Some Google Pixel and Pixel XL owners are reporting microphone problems

Google’s flagship Pixel has been one of the most highly-acclaimed Android flagships on the US market since its release among smartphone critics and consumers, but recent reports on Google’s support forum suggest that there may be a hardware defect among “less than one percent” of units. Users reported complete failure of one or more of their microphones, preventing any audio input.

Google employee Brian Rakowski explained the issue in detail, saying that the microphone problem may be the result of a failure-causing physical default in one of the three microphones on the Pixel and Pixel XL (the primary input and two ambient mics). It could also be the result of a hairline crack in the solder of the microphone component.

Some users have reported resolving the issue by gripping the phone in a certain way. Others have said that applying heat and air through a hairdryer fixed the mic, but Google does not recommend this practice. User attempts to repair the damage themselves could compound the issue and void their warranty.

Google will provide owners of the faulty smartphones with a replacement. Google has said, however, that it’s still possible that the replacement phone could also contain the same hardware issue.

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