Phone link mic problem

Question

Phone link mic problem

Ritik Kartik 10

I have been noticing from past few days that ever since I joined the windows insider program, I am facing mic problem in my phone link app. I do not know whether someone else apart from you is facing this problem or not.But whenever I connect my laptop or phone via window link or phone link or pick up a call from the laptop and talk to someone, no sound is coming from the mic While the mic is working properly while recording video or audio, when I go to privacy and security settings there is no option to give mic permission to the phone

Christophe Begon 0 Reputation points

2025-09-02T14:59:14.0066667+00:00

Hi,

I'm encountering the same issue. I have followed all the steps from 1 to 4, but my microphone still isn't working.

I don't have any problems with other applications like the camera, Teams, or WhatsApp on Windows.

On my end, it worked previously; I used it before. I can't pinpoint exactly when it stopped working, but before June it was fine.

Another strange thing, the Phone Link application is missing in Privacy settings / Microphone

Christophe
Eric A 5 Reputation points

2026-05-23T04:10:14.04+00:00

Step 1: Using Equalizer APO Device Selector

Installing a third-party APO (Audio Processing Object) seems to force Windows to expose audio enhancement settings that are otherwise hidden for generic drivers.

Download and install Equalizer APO (it's open-source).

Open the application Equalizer APO Device Selector (DeviceSelector.exe). It may open automatically after installation.

In the Device Selector window, first check the "Troubleshooting options" box at the bottom.

Now, find and click on your USB device in the "Capture devices" list at the top.

Once selected, additional options will appear at the bottom. You can generally leave the defaults (Install APO checked, Install as SFX/MFX or Auto).

Click OK and Restart your PC (this is a mandatory step).

Step 2: Disabling the "Audio Enhancements" toggle

After the restart, a new toggle should be visible in the standard Windows sound properties:

Press Win + R, type mmsys.cpl, and go to the Recording tab.

Right-click your device > Properties > Advanced tab.

Under the Signal Enhancements section, a new checkbox should now be visible: "Enable audio enhancements".

UNCHECK this box. (Note: This checkbox is typically invisible on generic USB devices until the APO is installed).

Also, UNCHECK both options under "Exclusive Mode" in the same tab, as Phone Link may try to override settings if these are active.

Summary

While the internal mechanism isn't fully documented, forcing the "Audio Enhancements" toggle to appear via the Device Selector allows you to disable system-level processing that is otherwise "baked-in" and inaccessible. This appears to resolve the conflict between the Windows audio stack and Phone Link's communication engine. It worked for me when nothing else did.

2 answers

Your answer

Christophe Begon 0 Reputation points

2025-09-02T14:59:14.0066667+00:00

Hi,

I'm encountering the same issue. I have followed all the steps from 1 to 4, but my microphone still isn't working.

I don't have any problems with other applications like the camera, Teams, or WhatsApp on Windows.

On my end, it worked previously; I used it before. I can't pinpoint exactly when it stopped working, but before June it was fine.

Another strange thing, the Phone Link application is missing in Privacy settings / Microphone

Christophe
Eric A 5 Reputation points

2026-05-23T04:10:14.04+00:00

Step 1: Using Equalizer APO Device Selector

Installing a third-party APO (Audio Processing Object) seems to force Windows to expose audio enhancement settings that are otherwise hidden for generic drivers.

Download and install Equalizer APO (it's open-source).

Open the application Equalizer APO Device Selector (DeviceSelector.exe). It may open automatically after installation.

In the Device Selector window, first check the "Troubleshooting options" box at the bottom.

Now, find and click on your USB device in the "Capture devices" list at the top.

Once selected, additional options will appear at the bottom. You can generally leave the defaults (Install APO checked, Install as SFX/MFX or Auto).

Click OK and Restart your PC (this is a mandatory step).

Step 2: Disabling the "Audio Enhancements" toggle

After the restart, a new toggle should be visible in the standard Windows sound properties:

Press Win + R, type mmsys.cpl, and go to the Recording tab.

Right-click your device > Properties > Advanced tab.

Under the Signal Enhancements section, a new checkbox should now be visible: "Enable audio enhancements".

UNCHECK this box. (Note: This checkbox is typically invisible on generic USB devices until the APO is installed).

Also, UNCHECK both options under "Exclusive Mode" in the same tab, as Phone Link may try to override settings if these are active.

Summary

While the internal mechanism isn't fully documented, forcing the "Audio Enhancements" toggle to appear via the Device Selector allows you to disable system-level processing that is otherwise "baked-in" and inaccessible. This appears to resolve the conflict between the Windows audio stack and Phone Link's communication engine. It worked for me when nothing else did.

Answer 1

Hi Ritik Kartik,

Thank you for reaching out Microsoft Q&A and sharing your experience with the Phone Link app. I understand how frustrating it can be when essential features like the microphone don’t work as expected, especially after joining the Windows Insider Program.

Based on your description, it appears that the issue may be related to recent Insider builds. Several users have reported similar problems where the microphone functions correctly in other apps but fails during calls made via Phone Link. Additionally, the app may not appear in the microphone permissions list under Privacy & Security settings.

To help resolve this, I recommend the following steps:

Step 1: Set Microphone as Default Communication Device

Go to Control Panel > Sound > Recording tab
Right-click your microphone and select:
- “Set as default device”
- “Set as default communication device”

Step 2: Disable Audio Enhancements

In the same mic properties window, go to the Advanced tab
Uncheck “Enable audio enhancements”

Step 3: Update Audio Drivers

Open Device Manager
Expand Audio Inputs and Outputs
Right-click your microphone and choose Update Driver
You can also visit the manufacturer’s website to manually download the latest audio driver.

Step 4: Reinstall Phone Link App

Uninstall the app
Reinstall it from the Microsoft Store

Step 5: Perform a Clean Boot

This helps eliminate software conflicts that might be affecting the microphone:

Press Windows + R, type msconfig, and press Enter
Under the Services tab, check Hide all Microsoft services, then click Disable all
Go to the Startup tab and click Open Task Manager
Disable all startup items
Restart your computer

*Disclaimer: A "clean boot" starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. It helps to determine whether a background service is interfering with your game or program and to isolate the cause of a problem.

These steps of "clean boot" might look complicated at first glance. However, to avoid any trouble for you, please follow them in order and step-by-step so that it will help you get back on track.

As you're part of the Windows Insider Program, please use the Insider-specific portal at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsinsider/feedback for better visibility and faster response from Microsoft engineers.

If the issue persists after trying these steps, please let me know. I'm always here to help.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Clary-N 15,730 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-03T09:11:13.7233333+00:00

Hi Ritik Kartik,

It has been a while and I am writing to see how things are going with this issue. Have you had a chance to check the replies provided? Any update would be appreciated.

Answer 2

Clary-N 15,730 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Christophe Begon,

Thanks for sharing your concern. If Phone Link is missing from the Privacy & Security > Microphone settings, it likely means the app hasn’t properly registered its microphone access with Windows. This can result from a bug in the app, corrupted permissions, or quirks introduced by certain Windows Insider builds, especially if the issue appeared after a system update.

In this case, please give it a try as below:

Use PowerShell for a Deep Uninstall

-Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.YourPhone* | Remove-AppxPackage

-Then reinstall Phone Link from the Microsoft Store. This ensures any corrupted app registration is cleared.

Create a New Windows User Profile:

Set up a new local or Microsoft account and test Phone Link there. If the microphone works, the issue is likely tied to your current profile’s permissions or registry settings.

-Go to Settings > Accounts > Other users.

-Click Add account → choose Add a user without a Microsoft account.

-Enter a username and password → click Next.

-Sign out and log in to the new account.

For more detailed instructions, please refer to the official Microsoft support page at: How to create a Local account in Windows 11

Please let me know if these steps help.

Christophe Begon 0 Reputation points

2025-09-09T11:59:58.56+00:00

Hi,

Thank you for your response.

I followed your suggestion to uninstall and reinstall a clean version of Phone Link, created a local account, and then reconfigured Phone Link. However, the result remains the same: no microphone with the new local account and no Phone Link application under Privacy & Security.

I found an old phone headset and tried it in the jack socket. I had the same issue and discovered on another forum that Phone Link isn't compatible with Audio Enhancements: System/Sound/Microphone Array/Audio Enhancements must be toggled off.

The problem is that for my default microphone, the one from my webcam, this option isn't available 🙁. If I touch the webcam microphone, I can hear a very faint sound 🙄.

Since it worked previously and it is now evident that this is a bug with the Phone Link application, I will wait for a future update.
Clary-N 15,730 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-11T08:21:16.25+00:00

Hi Christophe Begon,

Thank you for the detailed update and for trying the suggested steps. I really appreciate the effort you’ve put into troubleshooting this issue.

Based on your findings and the additional testing you performed, it does appear to be a compatibility issue related to Audio Enhancements and the Phone Link application. Since the option isn’t available for your default webcam microphone and given that the issue persists even after a clean reinstall, your conclusion to wait for a future update is reasonable.

If you’d like, I recommend submitting this issue through the Feedback Hub so it can be tracked and prioritized by the development team. This helps ensure your scenario is visible for future updates.

Thank you again for your patience and for sharing these insights—they’ll be helpful for others experiencing similar issues.

Please let me know if there’s anything else I can assist you with. I'm here to support.