Fix echo
How to fix echo in a video call
Echo in a video call almost always comes from one participant whose microphone picks up their own speakers, often because they use loud laptop speakers or two devices in the same room. Ask that person to use headphones, mute extra devices and check the selected microphone and speakers. Meeto keeps the browser's echo cancellation on for every call.
How do I stop echo in a call?
Work from the most likely cause to the least likely. In most calls the first two steps end the echo.
- Find the source. If you hear your own voice coming back, the cause is almost always another participant's microphone picking up their speakers, so the person who hears the echo is usually not the one causing it. Ask everyone who is not speaking to mute. When the echo stops, the last person who muted had the microphone that picked up their speakers. If someone cannot hear the request, the host can mute them in Participants with the microphone button next to their name, or use Mute all.
- Switch that person to headphones. Any wired or wireless headphones or headset work. With sound in their ears, their microphone has nothing to send back.
- One device per room. Two devices in one room that are both in the call, such as two laptops or a laptop and a phone, echo off each other. Mute the microphone and turn down the speakers on the extra device, or leave the call there.
- Check the devices. Open More → Settings & devices and look at Devices. Choose the headset under both Microphone and Speakers if you use one; a headset microphone paired with laptop speakers can still echo.
- Lower the speaker volume. Very loud speakers overwhelm echo cancellation. A lower volume and a microphone further from the speakers help when headphones are not an option.
How do I tell who is causing the echo?
Listen to whose voice comes back. If everyone hears their own voice except one person, that person's device is the source.
| What people hear | Usual cause |
|---|---|
| Everyone but one person hears their own voice | That one person's microphone picks up their speakers. Headphones fix it. |
| Echo started when a colleague joined from the same office | Two devices in one room. Mute or leave the call on one of them. |
| A loud howl or whistle | Feedback between a microphone and speakers close together. Mute that microphone at once. |
| Your voice sounds hollow to others, without a repeat | Room reverberation. A headset microphone or a softer room helps. |
The participant list marks who is speaking, which helps you spot a microphone that is active while its owner is silent. The host can mute it from Participants with the microphone button next to the name; the person sees Host muted you and can unmute when ready.
Which sound settings help in Meeto?
Test before joining
In the lobby, open Device settings and press Test sound. You hear a short chime through the selected speakers, which confirms that the right output is chosen.
Pick the right pair
On a computer, the arrow beside the microphone button lists microphones and speakers. Choose the same headset for both, or All settings & devices for the full list.
Talk only when needed
On a computer, keep the microphone muted and hold Space to talk. Releasing Space mutes you again, so your microphone is never open by accident.
On iPhone and in Safari the call plays through the device's current sound output, labelled System sound output; switch to headphones in the device's settings. If the microphone does not start at all, follow camera or microphone not working.
Is it echo or background noise?
Echo repeats speech a moment later. Background noise is a constant sound: a fan, traffic, typing. They need different fixes.
For noise, Meeto has Noise suppression (AI) in Settings & devices → Devices. It is on by default on computers that can run it and off by default in phone browsers, where you can switch it on. In the iPhone and Android apps the phone's built-in noise suppression is always used. Read what noise suppression does for the details. If the sound cuts in and out rather than repeating, the network is the more likely cause; see how to fix a laggy video call.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I hear my own voice in a video call?
Your voice comes out of another participant's speakers, their microphone picks it up and sends it back to you. Their device's echo cancellation usually removes it, but loud speakers, a second device in the same room or an unusual microphone can defeat it. The fix is on their side, not yours.
Does noise suppression remove echo?
Not reliably. Noise suppression targets steady background sound such as fans, traffic and keyboards. Echo is removed by the browser's echo cancellation, which Meeto keeps on for every call. Headphones remain the surest fix for echo.
Why is there echo only when two of us join from the same room?
Each device plays the call through its speakers and both microphones hear both speakers. Echo cancellation on one device cannot remove sound coming from the other one. Join from a single device per room, or mute the microphone and speakers on the extra devices.
Can I change speakers on an iPhone or in Safari?
Not from inside the call. Safari and iOS do not let a web page pick the speaker, so Meeto shows System sound output and the call plays through the device's current output. Change it in the device's sound settings or Control Center.
Try your first browser meeting
Create a room, share the link and invite someone to join you.