How to Fix Mic Echo Before Everyone Bails on the Call

If you’re on a phone or video call and you suddenly hear your own voice on a slight delay, you’re most likely experiencing mic echo.

Even with modern calling technology, this scenario is still common and it can leave anyone feeling frustrated — especially when time is short and you need to present yourself as a polished, prepared communicator.

Fortunately, this mic echo is usually caused by a variety of easily fixable factors, including:

• Where your microphone is located. This is the most common cause of echo issues. If you’re using an external mic, it may be situated too close to your speakers, causing it to pick up and send out the sound of your voice in an endless loop.
• The volume level of your speakers. If your speakers are too loud, your mic may be picking up on its output no matter where it’s located.
• The number of microphones in use. Having more than one running mic can multiply the sound of your voice. Make sure your main mic — whether it’s a headset, laptop, phone, or other standalone source — is the only one in use.

Some readers will be able to get rid of mic echo with just that short bit of guidance there.

In the rest of this post, I’ll go into detail about these fixes, why they work, and additional steps you can take to stop this annoying problem.

Why does mic echo happen?

During a normal call, a person’s voice is captured by the microphone, transmitted through the system, and then played back in real-time to the listener. The sound is clear and immediate, with no delay or repetition.

Mic echo occurs when the sound from the speaker is picked up by the microphone and retransmitted, leading to a delayed or repeated sound. The delayed retransmission causes the echo effect, disrupting the normal flow of communication.

This phenomenon is much more common on VoIP phone systems vs landline phones.

Identifying the source of mic echo

When mic echo occurs, it may not always be clear exactly what or who is causing the problem. If everyone else on a call hears your voice echo, then you are likely to be the source, even if your voice sounds normal to you on your own speakers. The same goes for any other participant.

Fixing mic echo (without stopping the call)

Once you’ve identified that you are the source of the echo, you should be able to remedy the problem quickly without interrupting the conversation.

Start by trying this series of quick fixes:

Turn down your speaker volume

Access your device settings or press the external volume adjust buttons to lower speaker sound levels to their minimum volume. Then, slowly begin raising the volume until the conversation becomes audible, checking for any remaining echo. This works well if the problem is caused by feedback picked up in your speakers.

Lowering the volume is an incredibly common fix for people that are using a computer or tablet as a softphone to make calls.

Moving your microphone further away from your speakers.

Another way of reducing mic feedback is to distance your microphone farther away from the speakers. This is likely to fix the issue if you’re using an external device, such as a webcam or lavalier mic, paired with your computer or phone speaker.

Switching to a headset or headphones with a built-in mic

If you’ve tried lowering the speaker volume and distancing your mic from your speakers, the next best option is to switch from an external device to a headset or headphones with a built-in mic. Any decent VoIP headset will do a good job reducing the amount of ambient noise picked up by your mic.

SEE: Check out our complete guide on the best VoIP headsets. 

Disable all other nearby mics

Many modern devices feature microphones, including game controllers, laptops, phones, smartwatches, smart speakers, television remotes, and webcams. If you’re still experiencing mic echo, one of these may be the culprit. Make sure to check device audio settings or switch them off completely in order to reduce additional sound pickup.

Adjust call recording software settings

If you’re recording a call for future reference, you may need to adjust the call volume settings in your business phone service interface or app. This is usually accomplished through the main Settings menu, where you can search for an Audio option to adjust Input (microphone) or Output (speaker) volume.

SEE: Looking for a new phone system? Check out our top business phone service picks. 

Disable SIP ALG on your router

SIP ALG (Session Initiation Protocol Application Layer Gateway) is a feature often enabled by default in routers to help manage VoIP traffic. Unfortunately, this feature often causes more problems than it solves, leading to delays and audio distortions that result in mic echo during calls.

To resolve this, SIP ALG can typically be disabled through the router’s settings, often found under advanced network or firewall configuration options.

This is a slightly more technical fix than most of the other ones, but I promise you won’t be the first person to Google “disable SIP ALG” for your particular VoIP router. The problem is widespread enough that finding beginner-friendly guidance is not going to be hard.

SEE: Discover the best VoIP routers. 

Additional fixes for mic echo

If you’ve tried every quick fix imaginable and still experience an issue, there’s a few more things you can do to solve the problem:

• Restart your computer or device. Turning your device off and then on again closes out all programs that may be muddying your sound, clearing up your system for a better connection.
• Restart your router. Disconnect your router from its power source for a full minute, then reconnect. Once the indicator light shows that the router is successfully rebooted, try your microphone again. This may solve any connectivity or memory storage issues that are contributing to the problem.
• Update your devices. Making sure that all software updates are current on your laptop, tablet, or smartphone can help to ensure the best possible sound performance and seamless compatibility with VoIP services.
• Upgrade your hardware. By investing in a quality headset, you can take advantage of more recent microphone technology that helps to reduce speaker feedback and ambient noise. Choose from wireless Bluetooth-enabled or traditional wired options, with many priced under $100.

If mic echo is just one call quality issue of many, you might want to try some basic VoIP troubleshooting. VoIP is fairly lightweight in terms of the bandwidth it requires, but the connection has to be rock solid. Due to the real-time nature of the calls, even the slightest delay or echo can cause a ton of issues.