The rise in work-from-home culture has moved us closer to video /audio conferencing apps. These apps need you to have a functioning microphone and speaker on all your devices.
Due to dust or other reasons, your PC microphone may not work properly. It also may not be feasible to take calls from your phone all the time. With two devices, it should be possible to combine them for the best online conferencing experience right?
Here, we provide a list of several options that you can choose to use your phone as a microphone. We also talk about how you can switch your microphone input in several popular apps.
Use the Phone as a Microphone Using Audio Cable
The easiest method to connect your phone as a microphone is to use a 3.5 mm audio cable. Note that both ends of the cable need to have the male header jack. This is so that you can connect each end to PC and phone respectively. We are looking for a cable something like this.
- Connect the cable from your phone to your PC.
- Do a right-click on the Speaker icon on the system tray.
- Select Settings.
- Under Input, click on the picklist to get a list of options.
- Select your phone microphone.
Using WO Mic App
If you don’t own a cable, no worries. You can achieve the microphone effect using mobile apps too. This solution works on both Android and iOS phones.
Setting Up On PC
- Install the WO MIC PC application.
- Once installed, restart your PC as needed.
- Do a right-click on the Start Menu and select Device Manager.
- Under Sound, video, and game controllers, make sure that you have the WO Mic Device.
Setting Up On Phone
- Get the mobile app for Android and iOS.
- Once installed, open the app.
- Go to the WO Mic Settings.
- Select Transport. Transport is the medium that your phone will connect to the PC.
- Select a medium. Android phones can use wired(USB) or wireless(Bluetooth and Wi-Fi) media. iOS phones can use Wi-Fi only.
- Go back to the home page and select the media play button to start the server.
As per your transport selection, move to the appropriate section below.
Using Bluetooth
- On your PC, click on the Start Menu and search for Bluetooth.
- Select Bluetooth & other devices settings.
- Select Add Bluetooth device.
- Select Bluetooth. On your phone, make sure that Bluetooth is turned on and discoverable.
- On your PC, select your phone and confirm pairing.
- Make sure that the device is paired and appears on the list of devices.
- Next, open the WO Mic Client app.
- Go to the Connection menu and select Connect.
- Under Transport type, select Bluetooth.
- Under Target Bluetooth device, select your phone.
- Press Connect.
Using Wi-Fi
- On your phone, make note of the IP address on the homepage.
- Make sure both PC and phone are connected to the same network.
- Open the WO Mic Client app.
- Go to the Connection menu and select Connect.
- Under Transport type, select Wi-Fi.
- Enter the phone IP address on the field.
- Press Connect.
Using Wi-Fi Direct
- On your phone, start a Hotspot or Wi-Fi Direct.
- On your PC, connect to the phone hotspot with the right credentials.
- Open the WO Mic Client app.
- Go to the Connection menu and select Connect.
- Under Transport type, select Wi-Fi Direct. Leave IP address as-is.
- Press Connect.
Using USB
- On your phone, make sure the USB debugging is turned on.
- Connect your phone to the PC with a USB cable.
- Open the WO Mic Client app.
- Go to the Connection menu and select Connect.
- Under the Transport type, select USB.
- Press Connect.
Once connected, you can use your phone as a microphone in different apps. You can use it for meetings, video conferencing, sound recording, or even Karaoke.
If you want to set your phone as default for all apps,
- Do a right-click on the Sound icon on the system tray.
- Select Sound settings.
- Under Input, select Microphone (WO Mic Device).
Adjust Microphone Settings
While using your phone as a microphone, you may need to adjust few settings on your app. Here’s how you do it:
For Teams
- Click on the three dots next to your name on the top right corner.
- Select Settings.
- Select Devices.
- Under Audio devices, select Microphone.
- Choose Microphone (WO Mic Device).
For Zoom
- On the homepage, click on the Settings gear icon on the top right.
- Select Audio.
- Under Microphone, select Microphone (WO Mic Device).
For Google Meet
- Click on the Settings gear icon on the top right.
- Select Audio.
- Under Microphone, select Microphone (WO Mic Device).
How to Connect My Phone as a Speaker for PC?
It is possible to use your phone as a speaker for your PC. Note that this feature is available on Android phones only.
- On your PC, download and install SoundWire Server.
- Open the new SoundWire server app.
- Make note of the IP address as shown.
- Download the SoundWire app for Android.
- Open the app and press the coiled wire icon.
- If it doesn’t detect automatically, enter the IP address from the PC SoundWire app.
- After a successful connection, you should see the Status change to connected.
- Change audio out to Phone from the system tray.
Can I Use My Phone Microphone With Airpods?
Apple devices do not natively support using phone microphones when connected to AirPods. That being said, iOS has a feature called Live Listen that works in a slightly non-traditional way.
For any phone running iOS 14 or higher, you can use your iOS device to act as a microphone. Then, the sound is routed to your AirPods. Apple introduced this feature as a hearing aid for people who have difficulty hearing others.
- Go to Settings on your phone.
- Tap on the Control Center.
- Tap on the Add button next to the Hearing option.
- Now, connect to your AirPods.
- Open the control center and tap the hearing icon.
- Tap Live Listen. Your phone microphone should now record and send ambient sound to your AirPods.
