What this does

Fixes the two most common causes of a Communicator call connecting with no audio in either direction — a phone-mode setting routing the call to the wrong device, and an audio device not selected in Preferences.

What you’ll need

  • Communicator open and signed in.
  • The headset or speaker/microphone you actually intend to use for calls.

Steps

  1. Open the Phone module and check the phone mode dropdown at the bottom-right of the dial pad (Access Codes and DND sit to its left). If you’re using a headset through your computer rather than a physical desk phone, this needs to be set to Softphone — if it’s set to Deskphone (or Mobile App, My Mobile Number, etc.) instead, no amount of audio-device configuration fixes the problem while it’s set to the wrong mode. See Why can’t I make calls on Communicator? for the full option list.
  1. Click the settings (gear) icon in the top-right of Communicator, next to Help, to open Preferences, then go to Audio > Audio Devices, and set all three dropdowns — Microphone, Speaker, and Ringing device. The Ringing device is the one most often missed, since it’s easy to assume setting Microphone and Speaker is enough. There’s also a Refresh audio option below the three dropdowns if a device you plugged in isn’t showing up in the lists yet.
  1. Confirm each device is actually working: Ringing device and Speaker each have a Test button next to them — look for the “Sound device was changed successfully” confirmation. Microphone doesn’t have a Test button — instead, talk normally and watch the live volume level indicator next to it move to confirm it’s picking up sound.

What you should see

Calls connect with two-way audio — you can hear the other party, they can hear you, and incoming calls ring on the device you selected as your Ringing device.

Troubleshooting

  • Still no audio after setting all three devices. Double-check the phone mode dropdown is actually set to Softphone — this is the single most common cause, and it’s easy to set the audio devices correctly while missing this setting entirely.
  • You can hear them, but they can’t hear you. Re-check the Microphone selection specifically — a wrong or disconnected microphone is the usual cause of one-way audio like this.
  • Calls don’t ring audibly at all, even though everything else works. Check Ringing device again — it’s a separate setting from Speaker, and Communicator won’t fall back to your speaker automatically if it’s set to a device that isn’t connected.
  • None of this applies — you don’t have a headset, only a desk phone. Leave the phone mode set to Deskphone instead, and see Why can’t I make calls on Communicator? if calls aren’t connecting at all rather than an audio problem specifically.

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