen's Microphone window lets you pick which one to use. Choose the one you're actually speaking into.
3. Check the computer's own permission. The computer itself can also block browsers from the microphone. On a Mac: Apple menu → System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone - make sure your browser is switched on. On Windows: Start → Settings → Privacy → Microphone.
4. Do a quick test. Our free mic test tool shows you instantly, with a moving indicator, whether your browser hears you.

If you're calling from the app: check the phone gave CallTuv microphone permission - on iPhone: Settings → CallTuv → Microphone (switch it on); on Android: Settings → Apps → CallTuv → Permissions → Microphone → Allow. Also close any other app that might be using the microphone at the same time (a video call app, a voice recorder), and glance at the call screen to make sure you're not muted - it happens to everyone.

"I can't hear them"

• Check where the sound is going. If Bluetooth headphones were connected earlier and then switched off or wandered out of range, the sound may still be routed to them. Reselect your speakers or headset - on the phone, just tap the speaker button.
• Check the volume - both the device's volume buttons and any volume control on the call screen. It sounds obvious, but it's the answer surprisingly often.
• If there's simply silence, hang up and call again. A network switch mid-call (Wi-Fi dropping to mobile data, a VPN connecting) can silently lose the audio stream - a fresh call fixes it.

"It connects, then there's silence both ways - and it ends after about a minute"

This is the one that looks most like CallTuv is broken, and it's the one where it usually isn't. The call really does go through. The other phone really does ring and get answered. The only thing missing is the sound - neither of you hears anything at all, and then the call ends on its own after roughly a minute.

Here's what's happening. A call needs two separate connections to your internet, not one. The first sets the call up, and it travels the same way ordinary web pages do, so it almost always gets through - which is why the call connects and the timer starts. The second carries the actual voice, and it travels a different way. Some networks allow the first and quietly block the second. Office and school networks, hotel and hospital Wi-Fi, and VPNs are the usual culprits.

The ending after about a minute is deliberate, and it's on your side. When no sound arrives for a full minute, the call is ended rather than left running silently forever.

When this happens you'll see this message on the call screen:

We can't get audio through on this call. Something on your network is blocking it - turn off any VPN, or try a different Wi-Fi.

One thing not to be fooled by: the small connection badge at the top of the call screen can still say Excellent throughout. That badge grades the quality of the sound it receives, so when no sound is arriving at all it has nothing to grade and stays on Excellent. A green badge is not proof the audio is getting through.

What to try, in this order:

1. Turn off your VPN and call again. If you use one, this is the single most likely fix. A VPN reroutes your connection, and many block the voice part.
2. Try a different Wi-Fi network. If you're on office, school, hotel, café or hospital Wi-Fi, that network is the prime suspect - try your home Wi-Fi instead. On a phone you can also switch Wi-Fi off and use mobile data.
3. Try another network once, just to prove it. This is the quickest way to know. If the same number works perfectly on a different connection, the number and your credit were never the problem - it's the first network.
4. If it's a work or school network, ask whoever runs it. They control what is allowed through, and they can open it. Tell them CallTuv needs the voice traffic allowed, not just the web page, and contact us if they need the details - we'll send them.

Calls like this are charged, because they genuinely connected. If several silent calls cost you credit before you worked out the cause, contact us with roughly when you called - see Refunds.

"The sound is choppy, robotic, or delayed"

This one is almost never the microphone - it's the internet connection straining:

• Move closer to your Wi-Fi router, or try switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data to find the steadier one.
• If you use a VPN, turn it off for calls - the detour adds delay.
• Pause anything downloading or streaming in the background (videos, large files, cloud backups) while you talk.

If calls keep cutting off entirely, there's a dedicated guide: Calls Keep Dropping or Cutting Off.

"I hear an echo of my own voice"

Echo means your microphone is picking up the sound from your speakers and sending it back. The one-step fix that works nearly every time: use headphones or a headset. Any kind - wired earbuds are perfect.

Still stuck?

If the sound is fine but calls won't start at all and no microphone message appears, that's a different problem - see Why Your Call Won't Connect. Otherwise, contact us and mention what device and browser you're using and what exactly you hear (or don't) - we'll dig in with you until it's solved.