When your Nothing Phone (2) goes silent or the volume is barely there, it can really throw you off. Whether you're missing notifications, can't hear calls, or your music sounds weak, these audio glitches are usually fixable without much fuss. I'd start with the simplest checks first, as they often do the trick.
It is worth confirming the basics with a quick speaker test. If neither channel plays a tone, you are looking at a hardware or connection problem rather than a settings issue.
Check Your Volume and Sound Mode
First, press the volume up button on the side of your phone. Make sure you're not in Silent mode, which you can check by looking for a bell icon with a line through it in your status bar. If you see that, pull down the quick settings panel and tap the sound icon to switch back to Sound mode.
For more control, go into Settings > Sound & vibration. Here you can adjust the sliders for Media, Ring, Alarm, and Notification volumes individually. Sometimes an app's volume gets turned down separately, so it's worth a look.
Disconnect Bluetooth and Accessories
Your phone might be trying to send audio somewhere else. Swipe down from the top of your screen twice to open the full quick settings menu and make sure the Bluetooth tile is turned off. If it's on, tap it to disable it, which will disconnect any paired headphones or speakers.
Also, physically unplug any USB-C headphones or dongles. Even a charging cable can sometimes interfere with the audio routing on some phones, so it's a quick thing to test.
Clean the Speaker Grilles
The Nothing Phone (2) has a distinctive design with its speaker grilles along the top edge and bottom. Over time, pocket lint and dust can get packed in there, muffling the sound. Grab a soft, dry toothbrush or a clean, dry paintbrush and gently brush across the grilles.
You can also use a can of compressed air, but hold it upright and use very short bursts from a few inches away. Never use a pin or paperclip to dig at the grille, as you'll likely push debris further in or damage the speaker itself.
Restart Your Phone
A simple restart clears out temporary software bugs that can affect audio. Just press and hold the power button until the power menu appears, then tap "Restart." Let the phone boot up completely and check your sound.
If the phone is completely unresponsive or the restart doesn't help, you can force a reboot. Press and hold the power button for about 10 seconds, or until you feel a vibration and see the Nothing logo appear on screen. This is the force restart method for the Phone (2).
Check Do Not Disturb and Focus Modes
If your notifications are silent but media plays, check your Focus modes. Go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls > Focus modes. See if any are active that might be silencing alerts.
Also, swipe down your notification shade and look for the Do Not Disturb icon (a circle with a line through it). If it's on, tap it to turn it off, or go to Settings > Sound & vibration > Do Not Disturb to manage its rules.
Boot Into Safe Mode
This will tell you if a third-party app you installed is causing the problem. To enter Safe Mode, press and hold the power button until the power menu shows up. Then, press and hold the "Power off" option on your screen. A prompt will appear asking if you want to reboot to Safe Mode, tap "OK."
Your phone will restart and "Safe mode" will appear in the bottom corner. Test your sound now. If it works normally in Safe Mode, a recently downloaded app is likely the culprit. You'll need to restart normally to exit Safe Mode and then uninstall apps one by one to find the offender.
Clear the Cache for Sound-Related Apps
Corrupted app data can sometimes cause issues. Go to Settings > Apps > See all apps. Tap the three-dot menu in the top right and select "Show system apps." Now, find and select apps like "Android System," "Media Storage," or "SoundPicker."
For each one, tap "Storage & cache" and then tap "Clear cache." This doesn't delete any personal data, just temporary files. After clearing a few, restart your phone and test the audio again.
Update Nothing OS
Software updates frequently include bug fixes for audio drivers and system performance. Make sure you're running the latest version. Go to Settings > System > System update and tap "Check for update."
If an update is available, I'd recommend connecting to Wi-Fi and plugging in your charger before downloading and installing it. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip can get warm during this process, and keeping it powered helps.
Reset All Settings
If you're still having issues and you've ruled out hardware, this resets all your system settings to default without touching your photos, messages, or apps. Go to Settings > System > Reset options.
Tap "Reset all settings" and confirm. Your Wi-Fi passwords, Bluetooth pairings, and personalized settings like your Glyph Interface patterns will be erased, but it can resolve deep-seated configuration conflicts causing sound problems.