(WhatsApp) voice messages switch to loudspeaker between messages when phone is at ear
I noticed a strange behavior on my Samsung Galaxy S26 ultra when listening to voice messages in WhatsApp.
No earbuds connected. I raise the phone to my ear to listen privately through the earpiece. The first voice message plays correctly through the small ear speaker. Then WhatsApp automatically continues to the next voice message.
The second voice message suddenly switches to the loudspeaker at full volume even though the phone is still against my ear, my hand position did not change, and the screen is still near my face. Which is extremely annoying and potentially harmful for the ear.
After some testing, I discovered the issue completely disappears when I remove my phone case which has a magnetic ring on the back (Rugged Magnet Case). So, it seems the magnetic case interferes somehow with the proximity sensor/audio routing during the transition between consecutive voice messages.
Has anyone else experienced this?