There are different causes for this issue, some of them are quite basic while others require a bit of adjustment to settings. Whatever the cause, we have provided all the possible fixes to ensure that you get your Quest or Quest 2 microphone working again.
Why Can’t People Hear Me On My Oculus?
In order for people to hear you…and for you to hear them…on Quest or Quest 2, Oculus uses a microphone to project voice to co-gamers and colleagues, just like with any other communication device. Although this microphone is a hardware device, its functioning is controlled by settings in the software. Therefore, when people can’t hear you on Oculus, the problem may be from the microphone hardware itself or from the software settings that control it. Having said that, here are the main reasons why people can’t hear you on Oculus.
1. Microphone Is Damaged
The first possible reason is a hardware fault. The Quest and Quest microphones are tiny devices inside the headset. They come in pairs and are found at the bottom sitting on your nose, and pointing towards your mouth. Because of the size and location of these microphones, it is not easy to detect damage on them or know the cause of the damage. One usually arrives at the conclusion of damage after trying other solutions to no avail.
2. The Battery is Too Low
Apart from the built-in microphones, Oculus also has built-in speakers. The mics and speakers are interconnected to provide you with a great audio experience. This integrated audio system requires considerable battery power to work well. When the battery on your Quest or Quest 2 is too low, it may power up your headset but provide a poor audio experience. This is especially true for the microphones as opposed to the speakers. That’s why you may be able to hear others but they cannot hear you.
3. Dirty Mic
With use over time, your Quest or Quest 2 headset can gather dirt from the environment and even from body waste. The microphones are very sensitive and also use noise cancellation technology. So, if they are dirty or covered by some material, they will not pick up your voice and your co-gamers or colleagues will not hear you. Now that we have explored the hardware part, the rest of the causes of people not hearing you on Oculus are usually from software and settings issues
4. Software Glitch
Just as with any other system that runs on software, there may be occasions where the programme stops running properly. These are called glitches or bugs. Glitches usually go away after a while and may not require any action from the user whereas bugs may require you to perform one or a series of actions to resolve the issue. In the case of your Quest or Quest 2, there are several factors that can cause a software glitch or bug including: Any one of these could cause a glitch in the microphone software and make others unable to hear you.
5. You’re Muted
Hasn’t it happened to us all? On Zoom calls, on Phone apps, on PC…at some point you are likely to have either mistakenly muted your microphone, or forgotten that you had muted it earlier. This is actually a very common scenario on Oculus and should be your first check when your co-gamers or colleagues can’t hear you. You could be muted on the headset settings, on your PC or on your Phone. When others can’t hear you, please check your settings on all the relevant devices.
6. Voice Isn’t Turned On For the Particular App in Settings
Another common reason why people cannot hear you on Oculus is that, even though you may not be muted on your device, voice isn’t turned on for the particular app you’re using, in settings. This setting is available in the Settings menu for each game on Quest and Quest 2.
7. Their Speaker Is Broken
On other occasions, it may be that the fault isn’t from your microphones but from your co-gamer’s Oculus speakers. When you are using Oculus with several people, and more than one person is saying they can’t hear you, it’s safe to assume that the fault is from your end. However, if it’s just one person who can’t hear you, the issue likely from their speakers. This is harder to detect when you are playing with just one person, though. On such an occasion, you may contact the person outside Oculus and walk through their own settings with them when you’re sure that yours are in order.
8. They’re Just Ignoring You
Also, if they don’t have any issues with their speaker, it may just be that they’re ignoring you. This may be intentional, or they may be distracted by the game or some other thing they’re involved in. In fact, when you feel that you’re not being heard on your Quest or Quest 2, the best thing to do is wait a few minutes to see if they start to respond, before looking for any other causes and fixes detailed in this article.
How to Fix People Can’t Hear Me on My Oculus
Trying to fix the issue of people not hearing you on your Oculus should be a step-by-step process. This method is necessary to help you trace the root cause of the problem and avoid it in the future. As a general rule, before you begin troubleshooting the problem, make sure your Quest or Quest 2 headset battery is charged. We have already established that a low Oculus battery may be unable to power your headset microphones for others to hear you. Once that is sorted, you may try the steps below, one after the other.
1. Unmute Yourself In Settings
The first step to take is to check your device microphone settings to see if you’re muted. There are different ways to check this, depending on the device you are using for Oculus Check Mic Settings on Headset: Check VR Chat Microphone Settings: If connected to PC:
2. If You’re In A Party You Have To Switch The Mic Between Party And App On The Main Oculus Menu Status Bar
First of all, if you are in a Party alone, people will not be able to hear you in other games. You need to leave the party if you are the only one in it. To leave: When you are in a party and on an app simultaneously, you have to switch the mic between app and party depending on where you want to chat at the time. To switch mic: OR Select Manage Microphone in the Party Menu to switch between Party and App Chat.
3. Ask If They’re Ignoring You
As we explained earlier, it may just be that the people are ignoring you for some reason; they may be distracted, for example, which is often the case. The best thing to do is, when you have confirmed that your mic settings are in order, just wait a few minutes to see if they start responding. Another possibility is that they may be having speaker issues at their end or the wrong speaker settings which is preventing them from hearing you. In such a case, there is little you can do except perhaps to contact them outside Oculus and work together to resolve the issue.
4. If You’re PVCR Streaming, Enable Oculus Mic Device In Windows Sound Settings
When you are using Oculus on your PC via the Link cable, you need to ensure that all the relevant audio settings on your PC are correct to allow your Quest or Quest 2 microphone function properly. Please follow these steps in the order provided. First, you need to grant your Oculus access on your PC For Windows 10, click the Change button, then
- Toggle to turn on Microphone access on this device
- Below that, toggle to Allow Apps to Access Your Microphone
- Below that, toggle to Allow Desktop Apps to Access Your Microphone
- Connet your Quest or Quest 2 to your PC
- Right-click the speaker icon at the bottom right corner of the taskbar, and click Open Sound settings.
- Under the Input section, choose Headset Microphone (Oculus Virtual Audio Device) from the menu.
- Scroll down to select Sound Control Panel.
- Navigate to the Recording tab. Then select Oculus Quest 2 headset microphone and click Set Default.
- Beside Set Default, click Properties.
- Go to the Levels tab in the Properties window and set the mic volume to the desired level (70% at least)
- Select the Advanced tab.
- Under Exclusive Mode, uncheck Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device.
- Click OK Finally, On Oculus App:
- Open Oculus app on PC and under Devices, make sure that the PC has been recognized by Oculus software.
- Click on your device and ensure audio is set to Quest or Quest 2 mic
5. Clean Your Mic
In our previous articles on issues with Oculus Quest or Quest 2, we advised that cleaning your Quest or Quest 2 headset should be a habitual practice. All the parts of the headset are hypersensitive; this is necessary to provide seamless virtual reality experiences. The Oculus microphone not only picks up your voice, it also prevents other sounds in the background from interfering. These two functions require that the microphones do not have anything covering them, not even dust, as this would interfere with their optimal functioning. As with your lenses and proximity sensors, only use dry microfibre cloth to clean your Quest or Quest 2 microphones to continue enjoying your VR experience. Note: Do Not Blow Compressed Air in the Microphones, Reasons Below Some users attempt to clean out or force-activate their Quest or Quest 2 microphones by blowing high-pressure/compressed air into them. This practice can cause your Oculus microphones to stop working completely as it may damage the diaphragm of the mic. Here’s how: The microphone diaphragm is a very thin layer that moves when exposed to external sound pressure. It is only designed to pick up sound pressure at normal levels. Therefore, when exposed to concentrated, high pressure from the compressed air, the diaphragm may collapse.
6. Restart your Oculus
It might be a bother to leave your game or party even for a brief moment, but restarting Oculus has fixed the microphone issue for several users. When people cannot hear you on Oculus, it may be because of a temporary hardware or software glitch which is often resolved by a restart…much like your PC or phone. To restart your Quest or Quest 2: You can also perform a hard reboot. This is even more reliable for resolving microphone issues. To do this:
7. Reset Your Oculus
If a restart and a hard reboot do not get your Oculus mic working again, you may then try doing a full reset of your Quest or Quest 2. Resetting your Oculus will remove all the bugs and settings that may be causing your microphones to malfunction. However, it will also remove all the games, settings, and account information from your headset. It will not remove your downloads and purchases made from your account, though. You can reset your Quest or Quest either on the app or on the headset. To reset on app: To reset on headset: Your headset will then reset to factory settings. You would need to log in again to resume your VR experience. Note:
8. Update Your AirPods Firmware
If you are using your Quest or Quest 2 with AirPods, then this article assumes that you already know how to connect your AirPods to Oculus. We have found that out-of-date firmware on your AirPod can cause people to not hear you on Oculus. This is because: Therefore, it is important to ensure that the AirPods you use for Oculus are updated. Please follow the steps below to update your AirPod or AirPod Pro:
9. Update Your PC Audio Software
If you are using your Quest or Quest 2 via Link on PC, and have configured the right settings outlined in this article, you should also check that the audio drivers on your PC are up to date. The drivers are responsible for making the device to work, so if they are out-of-date, this may cause people to not hear you on your Quest or Quest 2. To Update your PC Audio Drivers: If updates are available, they will be automatically downloaded and installed
10. Repair Oculus
If all of the fixes above fail, then the reason people can’t hear you on Oculus is likely a hardware malfunction. Hardware malfunction on Quest and Quest is a tricky issue because Oculus (or Meta now) do not repair their devices. Also, expertise on virtual reality systems repair is not yet commonplace. Therefore, you need to do extensive research for a trusted repair shop, whether online or from friends. We at Techzillo are not in a position to make any such recommendations to you.
11. Replace Oculus
Another way to resolve the issue of people not hearing you on Oculus is to replace your Quest or Quest 2 headset. One thing we can point out about repairing Oculus, though, is that it sometimes results in faults in other parts or in the same part, in a relatively short space of time. If you are unable or unwilling to repair your Quest or Quest 2, then a replacement is ideal. Replacement Recommendations:
12. Contact Oculus
If your Quest or Quest 2 is still under warranty (2 years from time of purchase for all parts and peripherals), you may contact Oculus for a free replacement or get other advice on what to do about the issue of people not hearing you on Oculus. However, a free replacement is not guaranteed even if your Oculus is still under warranty. They would have to determine whether the cause of the problem is from user action or from factory fault. To contact Oculus, you may open a support ticket with them. You can also get help from their official online community.
