KB5064401 and KB5065426 release has stopped "Phone Link" microphone working

Question

KB5064401 and KB5065426 release has stopped "Phone Link" microphone working

Phil Wearden 5

I have just installed KB5064401 and KB5065426 and the "Phone Link" microphone stopped working.

1) I checked on "Privacy & Security" - Microphone and "Phone Link" is not showing.

2) I checked the microphone is working on other apps, it is, so not a fault with the microphone

3) Checked Phone Link setting, no option to switch Microphone on/off

4) Checked latest version of Phone Link, it is upto date version 1.25081.83.0

5) I uninstalled both update releases and the microphone started working again on Phone Link.

6) To make sure the problem was with the 2 installations I installed them again and the microphone stopped working again

7) I then uninstalled the 2 releases again and yes the microphone works again on Phone link

8) I am running Window 11 Home, on a HP PC, System Model HP Pavilion All-in-One 27-d1xxx

9) I contacted Microsoft help, case number 7086547715

10) They eventually suggested using Powershell to uninstall Phone Link and download it again from “Microsoft Store”, I checked Microsoft Store and could not find it to download so I have not done this

11) I have stopped all updates now for 4 weeks

ashok S 0 Reputation points

2025-09-18T09:16:06.6466667+00:00

I am also facing the same issue after installing updates KB5064401 and KB5065426.

To test, I made a call using Phone Link and checked the microphone. It was not working properly. However, I noticed something interesting:

The mic was not fully muted — I could still hear very faint sound.

I tried setting the microphone level to 100, but the issue remained.

Even after removing my headphones, I could still hear a very low input.

Then I realized the faint audio was actually coming through my phone’s built-in mic, not the PC mic.

From this, I understood that Bluetooth is not connecting properly between my PC and phone after these updates. The Phone Link app seems to fall back to the phone’s mic instead of the PC mic.

So I think the real problem may not be with the mic permissions or drivers, but with how Bluetooth devices are pairing/communicating after these updates. If we focus on why Bluetooth is not connecting correctly, we may get closer to the answer.
Marek Bąk 0 Reputation points

2025-11-16T14:12:30.8166667+00:00

Witam, mam ten sam problem ale od ponad roku, czy te aktualizacje mogą u mnie też powodować to samo co u was?
Marek Bąk 0 Reputation points

2025-11-16T14:19:26.1566667+00:00

I jak odinstalować te aktualizacje?

2 answers

Your answer

ashok S 0 Reputation points

2025-09-18T09:16:06.6466667+00:00

I am also facing the same issue after installing updates KB5064401 and KB5065426.

To test, I made a call using Phone Link and checked the microphone. It was not working properly. However, I noticed something interesting:

The mic was not fully muted — I could still hear very faint sound.

I tried setting the microphone level to 100, but the issue remained.

Even after removing my headphones, I could still hear a very low input.

Then I realized the faint audio was actually coming through my phone’s built-in mic, not the PC mic.

From this, I understood that Bluetooth is not connecting properly between my PC and phone after these updates. The Phone Link app seems to fall back to the phone’s mic instead of the PC mic.

So I think the real problem may not be with the mic permissions or drivers, but with how Bluetooth devices are pairing/communicating after these updates. If we focus on why Bluetooth is not connecting correctly, we may get closer to the answer.
Marek Bąk 0 Reputation points

2025-11-16T14:12:30.8166667+00:00

Witam, mam ten sam problem ale od ponad roku, czy te aktualizacje mogą u mnie też powodować to samo co u was?
Marek Bąk 0 Reputation points

2025-11-16T14:19:26.1566667+00:00

I jak odinstalować te aktualizacje?

Answer 1

Adding my 2 cents to this thread. I was having the exact same problem, and this has been driving me crazy for days. Thank you @Phil Wearden for confirming the issue with your detailed uninstall/reinstall tests.My microphone also stopped working right after my KB5064401 and KB5065426 updates on September 10th.

I want to confirm what @Ashok S discovered, because it seems like it's the key to the whole problem: the faint audio people are hearing is coming directly from my phone's built-in microphone, not my PC headset. It seems like the update completely broke the connection to the PC's mic, and the app is just falling back to the phone.

When a Phone Link call is active, the app does not appear in the Windows Volume Mixer (Settings > System > Sound > Volume mixer). Other apps like Zoom or Spotify show up there just fine, but Phone Link is completely missing. This seems to prove it's not connecting to the Windows audio system correctly at all.

This bug has been a huge headache. I was so convinced my hardware was failing that I was ready to spent over $1000 on a new phone to fix it!

I can also confirm that the only thing that fixes this is to uninstall the KB5065426 update. As soon as I did that and restarted, my headset microphone started working again in Phone Link.

Hoping Microsoft sees this and issues a fix soon. For anyone else finding this thread, the problem is definitely the Windows Update. Your hardware is probably fine. Uninstalling the update and pausing future updates is the only workaround for now.

Answer 2

Hi Phil Wearden,

Thank you for sharing the detailed steps you’ve taken. Based on your description and recent reports, the issue you’re experiencing is linked to the Windows 11 cumulative updates KB5064401 and KB5065426, which introduce changes to the audio stack. These changes can cause the Phone Link app to lose microphone access, even though the microphone works in other apps.

Here are the recommended solutions if you want to keep the updates, please try the following steps in order:

1 - Check Microphone Permissions

Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.
Ensure Allow apps to access your microphone and Allow desktop apps to access your microphone are ON.

2 - Set Default Communication Device

Open Control Panel → Sound → Recording tab.
Right-click your microphone → Set as Default Device and Set as Default Communication Device.

3 - Repair or Reset Phone Link

Go to Settings → Apps → Installed Apps → Phone Link → Advanced Options.
Click Repair first; if that doesn’t help, click Reset.

4 - Reinstall Phone Link

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.YourPhone -AllUsers | Remove-AppxPackage

Then reinstall from the Microsoft Store Phone Link

If the above steps don’t resolve the issue and you need Phone Link for calls, the only guaranteed workaround is to uninstall KB5064401 and KB5065426 and pause updates until Microsoft releases a fix. Microsoft is aware of similar issues and is investigating. We recommend:

Submitting feedback via Feedback Hub (search “Feedback Hub” in Start menu).
Keeping updates paused if Phone Link calling is critical for your workflow.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. Accepting an answer helps us track the effectiveness of our support efforts.

Hendrix-V 13,995 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-17T08:01:31.48+00:00

Hi,

Just checking in to see if the above information was helpful. If you have any further updates on this issue, please feel free to post back. If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. Accepting an answer helps us track the effectiveness of our support efforts.

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KB5064401 and KB5065426 release has stopped "Phone Link" microphone working

2 answers

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