[Gotcha]

My 2023 Hyundai i20 has an 8" infotainment system which works pretty well except the phone calls made using the in-built bluetooth microphone sound very low and faint to the called person. I've tried increasing the outgoing call microphone volume[icon 4] to maximum according to the instructions in the manual but it still records low: http://webmanual.hyundai.com/DA_GEN2....html#id_h2_77

I tried recording my own voice using the system's voice memo feature and it also records with a low volume too. I've tried hard resetting the system but it still doesn't work correctly. I also tried recording voice memos on other new i20s at the dealership and all of the pre-facelift i20s (before Oct 2023) have the same issue!

I raised this issue with the service manager at the dealership who reassured me it's normal. I then contacted Hyundai support and received a response from the regional manager. She asked me to make a test conference call in-car via bluetooth with her and the service personnel. Now all of them get defensive saying it's normal and I'm audible enough although others have a hard time hearing me speak!

They refuse to take any action or even acknowledge the issue although it's reproducible in other vehicles. There were no further efforts or follow ups to resolve the issue from the Hyundai technical team too even after suggesting there's some bug in the headunit software or a defective mic. This issue also affects the voice recognition/assistant features of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

I googled and found some posts on Reddit about the same issue on other 2020-2023 Hyundai vehicles:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Hyundai/com..._sounds_faint/
https://www.reddit.com/r/HyundaiTucs...lume_is_super/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Ioniq5/comm..._just_abysmal/

Can the microphone gain be increased using the engineering mode on the system? Is there a way to bypass the car mic and use phone mic always instead? Will a software update help? Although it's a new car, I'm planning to replace the handsfree microphone inside the front cabin lights console. I'm unsure if any of this will work but Hyundai is definitely not helping correct such a crucial feature!

[saket77]

Originally Posted by Gotcha

My 2023 Hyundai i20 has an 8" infotainment system which works pretty well except the phone calls made using the in-built bluetooth microphone sound very low and faint to the called person. I've tried increasing the outgoing call microphone volume[icon 4] to maximum according to the instructions in the manual but it still records low: http://webmanual.hyundai.com/DA_GEN2....html#id_h2_77

My wife has a 2023 i20 but I have never checked it so closely. If nothing else works and this is absolutely necessary to you then you can get an FM transmitter which can be plugged in the 12V cigarette lighter socket and connects to your music system on a selected FM frequency. The phone can be connected to this new bluetooth device which has a built-in microphone (so your phone will use this new microphone instead of the music system's). I got one for my another car which didn't have Bluetooth functionality and it worked well. Here's a link for a similar device: https://www.amazon.in/Portronics-AUT...zcF9hdGY&psc=1

[Col Mehta]

Sorry to hear about the issue that you are facing.

This is so typical of Hyundai. You report an out of book issue and their automated genetic responses system says, “this is normal”. Or they just can’t hear/see it. It’s indeed a task in itself to get these guys acknowledge that there is an issue.

Coming back to the mic issue, we also faced it on our Grand i10 (now sold) a few years ago and after considerable effort convincing the HASS, they finally replaced the built-in mic, which resolved the low sound output.

In case the HASS doesn’t help, consider escalating it to Hyundai via email. Usually these emails are routed back to the HASS, but they tend to create enough noise for these guys to address the matter more seriously.

Good luck.

[Gotcha]

Looks like car manufacturers world over are either bad at writing software or overall quality control is not a priority anymore. Another similar issue with 2024 Mazda CX30s in USA: https://www.reddit.com/r/MazdaCX30/c...rophone_issue/

Dear mod/admin please correct post title to "Bluetooth handsfree microphone volume too low for phone calls"

[aayushchhallany]

I have a August-21 i20 asta(o) and i have never had any complaint regarding call mic volume from the other party. The max microphone volume is 1-5 while 5 is the highest.

[Carpainter]

This is a problem I also have in my Grand Vitara. The microphone volume is so low that those on the other side can't hear me even when I'm talking louder than normal. I literally have to shout to make them hear. Hence I stopped taking calls on car's mic and switch on the phone speaker mode when driving. I don't even know if there is option to increase the mic volume from the infotainment screen.

[greenhorn]

The 2023 i20 mic costs 2k or so.
https://boodmo.com/catalog/part-micr...free-57599755/

You could try ordering one at your cost and see if swapping it improves things. Perhaps if it does, you can talk your dealership info footing the bill?

Ideally they should have done this proactively, or at least tried swapping in the mic of another car which doesn't have this issue

[Rocketscience]

Our Verna's variant comes with the same 8 inch touchscreen unit (as do many other Hyundai Kia group cars) and I can confirm the volume and audio quality of the built in mic is tremendous, as in 10/10 good.
I never expected a bluetooth system in car to be as good but it sounds exactly like you are talking directly from a high-end phone and that too in a quiet environment, it takes care of the noise as well, so yours definitely has an issue no matter how Hyundai spins it.

The only possible variable that I can think of is, we have always connected an iPhone with it and took calls using Apple CarPlay, whereas your screenshot shows the built in UI of the audio system, kindly check the call using either Android Auto and/or Apple CarPlay and see if it makes any difference, that could point out a software issue with the system's built in software.

If it doesn't, insist for a replacement from them, Hyundai's service and warranty experience has been flawless for us, if your dealer is giving you some trouble, then they are an exception and you can try switching dealers.

Lastly, if even after replacing the mic the issue remains unresolved, your last resort could be finding the part no of the mic that comes with Verna and buy and install that, I don't think it will be that expensive (I could be wrong), I am 99% sure it will be compatible with your car as well since I have noticed all the 8 inch units in Hyundai Kia cars have identical UI, screen Quality, size, aspect ratio which points out to all of them being the same unit, a little quirk of the 8 inch unit is that it comes with wireless Apple Car Play and Android Auto whereas the 10 inch ones in upper variants downgrades to a wired version of it, this is also common across all its implementations.

[Gotcha]

After much reading and troubleshooting, I seem to have found a workaround or may be a temporary fix for this issue. The problem seems to stem from faulty hardware or electrical design, particularly the power management IC in the headunit which leads to incorrect voltages applied to the microphone as described in these Reddit posts:

https://www.reddit.com/r/KonaEV/comm...mment/grp27by/
https://www.reddit.com/r/KonaEV/comm...mment/khf84hr/

Resetting the headunit using the usual reset pin on the front fascia doesn't help at all as it's just a soft reset with the power still connected. The other way is to pull the 20A fuse for "Multimedia" in the fuse box located inside the cabin near the driver side and wait for a minute. This does help resolve the issue but sometimes leads to a slight drop in music volume too strangely!

The most foolproof way is to disconnect the negative terminal of the car battery, press the brake pedal for a minute and then leave it for 5 mins to drain all residual charges before connecting negative terminal back again. This fully resets all electrical modules except the non-volatile memory which stores ODO, trip readings and other crucial data.

Note: After connecting everything back and turning on, the headunit functions properly, handsfree calls seem ok and music sounds normal too except for the illumination levels of the headunit and instrument cluster, which if linked, need to be set again or the displays will appear too dim or very bright.