How do I allow microphone access on Android?

Users may need to allow microphone access on their Android devices for certain apps that utilize voice input, audio recording, or speech recognition features. For example, a voice recorder app would need access to the microphone to capture audio. A music app may use the microphone for real-time audio analysis or music identification. Voice assistant apps like Google Assistant also require microphone access to hear voice commands and provide voice responses.

Apps cannot access a device’s microphone without the user explicitly granting the ‘microphone’ permission. This permission ensures users have control over which apps can listen in through the microphone. With the sensitive nature of microphone data, Android requires transparent permission management so users understand why an app needs access.

Check App Permissions

To check if an app has microphone access enabled or disabled, you first need to open your Android device’s Settings app and navigate to the Application Manager or Apps section. This is where you can view and manage permissions for all apps installed on your device.

Specifically, open the Settings app and tap on “Apps” or “Application Manager.” On some Android devices, you may need to tap “Apps & notifications” first. You should then see a list of all apps installed on your device.

Find the app you want to check microphone permissions for in the apps list. Tap on the app, then select “Permissions.” You will then see a list of all the permissions the app has been granted or denied access to.

Look for the “Microphone” permission. If the toggle is green, that means the app has been allowed access to your microphone. If it is grayed out, then microphone access is disabled for that particular app.

This is the first step to checking and potentially changing microphone permissions on Android. From here, you can enable or revoke microphone access as needed on a per-app basis.

Enable Microphone Access

To allow microphone access for a specific app on your Android device:

Open your device’s Settings app.

Tap on Apps or Application Manager.
Tap on the app you want to enable microphone access for.
Tap on Permissions.

Tap on the toggle next to Microphone to enable it.

Enabling microphone access here will allow the app to access your device’s microphone when needed. Make sure to only enable access for apps you trust.

Allow Microphone Access in App

Some apps ask for mic access when first opened. When you launch an app for the first time that needs microphone access, you may see a prompt asking if you want to allow the app to access your microphone. The message varies by app, but generally states something like “Allow [App Name] to access this device’s microphone?” or “[App Name] would like to access the microphone.”

If you want to allow mic access, tap “Allow” or “OK.” This grants microphone permissions to that specific app going forward. If you tap “Deny” instead, the app will not be able to access your microphone. You can manage this permission later in your device settings (covered below).

Permissions like microphone access need to be allowed individually for each app – allowing access globally does not grant every app mic permissions automatically. Check any apps that utilize your microphone to ensure you have allowed access if needed.

Manage All App Permissions

The App Permissions page in the Android Settings shows all app permissions and allows you to manage them. To access:

Open the Settings app.
Tap “Apps”.
Tap “Permission manager”. This shows all app permissions.

From this page you can see the list of permissions granted for each app. Tapping into an app provides more details on what permissions that specific app has and allows you to toggle permissions on or off.

This central area to control app permissions makes it easy to manage what access apps have to things like the microphone, contacts, location, etc. Restricting certain permissions for apps that do not need them can improve privacy and security.

Allow Access via Quick Settings

You can quickly enable or disable microphone access from the Quick Settings panel on your Android device. To access Quick Settings, swipe down from the top of your screen. Tap the pencil icon to edit which icons appear. Drag the microphone icon over to enable it in your Quick Settings. You’ll then be able to tap the microphone icon to toggle access on or off (source).

The Quick Settings panel provides a convenient way to grant microphone access when launching an app that needs it or to disable access when you want to revoke permissions. Just open Quick Settings and tap the microphone icon as needed.

Check Special App Access

Some Android devices, particularly Samsung models, have additional app permission settings called “Special App Access.” This allows you to control microphone access at a more granular level.

To check Special App Access settings:

Open your device’s Settings app.
Navigate to “Apps” or “Applications.”
Look for a setting called “Special Access,” “Advanced Features,” or something similar.

Tap on the “Microphone” option.
You will see a list of apps and be able to enable or disable microphone access individually.

If an app needs microphone access but is disabled here, you can enable it so the app functions properly. This gives you more control over which apps can access your microphone.

For more information, see Samsung’s guide on managing special app access.

Clear App Data/Cache

Clearing an app’s data or cache can also reset all permissions granted to that app to reuse the microphone. When app data is cleared, the app reverts to its default state as if it was newly installed.

To clear data and cache for an app on Android:

Go to Settings > Apps & notifications
Select the app and tap Storage & cache
Tap Clear storage to clear all data and cache

According to a StackOverflow post, clearing app storage resets permissions that were granted to the app. So after clearing data, you’ll need to re-enable microphone access in that app’s permissions.

Factory Reset Device

Resetting your Android device to factory default settings will clear all app permissions and restore them to their default state. This essentially erases your device and returns it to the same condition it was in when you first took it out of the box.

According to this Reddit post, performing a factory reset on Android 11 will reset app permissions all at once across the device.

When doing a factory reset, all apps will need to request microphone access again. So this method essentially forces all apps to start from scratch with their permissions.

The downside is that a factory reset also deletes all your personal data, saved WiFi networks, paired Bluetooth devices, and customized settings. So it should only be used as a last resort if you really want to clear all app permissions.

Contact App Developer

If an app is repeatedly requesting microphone access without your permission, you may want to contact the developer for assistance. The app developer may be able to provide support for microphone permission issues or bugs specific to their app.

To find contact information for an Android app developer:

Open the Google Play Store app on your device.
Go to the app’s page in the Play Store.

Scroll down and tap “Developer contact information.”

You can explain the microphone access issue you are experiencing in the app. The developer may provide troubleshooting tips or request logs and details to investigate the problem. They should be able to resolve app-specific bugs related to the microphone permission.

Additionally, you can leave feedback about the developer’s level of support in your Play Store review of the app. This helps inform other users about the app’s developer responsiveness.