No one can deny the fact that the Steam Deck is a wonderful device. Being able to play titles like Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077 on your bed or on the go is just nothing short of amazing. And while it may not be as powerful as some of its competitors, it certainly decimates them when it comes to support—software and hardware included. But the Deck isn’t a perfect device, and it has some issues. These are mostly software-related, and one of them just so happens to be the focus of this guide. The Audio Crackle issue, to be exact.
Well, the name explains for itself. For some reason, players at times hear crackling audio being output by their Decks, and we don’t know what’s the main cause behind it. But that doesn’t mean this issue can’t be fixed. In fact, this guide will help you deal with it. So, without much further ado, continue reading to find out the fixes for this one.
Steam Deck Audio Crackle Issue (2024): How to fix it?
There’s already an official fix for this issue, so don’t forget to try that. Besides that, the community has suggested some workaround of their own, all of which are mentioned below. So try these workarounds and see if any of them are of help.
Disable Wi-Fi Power Management –
Some players were able to get around this issue by simply disabling Wi-Fi Power Management. Now, we know how strange that sounds, but hey, if it works, then we aren’t going to complain. And if you don’t know how to disable Wi-Fi power management, follow the steps below:
- First, you need to open the menu on your Deck and select Settings from the options presented.
- Now, since you will be disabling Wi-Fi power management, we will need to enable Developer Mode. For that, select System and toggle on the Enable Developer Mode option located on the left side.
- After that, switch back to the main settings menu and scroll down until you find the Developer Setting.
- On the left side of the screen, you will find the Enable Wi-Fi Power Management option below Miscellaneous. Toggle it off, and then restart your Deck.
Update the Deck –
In case you didn’t know, Valve fixed this issue way back with the 3.4 OS update. So, if you are encountering this issue, then you might not have updated your Deck in a while. As such, the best thing to do here is to update the handheld device. If the issue remains, you can try the next workaround.
Check for physical damage –
The issue could also be a result of physical damage, and so we recommend you check your Deck thoroughly. If possible, open up the Deck and see if there’s anything broken or damaged in there. If that is indeed the case, then the only solution is to either RMA the Deck or repair it yourself.
Install the Pause Games plugin –
If you are experiencing an audio crackling issue after waking up the Deck from sleep, then the Pause Games plugin might be of help. As suggested here, you will need to install Decky Loader first, so do that. Once you have installed Decky Loader, install the Pause Games plugin and enable the Pause before suspend option.
Reset the Deck –
For some, resetting their Deck is what helped them fix this issue. And if none of the aforementioned methods were of help, then you can try this method. To do so,
- Make sure the Deck is in Gaming mode and not in Desktop mode.
- Next, press the Steam button and select Settings > System.
- Now scroll to the Advanced section, and then Reset to Factory State.
- Click on the Factory Reset button to reset the Deck.
And that’s all it takes to get the audio crackle issue fixed on your Steam Deck. And since you now know how to fix that, why not see how you can enjoy the new VRR feature in SteamOS 3.5.5? As always, don’t forget to follow DigiStatement for more guides like this. Also read: Steam Deck Oled shipping time for USA, UK, Australia & more
