8x8 | General Sound Issues - Troubleshooting

Summary

This article will apply to both the 8x8 Work app that is installed on a computer and the desk phone.

Symptoms may include users not hearing you or not hearing them.

8x8 is a VOIP (voice over internet protocol) service. This means the phone service relies on the internet for communication. No internet means no service.

There are several reasons why you may not be able to hear sound ranging from no service to settings that may have changed. Most often a simple reboot of the computer or desk phone will fix the issue. Below are some simple instructions anyone can do. It doesn't take a person from the IT department to perform these easy steps. You can contact the IT department for assistance.

Instructions

1. Reboot the computer or device.

Computer: Several people still confuse shutting down and rebooting a computer. It's not the same thing. There was a time when shutting down was the same, but Windows stopped doing that since Windows 8. If you're unsure how to restart a computer, please click here.
Desk Phone: The desk phone is powered by the network (ethernet) cable. Flip the phone to the underside and unplug the cable. There could be two network cables, but you want to unplug the cable that has the symbol with the boxes. When you unplug the cable, there should be nothing on the desk phone screen.
- If you still have power, there could be another power source using a barrel connector. Some phone setups will have this, so unplugging the barrel connector will remove power.

2. Allow any updates to be performed. Window updates will usually show a percentage and the desk phone will usually reload and update firmware and the associated account for the phone.

3. Try testing calls after the reboot. If the problem persists, please read the troubleshooting steps below.

Troubleshooting

First, 8x8 has many knowledge articles on their site. If you Google any 8x8-related issue, you should find something. Our internal Solutions articles are typically replicated from 8x8's website, however, you may find their site to be more current.

The troubleshooting steps will be broken down to the 8x8 Work app and desk phone.

8x8 Work App- Please bear in mind that the app uses Windows resources for sound. This means it's a shared resource used by other programs and applications. If sound works in other applications, but not 8x8, it's usually a setting within 8x8 that is the cause of the problem.

1. As mentioned in step one of the instructions, make sure the computer has been rebooted. This is a critical step.

2. Check the app for updates. A pending update could prevent the 8x8 Work app from working properly until the update is completed. Click your profile button in the upper left corner, then click on "Help", then "Check for updates." Sometimes 8x8 will automatically give the option to "Install and Relaunch" for the update. Please do so.

3. To check sound settings, there are a couple of areas you can check. In the lower-left corner of 8x8, you'll see a computer icon (sometimes it could change to a different icon such as a headset or desk phone and the settings wheel icon. You can choose the settings icon if you desire and click "Audio & Video", but it's essentially the same.

4. If you click the computer icon or headset icon or deskphone icon, it will bring up this menu. You want to look at your settings for sound. There will be settings for the Microphone and Speakers as indicated below. Note the green arrows. It points to a drop down field that allows you to choose your source. Most laptops will default to "Realtek Audio" since these are built into the computer.

If you are using a different source, external devices like headsets, speakers, or webcams can be detected as an option. You may choose to use these devices. However, these devices could be frozen causing you not to hear or the other party is unable to hear you. You can try selecting a different source or power cycling these devices.

Headset: If you're on a headset, make sure the headset you're using doesn't have its own MUTE button. This will override the settings in the app.
Webcam: If you're using a webcam, try unplugging the device and plug it back in. Restarting the cam may fix the issue.
- Webcam MIC - Most external webcams have their own internal microphone. If your Microphone is set for your webcam, your issue could be the webcam. Power cycle the webcam or choose another source.
External Speakers: You can try selecting the computer speakers in the drop-down menu or unplugging the speakers to power cycle them.
Internal Microphone and Speakers: Your laptop will have hot keys that can MUTE or essentially turn off the MIC and Speakers.
- F1 - will toggle the speakers on and off. Please check this.
- F4 - will toggle the MIC on and off. Please check this. Some laptops will have a light to indicate that it's on.

Most issues are resolved from this step. If not, proceed to step 5 to check your Windows settings.

5. If step four didn't resolve your issue, please check your Windows sound settings found here. This should apply to both Windows 10 and 11.

If none of the steps above worked, please create an incident with the IT department to further investigate the issue.

Desk phone

The desk phone should be the simplest to troubleshoot. All you need to do is reboot the phone.

1. To reboot the phone, follow Step 1 of the Instructions above.

2. If the phone still acts up after the reboot, try testing the phone in another area with a network cable. This should let us know if the port or the cable is bad. If the phone has the same issue on another network cable, there's a good chance the issue is the phone.

If none of the steps above worked, please create an incident with the IT department to further investigate the issue.