An old Pixel audio bug is reportedly surfacing again. A Reddit thread from earlier today describes a strange issue with the audio recorded on a Pixel 10 device.
Pixel 10 recorded audio is super quiet in third-party apps
An old audio issue is resurfacing on the Pixel 10 series. | Image by Reddit
Apparently, when the OP uses the Pixel 10's default camera app to record a video, the sound level is absolutely fine. It's when third-party apps like Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Instagram try to record clips that the audio gets quiet—or, as the user describes it, "barely audible."
The thread is fresh, and there aren't many comments, but the OP says that other Pixel 10 users have reported similar behavior, and the issue hasn't been resolved.
A quick Reddit search shows the original poster is right.
Not the first audio issue on Pixel devices
An old thread from this August shows 441 people having the same issue. | Image by Google
There are several threads on various forums describing similar problems with Pixel phones. A post from August on the Google support forum titled "Pixel 9 Pro XL microphone volume low on WhatsApp voice notes" basically describes the same situation, and it's still unresolved.
Many people share the same experience in the comment section of that particular post, and there are at least two separate Reddit threads that report the same issue.
I contacted Google Support tonight and after running through their troubleshooting steps, they agreed to do an Advanced Exchange warranty replacement. The support agent mentioned that the Pixel 10 series has relocated microphones (top, bottom, and rear near camera bar) and acknowledged seeing reports of this issue from other users. They said if the replacement has the same problem, they’ll escalate it as a bug report to engineering.
- Pixel 10 Pro user dxm06 on Reddit
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One of the threads dates back eight months and involves a Pixel 9 device. The user reported the problem to Google, and support agreed to swap the phone for a new one. However, the support agent admitted that more and more reports of this issue are piling up, and they had also contacted the engineering team.
Poll
29 Votes
Have you experienced any audio issues on your Pixel device?
No fix at the moment
The link between all these cases is sadly that they all remain unresolved. People have tried all kinds of workarounds, but to no avail.
The original poster in the freshest thread said they tried clearing app caches, reinstalling apps, checking permissions, toggling system microphone access, rebooting, and updating everything. But none of those actions seemed to have fixed the issue.
Google's suspicious behavior under the original Reddit thread. | Image by Reddit
What's even stranger is that there's a Google representative chiming in in the comment section, but instead of addressing the issue publicly, they contacted the user privately.
So, we don't know what the nature of this bug is, whether a software update will fix it, or if it's a hardware issue with one of the Pixel 10's microphones.
Have you experienced any problems with recording audio on your Pixel phone?
Read more about strange Pixel bugs and issues here:
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Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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