Microphone keeps switching

[SafeTex]

Hello

I've never had this problem before but my computer seems to have 2 or 3 audio options that I don't fully understand.

1. Nvidia

2. Realtek

I think that one is for the inbuilt speaker in the screen while another one is when I plug in a mic and speaker probably.

The third option while in Zoom is system.

Anyway, in my Zoom session a couple of minutes ago, a screen kept appearing that the audio output had been changed and the sound kept switching from the speaker in the screen to the headphones every few seconds

I tried forcing Zoom to stay with one system  by making a choice in audio options, but this got overridden and the problem started again

After a few minutes, only the speakers in the screen worked and the headphones were dead which was hard as I had to take the headphones off and then could not easily use the microphone attached to the headphones

But why did I get this problem today? I have a really important Zoom meeting on 14Oct and I need to fix it before then

Thanks for any help in advance

[CarlaA]

Hey @SafeTex, sorry for the delay in response to your discussion! 

Are you still having this issue? If so, I'd love to help you get it resolved. 

Zoom Moderator 

-CA

[miraelma]

Hi, help! I'm having this problem when I use zoom on my PC also. It's so inconvenient!

[astark]

Hello- My mic keeps switching and it shuts down my camera. I have tried restarting my computer and reinstalling zoom but that didn't work. I would appreciate your help. 

[DoodleDad]

Hi,

I'm having the same problem - 6X in a 1 hour meeting.  Very inconvenient when Zoom switches microphones in the middle of saying something and the laptop mic inside my desk tries to pick up sound AND the camera switches to the internal camera.  Using an external Microsoft Webcam (or trying to).

[DoodleDad]

Hi again,

After further testing, this was also occurring using Google Meets.  My configuration is a Windows laptop with integrated webcam and an external Microsoft Lifecam webcam.  Since posting my experience I have resorted to disconnecting the second external webcam and that resolved the switching issue.  The policies of my corporate laptop do not permit me to disable hardware or I would have done that and only used the external webcam.  It's an unfortunate resolution but I'm now visible in meetings.

[Maycy]

Hi I have the similar issue, I'm using MacBook Pro for Zoom meeting, when I turned on Zoom, it would pop up the automatically join in with computer Audio, by right the mic should be functioning through my Macbook pro built in mic, but months ago the problem started appear, it connect to my iPhone automatically instead, and even ti was connected to iPhone, the another party was also unable hear me through out the meeting when I turn on the mic and talk,  I have to uninstall my zoom and reinstall again, initially the mic would be working through my computer audio, but once I join in the meeting the weird thing happened again, it directly connected to my iPhone, even I press disconnect to my iPhone, it can't work, its really frustrated. and now even I uninstalled Zoom and reinstalled it again, the mic is completely not working and iPhone keep popping out the screen showing that I have to disconnect the connection with laptop(which I never connect it at the first place), even I pressed disconnect, the mic in my zoom still unable to be heard from another party. Really hope that I can get the solution for this sooner possible,  thanks🙏 

[GinaButson]

The ONLY solution I found to work was logging off the Zoom App on my iphone.  It was automatically connecting and "overriding" my Mac computer Audio/Video.  How frustrating was this, it was happening like every 3 mins then I would lose mic/audio.  I never saw the zoom customer service tech make any REAL helpful suggestions on how to fix this.  Again, just logout of zoom app on your phone and it will STOP automatically switching to "iphone" connection instead. 

[DoodleDad]

Hi, I'm having this same issue where while in a Zoom meeting the mic switches from the external Microsoft webcam to the internal laptop mic and shuts down the external webcam and stops displaying any video.  The secondary camera/audio option does not appear in the available device list while this switch occurs and within a couple of minutes the secondary camera comes back online and I need to manually turn video back on.  I'm using a Dell laptop connected to multiple displays via a port replicator.  This only started happening recently.

[CristinaMuntean]

No one from Zoom bothered to reply to any of us. I am also using a Dell from 2020 that the recent Zoom updates made utterly unusable. My tech guy called the January new Zoom requirements brutal, mainly when sharing the screen from an auxiliary large desktop. It's horrendous, as most Zoom users are small entrepreneurs and I really wasn't counting with the need to purchase a new laptop and docking station worth several thousands EUR just because Zoom didn't know any better or bothered to warn us about the mindless changes it would do this year.

[ST1]

@CarlaA I have a similar issue - audio keeps switching between my USB microphone and my external webcam microphone - worked fine previously, any thoughts?  thank you.

[Herringhill]

Thank you for your comment. I have experienced exactly the same problem, that the audio keeps switching between my USB microphone and my external webcam microphone. It usually works this way: I have set the auido input to my USB mic. When I start to speak after I have been unmuted or have unmuted myself, Zoom uses my webcam mic (I have heard this on audio recordings; no message about this on the screen), but after some seconds the audio input changes from the webcam mic to the USB mic. This doesn't happen all the time, but quite often. The interesting thing is that this problem started the 5th of October, only 2 days before SafeTex posted his comment about the similar problem. The problem started after I updated Zoom. I have tried to change all my settings, but cannot find any solution. I think there must be a problem with the Zoom update. Please tell me if you still have the problem.

[SafeTex]

I haven't used Zoom recently but the problem was never fixed. It just disappeared for the moment

[SafeTex]

oops I clicked on your post as a solution by mistake and now can't seem to cancel that

Sorry

[Herringhill]

Sorry for a very late follow-up for my comment in December 2021. I discovered a few weeks or months after I posted my comment that I didn't have the problem I thought I had. As I wrote I could hear on an audio recording that the sound was different; it sounded like Zoom changed from the mic on my webcam to the external USB mic. It sounded that way because my Webcam was longer away from me than the USB mic. But the USB mic I used is a stereo mic. It was placed on my left hand. So the sound level was highest in the right channel. I think that Zoom (or my PC) at first used only the left channel of the mic, and then for some reason changed to the right channel, or mixed both channels. Then the sound would sound different. It would then sound like I suddenly was closer to the mic. The problem disappeared when I moved the mic and placed it right in front of me. Then the level was about the same in both channels.

Sorry that I didn't inform you about this earlier. This means that I never had the problem I wrote I had. I hope you who actually have this problems, will get help to solve it.

[SafeTex]

No ideas. the fault seems to have fixed itself for the time being but I never got to the bottom of it

[CarlaA]

Hi @ST1! 

Within your Zoom Desktop Client Audio settings, try setting the microphone to the desired device and do not select the box for "Automatically join audio by computer when joining a meeting". 

Let me know if that helps! 

Zoom Moderator 

CA 

[Ydolemuq]

I am having the same problem. I unchecked the "Automatically join audio by computer when joining a meeting" box and have selected the speaker (Pom Gear Stereo) I wanted to use.  I still have the problem of it switching between RealTek high Definition (computer speaker) and Pom Gear.

If there is a solution to this problem, I would appreciate a reply.

[Mannoonesees]

Where is the dislike a comment button? Is this a Mac problem or a zoom app problem? Changing auto volume does not do anything for which microphone is being used. It simply adjusts the volume of mic depending on how loud you are speaking. Why would you think that this would fix the problem?

[MorganaMorgue]

This does not help. 

[David_R]

NO, doesn't help

[IntnlMin]

We are having the same issue as outlined by many users here, Zoom switching intermittently between additional audio sources. This negates the usefulness of Zoom. The solution suggested did not solve the issue.

We have been experiencing this issue approx. 6 week, after being a subscriber since 2020.

What has changed in Zoom that has cause this fault? Can it be rolled back?

Best regards,

Jason

[AnneCBH]

I've tried that and it doesn't work.

[CathrynL]

Having same problem. The solutions suggested by Zoom Moderator CarlaA don't help. I too think this started as of the last update. Zoom constantly switches between the microphone on my closed laptop and my high-quality external microphone, popping up windows as it does. The microphone I've manually chosen in the "Audio Preferences" is the external but Zoom takes control and rapidly switches back and forth so that I come through so broken up that no one can understand me. I bought the external mic because even having my computer open and off to the side the built-in mic on the laptop doesn't pick up. The only way I'm able to use zoom at the moment is to run one session on my computer for video+speaker and a second as a call-in on my phone to be my "microphone." It would be nice for Zoom to trace this down and fix it. One solution is that Zoom could disable the auto-switching on the mic audio so that users actually do have control over their input source.

[ST1]

the solutions mentioned don't work for me either

[Susan_Potter]

Audio keeps switching from Mac speakers to my airpods even when they are in the case across the room. It started happening occasionally and now it's every 10 minutes. I lose audio completely for about 30 seconds (the other person can't hear me either) and then it rights itself. 

[Susan_Potter]

This issue is increasing. Today sound was interrupted about TEN TIMES IN AN HOUR. A huge message in white text tells me that the microphone/speakers are switching to another device and then about 30 seconds later, the message goes away and the sound comes back. My airpods are across the room in a case - there is no reason at all why Zoom should suddenly try to switch to them. Please fix.

[SteveB]

+1

[SteveB]

I am having the same issue, and it does appear that this bug was created in the last release of Zoom.

[Sudarsanam]

Same problem here.  Started with plugging a usb webcam and swiching to its video and mic via zoom settings.

[Dawn-at-MH]

I came on here looking for a solution but looks like there isn't one. This is a problem for me and my colleagues every time we meet. Think we will need to find an alternative.

[MTGL]

Same problem--  mine switches every few SECONDS!!  pls FIX THIS, Zoom!

[Sudarsanam]

Switch to web version. That fixed it for me

[maronson22]

I'll pile on here too. Zoom, please fix this.

[CathrynLawrence]

I'm the same person as CathrynL earlier in this thread. After extensive back and forth with Zoom technical support who couldn't solve the problem, I found a way that did fix it. I was having the problem on a Mac and the problem started with the app update from Zoom when MacOS (12) Monterey was released by Apple. I was running MacOS (11.6) Big Sur. I didn't want to update to Monterey immediately as it always takes a few updates before the new MacOS version is stable enough for my personal tastes. Eventually I checked and saw that version 12.2.1 was available and decided to upgrade to that version. The switch from 11.6 (latest version that was available) to 12.2.1 fixed the problem for me. Good luck to all. The bug in the Zoom app is terrible to deal with. If you write to tech support directly for help and stick with it they will try to help you. Recommend giving the chance to try.

[Norton1]

I have a 2015 mac book pro running version 10.15.  Are you saying we need to jump to OS 12.2.1 to fix this zoom mic toggling glitch?  I am a standup comedian and just watched a recording if a gig as I kept seeing on the screen as I was performing that notice of the default microphone toggling between my the built in mic. with the one I chose for the zoom event: handheld SM58 mic via my rodecaster soundboard via usb   That glitch clipped so many punchlines.  UGH!! Not good for my comedy biz.  Do I have to upgrade to fix it?  I would think that zoom could fix it at their end, so it doesn't toggle.

[CathrynL]

None of the solutions that Zoom had me try worked. They were not able to help me though they did try. I understand your pain in dealing with the bug. I don't know whether it will work for you but  what worked for me was updating to MacOS 12.2.1 on my 2020 MacBook Air.

[Norton1]

Thanks for this!  I am sooo motivated!  Will see if my old mac can update to 12.2.1

Thanks for taking the time to help 🙂 

[bmannix]

This started happening to me all of a sudden last week.  Zoom refuses to pick the default microphone that I selected in the configuration when I join a new meeting, although the config itself seems to remember this is the intended default.  Very frustrating.

[CathrynL]

I worked extensively with Zoom on this problem when I had it. None of the things they suggested worked. I finally updated to OSX Monterey and that fixed the problem for me. Apparently this is a rare problem  relative to the millions of Zoom users so Zoom hasn't pursued finding the bug and fixing it. Recommend upgrading to the latest version of the operating system on your computer. If that doesn't work, suggest that you go directly to Zoom tech support. They were responsive in trying to help though in my particular case they didn't find a solution for me. It was when I updated to the latest version of the OS that my problem resolved. Good luck!

The microphone switching made Zoom a nightmare for me. During my switching period I had to login to every Zoom on both my computer (for the camera and to share screen) and on my phone for audio and mike. The key to making this work is to mute your audio on the computer so that all of the sound is handled by the phone. It is a bit to keep up with as you have to run the video settings on the computer but the audio on the phone. That's 2 devices each with an audio mute and video on/off. 

Good luck and I hope you find a resolution as I know how frustrating it is!!