In this period we have more frequently had to participate in video lessons, video conferences and video calls via the PC . However, it may happen that you do not have a microphone available, or that the microphone integrated with the computer is no longer functional or that you have one of unsatisfactory quality. In these cases, not everyone knows that it is possible to use our smartphone directly as a valid replacement (temporary or otherwise).
In the next paragraphs we will see how you can use the phone as a microphone for PC and Mac , by reviewing the various methods.
Use your phone as a microphone with WO Mic on Windows
WO Mic is a spectacular application that allows you to transform your smartphone into a microphone, valid for both Android and
Apple devices .
The app is great but is only available for Windows OS. To work WO Mic needs to have the application (the client) installed and active on the phone and PC at the same time. Once the application is installed on both platforms, they can be connected to each other via: Wi-Fi, USB cable, WiFi-Direct, or Bluetooth.
The WO Mic application is free and works with any other program (Skype, Google Meet , Microsoft Teams , Zoom , Jitsi ).
Preliminary operations to use WO Mic
Before using Wo Mic it is necessary to do a short configuration, consisting of some preliminary operations which consist in the installation of clients and drivers .
Installing the app on the phone you want to use is simple, just download it from the Play Store if you have an Android smartphone, or from the App Store if you have an iPhone, or an iPad.
Installing the client on a Windows PC is almost as simple, just go to the official WO Mic page and click on “ WO Mic client for Windows “. Once you have downloaded the executable (wo_mic_client_setup.exe) you will need to start it to proceed with the installation.
The installation procedure is the usual one, first you have to choose the language (unfortunately the program is not available in Italian), it will be better to opt for ” English ” and press the “OK” button; then to complete click on “ Next ” and finally on “ Install ” and then on “ Finish “.
Then you need to install the drivers for Windows , so the microphone can be detected and used by all other applications.
Fortunately, installing the driver is very easy, just:
- go to the official WO Mic page ;
- click on ” WO Mic device driver for Windows” and proceed to download;
- once finished, just start the downloaded file (womic_driver_setup.exe);
- the first screen will ask you to select the driver to install, the check will be automatically placed on the most correct choice, you can immediately click on “ Install” and shortly after on “ Close “.
Connection between telephone and computer
The connection between the smartphone and the computer can take place in different ways, the best methods in our experience are the classic connection via WiFi, the one via USB cable and the connection with Bluetooth.
Connection to WO Mic via WiFi
This is the simplest method (and the only one that works with iPhone) so it is the first that we recommend you try, just a few steps:
- first you need to make sure that the phone we want to use as a microphone and the PC are connected to the same WiFi network;
- open the phone’s WO Mic app, tap the gear icon;
- select the ” Wi-Fi” option in the ” Transport ” item ;
- on the same app go back to the main screen and tap on the triangular icon at the top right, a gray banner will appear indicating the IP address of the phone that we will need in the next point;
- then open the app for Windows, click on ” Connection” then on ” Connect “, check “Wi-Fi” and enter the IP address of the phone found in the previous point, then press the ” Connect ” button ;
- at this point you are ready to use the microphone.
Connection to WO Mic via USB
Here is briefly how to make the connection via USB, unfortunately this method only works with Android smartphones :
- connect the smartphone to the PC via USB cable (the one with which you usually charge the phone will be fine);
- enable USB debuggingon your smartphone , if you don’t know how to do it, follow our guide on how to activate USB debugging on Android ;
- open the WO Mic app on the phone, press the gear icon at the top right and select the ” USB” option in the ” Transport ” item ;
- start the Windows WO Mic client, click on ” Connection” then on ” Connect “, check ” USB ” and finally press the ” Connect ” button ;
- if everything is successful, the link will appear and you can go back to the Android app and press the ” Play” button (with a triangle icon) at the top right to start using the phone’s microphone.
Connection to WO Mic via Bluetooth
The procedure for connecting via Bluetooth is similar, you need to:
- to connect to the PC and smartphone via Bluetooth connection, you must first activate the Bluetooth of your smartphone, the option is usually available in “Settings”> “Connection”, once reached you will need to activate it;
- then on Windows you can press the key combination ” Windows + i” to go to the system settings, then press on ” Devices ” and on ” Bluetooth and other devices”, at this point click on ” Add Bluetooth device ” select the phone and follow the procedure for the association;
- once paired, start the WO Mic Windows client, click on ” Connection” then on ” Connect “, check ” Bluetooth “, and finally press the ” Connect ” button ;
- then open the WO Mic app on the phone, press the gear icon at the top right and select the ” Bluetooth” option in the ” Transport ” item ;
- if all goes well, the link will appear on the Windows client and you can go back to the Android or iOS app and press the ” Play” button (with a triangle icon) at the top right to start using the phone’s microphone.
Common problem with WO Mic
If, despite the connection being successful, you still cannot hear anything on the PC, it is advisable to check that the WO Mic microphone is correctly set as an audio recording device .
To do this, just go to the Windows settings with the key combination ” Windows key + i “, then on ” System ” and then on ” Audio “. On the screen, in the “Input” section there is a convenient drop-down menu where you can choose ” Microphone (WO Mic Device)” .
So immediately below you can see if the microphone is working properly, try to speak and see if your voice is detected correctly.
Use iPhone as a microphone on Mac
As usual in the Apple ecosystem many things are integrated into the system, it is also the case of the possibility of using an iPhone as a microphone . The feature is available from MacOS Sierra. Usage is very simple, just:
- on the Mac, open the ” Audio MIDI Configuration” utility , you can find it by going first to the “Applications” folder and then to the ” Utility ” subfolder ;
- once launched, you will notice that the iPhone icon is present in the left sidebar, then click on the ” Enable” button ;
- at this point the authorization screen will appear on the iPhone and you will have to enter the unlock code of your device.
Then you have to download and install an app to manage the iPhone microphone.
One of the best free is Microphone Live, available on the App Store . Once installed, you have to launch it, give it permission to access the microphone and then press the ” no output ” button and choose the item ” Dock connector “.
Then, on Mac, to complete the procedure, go to ” System Preferences” (it is the gear-shaped icon at the bottom of the Dock), click on ” Sound ” here and choose the iPhone from the audio sources.
Finally go back to the ” Microphone Live ” app and press the ” ON ” button . At this point the procedure will be finished and you can use your iPhone as a microphone in your favorite applications.
Use smartphones as microphones with various programs
Once you have configured your smartphone with one of the methods described, you can use it as a microphone during your video chats. Just select it in the video conferencing service of your preference.
For example, on Google Meet it will be enough:
- click on the three dots placed vertically;
- then press on the item ” Settings“;
- then in the microphone choose ” WO Mic device” or ” iPhone “, it depends on the part of the guide you followed.
Some simple workarounds
If you have a male-to-male audio cable, there are some alternatives to using your phone as a computer microphone that are simpler and require less effort.
To use them, just insert one end of the cable into the 3.5-inch jack on your PC and another end into the jack of your smartphone. Obviously, this path is impractical on those smartphones that do not have an audio jack.
In this case, just use on Android, the convenient and simple Microphone app for Android, available for free on the Play Store. And on the iPhone the analogous Megaphone Free app, available for free on the App Store .
