8

When using AirPods 2 for Google Meet video calls on macOS, my voice gets very distorted and sounds 'robotic'.

Only happens with Google Meet running the the browser, but no other apps.

I looked around (Google support forum, 2, 3, and also on Reddit, 2) and found that many other people are having this problem.

How can I solve this?

What I’ve tried with no success:

  • Resetting the AirPods
  • Switching to use the MacBook’s mic
  • Safari and Chrome
  • No such problems when using Meet/Gmail.app on my iPhone
  • No such problems with wired headphones

Some think it's a CPU issue: Chrome/Meet using lots of resources. I am running on a 4-month old MacBook Pro (1.4 GHz Quad-Core i5, 8GB 2133MHz RAM) so can't imagine that could be at fault.

Also, don't know if it's relevant, but seems that the AirPods 2 are using the SCO codec instead of AAC:

enter image description here

I've also already tried selecting the internal microphone, this didn’t help as long as the AirPods were connected:

enter image description here

Improve this question
4
  • 1
    You on 10.15.6 Catalina with the supplemental update?
    – bmike ♦
    Aug 14, 2020 at 11:48
  • @bmike, yep, version 19G2021
    – Baumr
    Aug 19, 2020 at 8:38
  • Did you ever determine if this was internet lag, cpu / system lag where you ran meet, google sw needing an update, interference or issue with the headphones?
    – bmike ♦
    Jan 31, 2022 at 13:08
  • @bmike Unfortunately not, it kind of just fixed itself eventually (after a few months). It definitely wasn't internet or CPU related. Probably also not a hardware issue as nothing changed. Likely a Google or Apple software incompatibility. Why do you ask?
    – Baumr
    Jan 31, 2022 at 17:28

6 Answers 6

Reset to default
7

I have a similar issue and found that a sudo killall coreaudiod via Terminal fixes the issue. From what I understand this resets the audio.

My issue is exclusively with a Google Meet in Safari. A Meet in Chrome doesn't have the issue. Everyone's voice that I hear is garbled. They can hear me fine. Maybe about 25% of the time if I switch audio sources and back it's fixed.

Improve this answer
4
  • 1
    Thank you for this tip. I was having exactly the same issue (Big Sur): Google Meet sound (on speakers not headphones BTW) is garbled on Safari only, not when using Chrome.
    – wintvelt
    Nov 18, 2020 at 14:44
  • 1
    After several more google meets on Big Sur, my experience is now that robotic sound also appears on Chrome. And that the sudo killall... did not fix it for me. So your mileage may vary with this solution. I just installed Safari Technology Preview, maybe that will help. To be continued..
    – wintvelt
    Nov 20, 2020 at 15:58
  • Yes, mine issue occurs on all audio outputs. The only fix for now is to use Chrome. If figure out a fix for Safari I'll report back.
    – John C
    Nov 21, 2020 at 16:31
  • Thanks for the answer! Still works on macOS 12.3.
    – Endanke
    Apr 5, 2022 at 12:08
4

Do you have Logitech mx keyboard/mouse or some bluetooth device connected? If so, try disconnecting and see if this goes away.
If that is indeed the case, use the logitech's unifying device instead of bluetooth connection.

Improve this answer
2
  • How odd, this looks to be my issue. Any ideas on a permanent solution? I currently have to toggle my MX Master 3 for Mac every time I join a meeting. (Note, the for Mac model only supports Bluetooth)
    – adenix
    Jun 9, 2022 at 19:03
  • @adenix, I started using the dongle they gave with mouse. It doesn't use bluetooth. I use it with macbook, no problem. Use the usb-c to usb-a converter or a usb dock.
    – Shrinath
    Jun 11, 2022 at 6:44
2

The issue is fixed in Safari Technology Preview (but not in the beta). I use that until a better fix appears.

Be warned however, that Safari Technology Preview doesn't share data with the regular Safari, so it doesn't have your bookmarks, configuration etc.

Also, I'm facing another issue with Safari Technology Preview and Google Meet, where my session dies as soon as some other participant leaves or stops presenting.

Improve this answer
1

I was experiencing the same issue with AirPods 1 on macOS Big Sur. Enabling the AirPods microphone (so the headphones starts using the lower latency codec) fixed it. It looks like Google Meet doesn't like adjusting the audio latency, resulting in the garbled sound.

Improve this answer
1
  • Thanks for your reply. That didn't work for me.
    – Baumr
    Oct 21, 2020 at 14:33
0

Going to System Preferences > General, then unchecking "Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices", appeared to fix it for me.

I noticed that the audio would break up whenever the Safari Handoff icon appeared in the dock, and opening Safari on my iPhone would sometimes cause Google Meet on the Mac to hang entirely. Disabling Handoff stopped this from happening.

Improve this answer
1
  • Thanks! I wasn't having this issue with my iPhone open though. My iPhone would be locked in another room and this would still happen. Was it the same for you?
    – Baumr
    Jun 10, 2021 at 11:04
0

Uninstalling Chrome and reinstalling it solved it for me. Google Meet worked fine with Airpods in Firefox, too.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .