Clicking while on phone calls

[soundwave123]

****Update 10/27/17: I have received two phones white and black both RMA replacements and I am extremely happy to report they do NOT have either issue. I have an observation to make though regarding the high pitch sound and also why Google may not be approaching this the way we expect. The replacements do have a very very very very faint sound if you put your ear up to the phone. It is so quiet that you would need a dead silent room to hear it. I suspect this is what Google engineers think is going on with our devices and also why the response is lackluster. I will extend an olive branch to Google and admit, I would not replace the phones either if they are just like my new RMA phone. BUT! The issues these users are describing regarding the electronic noise is enough to hear in any area during every call. This is not something you can tune out. I wish you all the best and please let me know if I can help in some way. I don't want to walk away from this knowing how it feels to have that static/issue.****

*******Temporary fix - Turn off NFC******* Please still report this to google using the feedback option inside settings and about phone. *********


I received my Pixel 2 white version and have experienced clicking during phone calls. I have rebooted into safe mode, turned off wifi, bluetooth, always on listening and still experience it.

My wife got a pixel 2 as well and it does not exhibit the clicking sound.

Both phones have a high pitch frequency noise while in phone calls regardless if it is wifi or carrier signal.

I have contacted google support and they have not had any reported issues. Please post here if you have experienced high frequency noise and/or clicking. Here is a reviewer that experienced the clicking as well.

https://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Google-Pixel-2-and-Pixel-2-XL-Review_id4431/page/4

Anyone have advice on diagnosing it?

I ordered both phones from google and use them on T-Mobile.

***Clicking occurs outside of phone calls only when screen is on and unlocked. I have also tried safe mode in addition to airplane mode.***

These are the instructions Google Support gave me.
--------------
We only have the 2 options to get you another device. We can do what we call Advanced Replacement. With this, I send you labels for the original phone and a link to order the replacement. We don't charge you, but there is an authorization hold placed on your payment method until we receive the original phone. This lets you keep using the phone you have while you wait and is usually the faster option.

We also have the option for a Standard Exchange. With this, you send the bad phone back first and when it reaches our warehouse, a replacement is shipped out. This way typically takes 5-10 business days and requires no authorization hold, but you are without the phone during that time.
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Mods, can you change the title to "High-frequency noise & clicking when screen is on and unlocked RMA"

 

[bluh5d]

No issues here. Unlocked version using Verizon.

 

[weinga16]

I'm using the unlocked pixel 2 on Verizon and I have experienced both of those issues. The high pitched sound does not happen all the time but the clicking does. So far the clicking is low volume and only noticable during conversation pauses. I hope it's something cured by a software update.

---------- Post added at 05:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:49 AM ----------

One thing to try that might lessen the problem, I noticed that the voice privacy settings was off by default and since I turned it on I haven't noticed the high pitched sound and the clicking was there but less noticable. Could be just a coincidence but let me know if that does anything for you.

 

[soundwave123]

I'm using the unlocked pixel 2 on Verizon and I have experienced both of those issues. The high pitched sound does not happen all the time but the clicking does. So far the clicking is low volume and only noticable during conversation pauses. I hope it's something cured by a software update.

---------- Post added at 05:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:49 AM ----------

One thing to try that might lessen the problem, I noticed that the voice privacy settings was off by default and since I turned it on I haven't noticed the high pitched sound and the clicking was there but less noticable. Could be just a coincidence but let me know if that does anything for you.

I noticed the clicking goes away when WiFi calling. High pitch noise is present at all times except when screen is locked.

 

[soundwave123]

I have recorded the sound here. You can also hear the electrical sound as well.

https://soundcloud.com/pwned2owned/click-sound-pixel-2-recorded

 

[bartolo5]

I have recorded the sound here. You can also hear the electrical sound as well.

https://soundcloud.com/pwned2owned/click-sound-pixel-2-recorded

That sounds a bit like interference on the speaker, not something easy to fix in software. I'm getting my P2 tomorrow. I'll report back.

 

[weinga16]

I started a thread about this at Google's product forums so that if this is a widespread issue, they can be alerted to it.


https://productforums.google.com/forum/m/#!category-topic/phone-by-google/google-pixel-2/TTCkF_SrlpQ

---------- Post added at 10:55 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:52 AM ----------

That sounds a bit like interference on the speaker, not something easy to fix in software. I'm getting my P2 tomorrow. I'll report back.

Hopefully this is similar to what plagued the iPhone 8 and can be fixed in an update. It sounds like a very similar issue.

 

[DazedGlonut]

I am experiencing the clicking noise too. It occurs all the time while the screen is on, not just in calls, but its only audible with the phone against your ear. It gave me a headache after a 20min call. It is very noticeable to me. I also hear the high frequency noise during calls if the screen is off.

Android Central also mentioned the clicking noise in their review video.

 

[soundwave123]

I have opened a topic on the Pixel support forums. I highly recommend anyone with this issue post there so we can get some attention to this issue.

https://productforums.google.com/fo...!msg/phone-by-google/XuQgtm5dK8I/7SZD7EfxAAAJ

 

[cb474]

That sounds a bit like interference on the speaker, not something easy to fix in software. I'm getting my P2 tomorrow. I'll report back.

Yeah, it never occured to me before to hold the earpiece on my phone to my ear, when not making a call. But I just tried it with my Nexus 4 (that I'm replacing with a Pixel 2). When the screen is on, with my Nexus 4, but not in a call, I hear a static-like noise and an electronicy noise; it is very faint and only audible in a very quiet setting. When the screen is off I hear only the static noise and it seems even more faint. I don't notice anything during calls, because I assume the sound of my caller is far louder and drowns out any background static.

Thinking about it, it seems like any speaker, connected to an amplifier, with the volume all the way up (my usual setting on my Nexus 4) makes static and electronic noises. In my car, if I turn the stereo all the way up, without playing anything, there's quite a bit of noise coming through the speakers. And one is certainly use to hearing the hum of speakers, when a powerful sound system is turned on.

I'm assuming that when the system is on, there is a completed circuit to the speaker, and it is difficult to have a pefectly clean signal. Any surrounding electro-magnetic activity (of which there is a lot in a phone, the power source; the cellular, wifi, and bluetooth radios; probably elements of how the screen functions) would potentially create interference in the voltage on the circuit to the speaker (i.e. earpiece), in essence creating micro-voltages that would cause noise in the speaker. After all, that's all a speaker does, it turns amplitude in voltage into sound (I think, I'm not an expert on this). So tiny random voltages from interfence would create noise of some sort or another.

I wonder if it's almost impossible not to have this effect with a speaker (you'd have to have a perfectly clean power source with no interference and everything connected to the speaker would have to be perfectly shielded).

Anyway, obviously this sort of phenomenon can be more or less noticeable. So I wonder if all phones do this, but it's more noticeable on the Pixel 2 for some reason.

The clicking noise is more interesting, because it's regularity reflects some sort of interference that is not just random interference from other electronic components. It's also curious that a couple people report not having this issue on the Pixel 2--maybe it's there, but much less noticeable?

Anyway, I'll be interested if people replace the device and get another one without the issue.

 

[davwman]

Goes away when camera is open. Make a call then open camera. Sound is gone.

 

[bartolo5]

Can confirm my Pixel 2 also has this clicking + hissing noise. It happens ALL the time when the screen is on, and obviously is a lot more obvious when you are using the phone for a phone call. Has nothing to do with RF cell output because it also happens when using the speaker in airplane mode + wifi. hopefully there's a software fix for this, but it just sound like interference from the circuits into the speaker... Although it's not super annoying it should not be happening.

 

[agelesskibbles]

I am experiencing the same problem as well

---------- Post added at 04:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:39 AM ----------

Goes away when camera is open. Make a call then open camera. Sound is gone.

Mine goes away too when the camera is open

 

[davwman]

I've contacted support and have a replacement on the way. Hopefully it's gone. I don't have much confidence

 

[cb474]

Can anyone confirm that this does not happen to some degree on all phones?

As I note above, though I never thought before to put the earpiece to my ear when I'm not making a call on my old Nexus 4, after reading this I discovered it also makes static and electronic interference noises when the screen is on. In fact, it's even there, but only very faintly, when it's off. It does not make a ticking sound, though, which I can imagine is more annoying, especially if it is audible during calls.

Anyway, I'm just wondering it it's reasonable to expect there to be no sound like this at all. Maybe it's just more pronounced and obvious on the Pixel 2, but not necessarily unexpected on a smartphone.

Also, are there any more people other than the OP who has a Pixel 2 that does not make the clicking sound (he said his wife's does not, but his does)?

*

[Edit: Okay, I just started setting up my Pixel 2 and I definitely have the clicking sound. I'm officially annoyed. It's only there when the phone is unlocked, not when the screen is on but the phone is locked. Definitely audible during calls.

I do also hear a static noise and some high pitched electronic sounds, when the screen is locked, but it's pretty faint and not significantly different from what I've described on my Nexus 4. So to me the clicking sound is the real issue.]

*

[Edit 2: The clicking sound went away.

I have no idea what caused this, if anything. I factory reset the phone, just so I'd be able to tell customer support I'd already tried that, and it did not help. The clicking was still there. Then I was going through and changing settings--most of which I had done before the factory reset and the clicking sound was still there. The only thing I can think of is that I was disabling a lot of the app permissions. I think I disabled more this time than before the factory reset. I prefer not to allow access to the microphone, location, anything that seems privacy related, if not necessary. So I was even disabling stuff for the Google app and Google play services, which in several instances gave me a warning that the phone might no work properly, but I did it anyway. It was soon after this that I notice the clicking sound was gone.

I tried re-enabling a few things having to do with the micophone (thinking that could create feedback or something), but that did not bring the clicking sound back.

Something else I did that I hadn't done before the factory reset was calibrate the compass. I noticed it was way off in the maps, so I just did the figure eight flipping around motion that maps sometimes prompts one to do to calibrate the compass. That did fix the compass.

Anyway, perhaps the disappearance of the clicking had nothing to do with any of these settings. I'm a bit mystified and baffled. I'd also been charging the phone at the same time.

The high pitched electronic sound I was hearing is also less noticeable. I don't hear it with my ear to the earpiece; but I just discovered it's much more noticeable with my ear to the top back of the phone. I do still hear the faint static noise that I described in the earpiece.

Lastly, this could be totally unrelated, but wondering if the clicking is just from something not being put together correctly, I tapped the phone on the top edge and notice that something sounds faintly loose or like it's ratting in the top of the phone. I don't hear this anywhere else on the phone and it only works by tapping the phone on the side at the top or on the edge of the top. Actually, I can hear something similar, but lower pitched tapping the phone on the bottom. It's more like something vibrating inside the phone, than like something is loose. Perhaps components in the speakers? I assume there are small moving components in the speakers for them to function (or maybe not?). I notice I can provoke a similar sound from the earpiece in my Nexus 4. Anyone else notice this?

Anyway, I hope this is somehow helpful. I suppose I won't be surprised if the clicking sound comes back.]

 

[bartolo5]

I just noticed this same hissing sound is heard on recorded videos!

 

[davwman]

Can anyone confirm that this does not happen to some degree on all phones?

As I note above, though I never thought before to put the earpiece to my ear when I'm not making a call on my old Nexus 4, after reading this I discovered it also makes static and electronic interference noises when the screen is on. In fact, it's even there, but only very faintly, when it's off. It does not make a ticking sound, though, which I can imagine is more annoying, especially if it is audible during calls.

Anyway, I'm just wondering it it's reasonable to expect there to be no sound like this at all. Maybe it's just more pronounced and obvious on the Pixel 2, but not necessarily unexpected on a smartphone.

Also, are there any more people other than the OP who has a Pixel 2 that does not make the clicking sound (he said his wife's does not, but his does)?

*

[Edit: Okay, I just started setting up my Pixel 2 and I definitely have the clicking sound. I'm officially annoyed. It's only there when the phone is unlocked, not when the screen is on but the phone is locked. Definitely audible during calls.

I do also hear a static noise and some high pitched electronic sounds, when the screen is locked, but it's pretty faint and not significantly different from what I've described on my Nexus 4. So to me the clicking sound is the real issue.]

*

[Edit 2: The clicking sound went away.

I have no idea what caused this, if anything. I factory reset the phone, just so I'd be able to tell customer support I'd already tried that, and it did not help. The clicking was still there. Then I was going through and changing settings--most of which I had done before the factory reset and the clicking sound was still there. The only thing I can think of is that I was disabling a lot of the app permissions. I think I disabled more this time than before the factory reset. I prefer not to allow access to the microphone, location, anything that seems privacy related, if not necessary. So I was even disabling stuff for the Google app and Google play services, which in several instances gave me a warning that the phone might no work properly, but I did it anyway. It was soon after this that I notice the clicking sound was gone.

I tried re-enabling a few things having to do with the micophone (thinking that could create feedback or something), but that did not bring the clicking sound back.

Something else I did that I hadn't done before the factory reset was calibrate the compass. I noticed it was way off in the maps, so I just did the figure eight flipping around motion that maps sometimes prompts one to do to calibrate the compass. That did fix the compass.

Anyway, perhaps the disappearance of the clicking had nothing to do with any of these settings. I'm a bit mystified and baffled. I'd also been charging the phone at the same time.

The high pitched electronic sound I was hearing is also less noticeable. I don't hear it with my ear to the earpiece; but I just discovered it's much more noticeable with my ear to the top back of the phone. I do still hear the faint static noise that I described in the earpiece.

Lastly, this could be totally unrelated, but wondering if the clicking is just from something not being put together correctly, I tapped the phone on the top edge and notice that something sounds faintly loose or like it's ratting in the top of the phone. I don't hear this anywhere else on the phone and it only works by tapping the phone on the side at the top or on the edge of the top. Actually, I can hear something similar, but lower pitched tapping the phone on the bottom. It's more like something vibrating inside the phone, than like something is loose. Perhaps components in the speakers? I assume there are small moving components in the speakers for them to function (or maybe not?). I notice I can provoke a similar sound from the earpiece in my Nexus 4. Anyone else notice this?

Anyway, I hope this is somehow helpful. I suppose I won't be surprised if the clicking sound comes back.]

Rattling is likely the ois of the camera

 

[NOSTALGIA]

Reported... waiting for feedback... Hold on everyone...anyone with pixel 2 xl can confirm if its also happening on the bigger one?

turn off nfc... temporary work around for the meantime...

 

[orbital247]

For info I don't believe i'm getting this, i've used the unit pretty extensively since i received on Wednesday. I'm in the UK and have the White 64Gb edition.

 

[Pecata]

Wow, this is unacceptable. I am waiting for my Pixel 2 XL to arrive next week, if I have this issue it is going back to Google. For the money they ask you would think they test things like this.