Phone calls drop, sound quality is low or mobile network is poor

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If your phone calls drop, your sound quality is low, or your mobile network connection is poor, try these troubleshooting steps one after the other. Verify after every step whether the problem was solved before trying the next one.

Step 1: Check the following points

1. Check the network signal strength in the status bar to make sure your device is connected to a network. If the signal is weak or you have no signal, move to an open location that is free from obstructions or get close to a window.
2. Make sure your hand isn’t covering the phone microphone. If your Xperia device uses a cover or a case, remove it to see if the sound quality improves. Check that there is no water or dust blocking the microphone or the area around the microphone.
3. Restart the Xperia device.
4. Make a call to another phone to confirm that there isn’t a problem with the ear speaker of the phone you were calling when the problem arose. If possible, make a call with a different SIM card to ensure that your current SIM card isn’t defective or old.

Step 2: Use the Tests feature in the Support app to run a microphone and ear speaker test

How to run a microphone and speaker test

Step 3: Use safe mode to see if an app is causing the problem

Downloaded applications may affect the performance of your device or cause it to behave unpredictably. Use safe mode to check whether a downloaded application is causing the problem. In safe mode, your device only starts with software and applications that were already installed when you purchased your device. If the device performance improves in safe mode, it’s likely that one or more downloaded applications are affecting the device negatively. If the problem is recent and you’re unsure which application is causing the problem, you can start by uninstalling the most recently downloaded application.

 How to enable Safe mode 

To exit safe mode, restart the device.

Step 4: Identify if your network is causing the issue

 How to change network settings 

Step 5: Update the software on your device

 How to check for new software 

Step 6: Perform a factory data reset

When you perform a factory data reset, you erase all personal data stored on the internal storage of your Xperia device. Make sure that you always back up data stored on the internal storage to an SD card or computer before performing a factory data reset. 

How to back up your data 

How to back up and synchronise apps, phone settings, and call history 

How to perform a factory data reset