Troubleshooting guide
Mic Echo Problem: Why People Hear Themselves
Use the echo test to find out whether your microphone hears your speakers, then fix it. Headphones are the surest cure.
This page is not loaded over a secure (https) connection. Browsers only allow microphone access on https pages, so the test cannot start here. Open the https address of this site.
Press Start, then choose Allow when your browser asks to use the microphone.
Using: Default microphone
Level: −∞ dBFS
The browser is blocking the microphone
Allow the microphone for this site, then press Start again. Pick your browser:
Chrome (computer)
- Open Chrome menu More (three dots) > Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings.
- Under “Permissions” choose Microphone.
- If testthemic.app is listed under “Not allowed to use your camera or microphone”, select it and change Microphone to Allow. (Or select the delete icon next to it so Chrome asks again.)
- Reload this page and press Start.
Source: Google Chrome Help, read October 10, 2026.
Edge
- Open Settings and more (three dots) > Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Microphone.
- Make sure Ask before accessing (recommended) is turned on. If it is off, Edge blocks microphone access.
- Check that this site is not on the Block list. You can also go to Privacy, search, and services > Site permissions > All sites, select the site and set Microphone to Allow.
- Reload this page and press Start.
Sources: Microsoft Support (Edge site permissions; Teams on the web), read October 10, 2026.
Firefox
- With this page open, press Ctrl+I (Windows/Linux) or Command+I (Mac) to open Page Info, then select Permissions.
- Next to Use the Microphone, untick Use Default and choose Allow.
- Reload this page and press Start.
Source: Mozilla Support, Page Info window, read October 10, 2026.
Safari (Mac)
- In Safari choose Safari > Settings, then click Websites.
- Select Microphone in the list on the left.
- Next to testthemic.app choose Ask or Allow (not Deny).
- Reload this page and press Start.
Source: Apple Support, read October 10, 2026.
iPhone and iPad (Safari)
- Go to Settings > Apps > Safari, tap Microphone and choose Ask or Allow.
- For this site only: open it in Safari, tap the page menu in the address bar, tap Website Settings and change the Microphone setting.
- Reload this page and press Start.
Source: Apple Support, read October 10, 2026. Menu names can differ on older iOS versions.
Android (Chrome)
- In Chrome tap More > Settings > Site settings > Microphone.
- Choose Sites can ask for your microphone or camera. If this site is listed under Blocked, tap it and choose Allow.
- If the microphone is off for the whole phone or for Chrome in Android’s own settings, turn it on there (the menu names depend on your phone).
- Reload this page and press Start.
Source: Google Chrome Help (Android), read October 10, 2026.
Still blocked? Your computer’s own privacy settings can block it too: see Mic not working for Windows and Mac.
Private by design. Audio is processed locally in your browser and never uploaded. There is no server for audio, nothing is recorded unless you press Record, and recordings are never stored: they live in this tab’s memory until you delete them or leave the page. Privacy
How to run the echo test
- Press Start mic test and allow the microphone.
- Set your speakers to the volume you normally use for calls. Leave headphones off if you want to test your speakers.
- Press Echo test and stay quiet. The page plays a short tone for about two seconds.
- Read the result: “Your mic hears your speakers” means echo is likely in calls.
How to stop microphone echo
- Use headphones or a headset. No sound from the speakers reaches the microphone.
- Turn the speakers down and move the microphone away from them, or closer to your mouth.
- Only one device per call. If two devices in the same room are in the same call, each hears the other.
- Test again after every change, and compare with “Use the browser’s sound processing” ticked: browsers can apply echo cancellation when an app asks for it.
Browser echo cancellation: MDN Web Docs, MediaTrackConstraints.echoCancellation. The other tips are general acoustics, not vendor settings; we do not give operating-system menu paths for echo here because we have not verified them against the vendors’ pages.
Frequently asked questions
Why do people hear themselves when they talk to me?
The usual cause is that your microphone picks up the sound from your speakers and sends it back. Whoever talks hears their own voice a moment later as an echo.
How do I stop the echo?
The most reliable fix is headphones or a headset, because the sound then no longer reaches the microphone. Otherwise lower the speaker volume and keep the speakers away from the mic.
What does the echo test on this page do?
It stays quiet for 1.5 seconds to measure the 1 kHz background, then plays a short 1 kHz tone through your speakers and checks how much louder that frequency becomes at the microphone. A big rise means your microphone hears your speakers.
The echo test says no echo but others hear echo. Why?
The echo may come from the other person’s side, or the speakers were too quiet or muted during the test. Run it again with the speakers at the volume you normally use. Headphones always give a clean result.
Does browser echo cancellation help?
Browsers can apply echo cancellation to the microphone when a web app asks for it (the echoCancellation setting). This page leaves it off by default so the test shows the raw situation; tick the processing box in the test to compare.
Sources
- MDN Web Docs: MediaTrackConstraints.echoCancellation. https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/MediaTrackConstraints/echoCancellation
- MDN Web Docs: AnalyserNode (Web Audio API). https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/AnalyserNode
Read and checked: October 10, 2026. Vendors change their menus, so if a name differs on your device, use the vendor page above. Found a mistake? Email info@testthemic.app.