Are the people you're talking to online having trouble hearing you? It might be because your microphone isn't set up properly, causing you grief with your voice and video calls or making your speed-to-text app mishear you.

If your mic isn't cooperating, you might need to adjust its sensitivity to ensure it works as expected. So, here's how you can do that on your Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows devices.

What Is Microphone Sensitivity? Why Change It?

microphone on a baby blue background

Noise suppression filters remove noise and other unwanted ambient sounds from your microphone's pick-up, preventing the person or group on the other line from hearing your neighbor's dogs or traffic outside your office. It also helps prevent static noise or the dreader "Darth Vader effect."

If you frequently use your microphone for recordings, calls, and more, consider investing in one of the best USB microphones. These external mics generally offer higher-quality recordings than your smartphone's or laptop's internal mic. This is possible because external mics have more space to accommodate larger, professional-grade parts, whereas other devices need smaller microphones to fit in their compact form factor.

Furthermore, you can improve noise filtering even more with external mics through accessories. For example, you can install windscreens, pop filters, and even shock-absorbing mounts to ensure your microphone is isolated from its surroundings.

Rode Studio Microphone

On the other hand, mic sensitivity is how a microphone amplifies the audio it captures. If a mic is overly sensitive (or the microphone gain is too high), it could take background noise, like the sound of your breath or a noisy laptop fan, and add it to your recording. It also makes the sound it's supposed to capture, like your voice, too loud for your speakers to play, causing audio clipping.

But if your mic's gain is too low or isn't sensitive enough, it will have difficulty hearing you. But unless you have a faint voice or need to record soft sounds to make your own ASMR videos, it's more likely that a high mic sensitivity or gain is causing your problems.

How to Adjust Mic Settings on Android

Unfortunately, Android doesn't let you adjust its microphone natively. If you want to change your phone's microphone settings, you need to download a third-party app that lets you change its recording settings. While this isn't useful for calls, it will at least let you change your phone's microphone settings for recording sound.

One app we recommend is Microphone Amplifier. This app captures sound from your device's microphone, a connected headphone microphone, or Bluetooth microphone. You can then adjust your microphone's gain and reduce noise via the equalizer. However, you need to pay $1.99 to unlock all its features.

Here's how to improve your sound recording via the Microphone Amplifier app.

  1. Download and install Microphone Amplifier.
  2. Open the app and tap While Using the App if it asks permission to record audio.
  3. At the Source screen, tap on the dropdown menu under Microphone and choose the appropriate device. However, you must buy the app to use other microphones (like the headset or Bluetooth mic) and activate additional features.
  4. Tap the Sound tab to adjust your microphone's gain. Slide up the slider under Boost to do so.
  5. Tap the Noise tab to adjust the equalizer. Adjust the sliders to increase or reduce the sound levels of each frequency. For example, if you want to reduce low, growling sounds of construction work, you should reduce the lower frequency (60), but if you want to adjust for loud screeching background noises, you should lower the slider on the higher frequencies (3.6k or 14k).
  6. Tap Record to record your voice, then tap Recordings at the bottom of the screen to see the recorded file.
  7. Adjust your audio settings according to your preferences. Feel free to experiment as needed.

Download: Microphone Amplifier (Free to try, $1.99 to unlock all settings)

Consider getting a USB-C microphone or lavalier to improve your recording quality further. These are typically placed close to your mouth, allowing you to record crisper, cleaner audio.

How to Adjust Mic Settings on iPhone

Like Android, the iPhone doesn't let you natively adjust its mic's volume. However, you can change which microphone your phone is using when you're on a call. Here's how to do so.

  1. Get into a call using any app. We will use Google Meet for this example, but it should also work for other communication apps.
  2. Once you're on a call, swipe down on the upper right side of the screen to reveal your Control Center.
  3. Tap Mic Mode at the upper right corner of the Control Center.
  4. In the open window, pick between Standard, Voice Isolation, or Wide Spectrum. Standard is the typical microphone that the iPhone uses on all calls. If you choose Voice Isolation, your iPhone will use machine learning to ensure your voice is louder than background noises. On the other hand, Wide Spectrum captures all the sounds in your environment, which is great if you're recording a group of people.
AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) and Sony WF-1000XM4 kept together

If you have a pair of Apple AirPods, you can adjust which earbud will work as the microphone.

  1. Go to Settings > Bluetooth and tap the blue "i" next to AirPods on "My Devices."
  2. Tap Microphone at the bottom.
  3. Choose between Automatically Switch AirPods, Always Left AirPod, or Always Right AirPod.

Once chosen, you can use the left or right AirPod as a substitute for a dedicated wireless microphone on your iPhone or iPad. Of course, if you don't have Apple AirPods, you can also use the internal mic of other brands' TWS earbuds.

How to Adjust Mic Settings in Windows

Computers are generally used for more advanced tasks, so you can manually adjust the microphone's sensitivity in Windows settings. Here's how to do so.

  1. Open Windows System Settings, then go to System > Sound.
    System sound settings Windows 11
  2. Under Input, ensure that the correct mic is selected.
  3. Sound Input Options
    You can also adjust the Volume slider under Input to ensure your voice is heard correctly.
  4. Click on the microphone you're using to adjust additional settings.
    Microphone properties
  5. Adjust the Input volume slider as needed in your chosen microphone's properties.
  6. Click on Start test to see how loud the microphone detects your voice.
  7. After you've tested your regular speaking voice, press Stop test.
  8. A result of 20% and above should be sufficient to capture your voice without capturing any background noises.
    Screen after testing microphone Windows 11

As always, you can improve the sound quality even further by switching to an external mic. Even a cheap external mic is usually better than the one installed on your laptop. But if you can't get one, you could also use your smartphone as a Windows microphone.

How to Adjust Mic Settings on macOS

macOS sound input settings

macOS also lets you easily set your microphone sensitivity. And since Apple is known for the phenomenal microphones on its iPhones and MacBooks, we recommend testing it first before getting an external mic. If you decide to get one, you should only stick with reputable brands like Rode and Shure.

Here's how to edit your macOS's microphone sensitivity:

  1. Open System Settings > Sound.
  2. Scroll down until you see Output & Input.
  3. Click on Input to see the microphone settings. Don't forget to choose the correct microphone you want to adjust.
  4. You can see the Input level when adjusting the Input volume slider. A 20% to 30% level is sufficient for most purposes.

With that, you can ensure that your calls and recordings get the best possible sound quality. You can also use any of these techniques to avoid having a microphone set too loud, thus making it difficult to listen to your voice.

Enjoy Clear Audio Recording

When your mic is set up correctly, you can be easily understood on voice calls, your speech-to-text software makes fewer errors, and you can enjoy clear audio recordings. You will still need a high-quality external mic to do more complex recordings like music or podcasts, but a properly adjusted stock mic is still sufficient for most purposes.

Sensitivity and noise suppression are only two factors to consider, however. It's also possible that the app you're using automatically adjusts the microphone. In these cases, you'll have to change the app's settings. If these adjustments didn't fix your mic problem, you might need to check your hardware.