If you use SCRCPY to screen mirror your Android device to your Windows PC to increase your productivity, you’ve probably attempted to make or accept phone calls, only for SCRCPY to instantly close. You’ve probably also noticed that the same thing happens when trying to join meetings and other events in certain apps like Zoom, etc. So, is there anything you can do to stop this from happening?
Takeaways:
- How do you stop SCRCPY from closing whenever you accept a phone call?
- How do you stop SCRCPY from closing whenever you make a phone call?
- How do you stop SCRCPY from closing wherever you join meetings in apps like Zoom?
Table of Contents
Why This Happens? Android has security features in place.
Android has built-in audio focus management and privacy enforcement that:
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Prioritise audio for active communication apps (VoIP, video calls, telephony).
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Restrict third-party or background apps from capturing or forwarding audio during active calls or any session that might involve voice input/output.
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Prevent apps like scrcpy, which forward audio via sndcpy or similar mechanisms, from being recognised as valid output devices during these events.
This is especially strict for:
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System audio capture (which is only allowed in very specific cases).
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Audio output redirection to virtual or external sinks.
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Simultaneous use of audio input/output by more than one app on Android grants exclusive access to call apps during sessions.
Can This Be Bypassed?
Not without root access or major compromises. While rooting your phone was quite common and granted a lot of freedom years ago. It's seen to be more of a liability today, so it's best to just avoid it. The same goes for installing custom ROMS.
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Android does not allow apps to override the system's audio focus rules.
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scrcpy and sndcpy work by using Android’s AudioPlaybackCapture API, which is blocked once a call session starts or is about to start.
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There’s no supported or secure way to force audio capture from a device during a call due to user privacy protections.
Think of it like Android saying, “We don’t know if this call is sensitive, so we cut off access to all outputs unless explicitly permitted.”
It's pretty much the same reason/thing that causes the black screen issue with some apps, which we cover in detail in this guide: How to fix SCRCPY Black Screen in Apps & Lockscreen
Possible Workarounds?
Use screen casting + internal mic workaround: You might mirror video via scrcpy and separately capture ambient tablet audio using a mic, but it's not ideal for quality or latency.
Root your device: As we mentioned above, this is not recommended. With root access, it’s theoretically possible to hook into audio at a deeper system level. However, this breaks device integrity, OTA updates, and may violate the terms of service for communication apps.
Run scrcpy before launching any communication app: In some cases, scrcpy may continue video-only mirroring if started before the communication app takes over, but audio forwarding will still stop once audio focus shifts.
