WhatsApp sound not working

Test your speakers first

Press Test my speakers above. If you hear the left and right sounds here, your phone or computer can play sound and the problem is inside WhatsApp: its volume, its output device or a call setting. If you hear nothing on this page either, fix the device first with the Android, iPhone, Windows or Mac guide.

Quick checks

• Turn Bluetooth off for a moment. Calls and sound often go to earbuds in their case, a smartwatch or a car that is still connected.
• On the call screen, tap the speaker button. Without it, the sound comes out of the small earpiece at the top of the phone, which is hard to hear unless the phone is at your ear.
• Voice messages switch to the earpiece when you raise the phone to your face: the proximity sensor near the top of the screen thinks you want to listen privately. Hold the phone away from you, and remove a case or screen protector that covers the sensor.
• Update WhatsApp from Google Play, the App Store or the Microsoft Store.

WhatsApp sound not working on Android

1. Press a volume button, then tap the ⋮ or settings icon next to the slider. Android has separate sliders for Media, Call, Ring and Notifications: raise the one that matches what you cannot hear. During a call, the volume buttons change the call volume; for voice messages and videos, raise Media.
2. Samsung phones have Settings › Sounds and vibration › Separate app sound. If WhatsApp is listed there, its sound goes to another device (often a Bluetooth speaker). Turn it off or remove WhatsApp from it.
3. If the other person sounds broken or robotic, the connection is the problem, not the speaker: switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data and turn off Use less data for calls in WhatsApp › Settings › Storage and data.
4. Restart the phone. If you still hear nothing, test the speaker with a video in another app: if that is silent too, use the Android guide.

WhatsApp sound not working on iPhone

1. During the call, press the volume up button. Call volume on an iPhone is separate from music and video volume, so it can be very low even when other sounds are loud.
2. Tap the audio button on the call screen and choose iPhone or Speaker instead of AirPods or a car.
3. Check Settings › Accessibility › Touch › Call Audio Routing. If it is set to Bluetooth Headset, calls go to a headset even when you do not want them to; choose Automatic.
4. Notification sounds for new messages are set in WhatsApp › Settings › Notifications and in Settings › Notifications › WhatsApp. A Focus mode (the moon icon) silences them.

WhatsApp sound not working on Windows

1. Open Settings › System › Sound and, under Output, choose the speakers or headphones you want. Windows often switches to a monitor (HDMI or DisplayPort), a headset or a virtual device.
2. Open Settings › System › Sound › Volume mixer. Check that WhatsApp is not muted or set to zero there, and that its Output device is Default or the speakers you use.
3. In a call, open the ⋯ menu in the call window and choose the right speaker. WhatsApp for Windows keeps its own choice, separate from the Windows default.
4. Still silent? Repair the app in Settings › Apps › Installed apps › WhatsApp › Advanced options › Repair.

WhatsApp sound not working on Mac

1. Open System Settings › Sound › Output, select the speakers or headphones you want and check that Mute is not ticked. AirPods and displays connected over HDMI often take over the output.
2. In the WhatsApp call window, use the ⋯ menu to choose the speaker. If you use WhatsApp Web in a browser, check that the tab is not muted (a crossed-out speaker icon on the tab).