If people can't hear you on calls, audio is cutting out, or Voicebuds aren't being used as the microphone, work through these steps.
"People can't hear me on calls"
- Confirm Voicebuds are the active input: On a call, check your iPhone's audio routing. Look for an audio source selector (the speaker icon during a call) and confirm "Bluetooth Headset" or "Subtle" is selected — not Speaker or iPhone mic.
- Reseat your earbuds: A loose fit reduces mic pickup. Reinsert and try a different tip size if needed.
- Check mic permission for the call app: In iPhone Settings → [Phone / FaceTime / WhatsApp / etc.] → Microphone, confirm the app has permission.
- Move to a quieter location: No algorithm is perfect and certain noise types or noise above a certain level can make you sound muffled or inaudible.
Audio cutting out / dropouts
- Check distance: Stay within reasonable Bluetooth range of your iPhone (typically under 10 meters, less through walls).
- Reduce interference: Dense Bluetooth environments (offices, crowded areas) can cause interference. Try moving to a less crowded RF environment.
- Check battery: Low battery can cause intermittent audio issues. Charge the earbuds and retry.
- Restart Bluetooth: Toggle Bluetooth off and back on in iPhone Settings, then reconnect Voicebuds.
Audio routing to wrong output
If audio is playing through your iPhone speaker instead of Voicebuds: tap the audio routing icon during playback and select your Voicebuds. This can be reset by locking your phone or switching apps — it's an iOS audio session behaviour, not a Subtle bug.
Contact support
Email support@subtle.co with: the call app name, iOS version, Subtle app version, and a description of when the issue occurs (all calls, specific apps, specific environments).