My iPhone sometimes stops outputting sound after I remove my earbuds/headphones? How can I fix this?

My iPhone sometimes stops outputting sound after I remove my earbuds/headphones? How can I fix this?

Though the fix for this particular issue has remained unchanged for some time now - which can be surprising because it is so un-elegant - this issue continues to come to us from iPhoneFAQ readers. It also continues to pop up on Apple's iPhone discussion forums and on other iPhone related websites. So, we figured we'd publish the all-too-uninteresting solution.

For those unfamiliar with the issue, on occasion, the iPhone will stop outputting sound out of its external speaker after headphones are removed from the headphone jack . Essentially, the iPhone thinks the headphones are still connected and will continue to ouput sound only through the headphone port until you're able to "convince" it that the nothing is plugged in. Often, even powering down and back up one's iPhone won't solve the problem.

Why? Because that attempted solution is just too fancy. Believe it or not, the only known fix to this issue is to repeatedly insert and remove a device from the headphone jack. Remember to play a song or otherwise output sound when plugging and unplugging your earbuds, headphones, etc.

We've forwarded this solution to everyone who has written in with this same issue, and we've yet to hear back from anyone reporting that it did not solve the problem.

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Comments

I have had this problem twice. I sent my iphone back to apple and in three days got a brand new phone. And i mind you, this happened twice. Two new phones, same issue. So i recomened given Apple a call if your battery is not so good and you have this problem

I just ran into this issue today and used compressed air and sprayed it right into the headphone jack and the damn thing worked fine without even rebooting.

Thanks a lot ...
Its magic ... is this an iPhone feature ... :)
lol ..

I tried blowing air into the headphone jack after I had tried plugging and unplugging. it worked!! Unbelievably!!!

Worked like there wasnt an issue in the first place.

Thanks. Was starting to get a little frustrated and taking the jack in and out and resetting. Simply blowing in it worked. Good advice.

thanks for your advice, compressed air totally worked!! even after falling into a spa at Snoop Doggs pool party at Jupiters Casino!!

Thank you, ba55ey. Blowing in air worked. I think the jack might have a minor short cut or stuck so it's still think the ear bud was plugged in. I tried several other tricks but only this blowing in air method works. Thanks again for sharing this trick and saved my trip to Apple store!
Just in case, here is the method copied below:

Submitted by ba55ey (not verified) on February 11, 2011 - 11:08pm.
I tried blowing air into the headphone jack after I had tried plugging and unplugging. it worked!! Unbelievably!!!
Worked like there wasnt an issue in the first place.

lol mates.. this must be a iphone feature and i think the founder should be paid some millions , iphone coop what ya think... worked ..double thanks to you guys for the findout i was already getting pissed..

wow, I can't believe that this honestly worked! I actually didn't even have to used compressed air, I just blew into it, sort of like the old super nintendo games. It works just fine now. Thanks!

that worked perfect spent and hr on the phone with rogers and 5 mins on the net searching and ur solution worked perfect!!! :) much thanks from a DJ who uses his phone 23 outta 24 hrs a day lol!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

lol. i was having this issue for a couple of days now. wow. all i did was just blew in the headphone jack and now it works. wow wow wow. thanks. :)

Same here, thanks for the tip. You saved me a bunch of panic.

why it didn't for me :(

It hasn't worked for me either. I've tried sucking, blowing, vacuum, airplane mode on/off, I have no idea what else to try. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IS WORKING :(

Compressed air did it for me. On the first try, the audio was back. Plugging a headphone jack did jack.

where do you get compressed air

Office Depot should have compressed air.

Thanks for that, ive been tearing my hair out wondering what had happened to the notification sounds, thanks again :-)

I just did that. And it worked lol. Tried the other method on no dice. Just get a computer duster or if u got a compressor just blow it out. Sometimes they tend to gather alot of lint debre and other crap.

This worked for me too!

Unbelievable!!! It worked for me too!!! Thank you!!!

Thank you so much! I can barely afford this phone so I don't have a warranty, I really appreciate this :L I didnt think it would work for me, thank you thank you thank you LOL

OMG that was amazing and it worked.! I dread going to AT&T with my IPhone only to be sent into the next state where the closest apple store is to have it looked at and eventually traded or sent off because they cant figure it out. Thank you

Thanks, it did the trick for us too.

omg.
well
i did everything what others told me
i inserted and removed sooooooo many times my bundle earpiece almost broke
and yet it didnt fix the problem.
then again,
i "turned it off" and turned it back on--omg--it worked as if nothing had been wrong.

make sure u turn it off properly thou, whcih is pressing top button and square button together for 10sec.

i hope this helps others :)

hi i am iphone expert
if any one have problem conslt me
my email is hashim_hunny@yahoo.com
the problem which is now disscussing is speaker problem
there are few issue for this problm
1) clean ur head jack port
2)thing wich i am going to told u is very important n u have never before
the major defect for speaker not working without handfree is clean k usb port
the lower side of the usb port clean it with tooth pick is will reslove ur problem
if it presist still then contact me
my cell number is +923314001302
my email hashim_hunny@yahoo.com

You're adivce worked out of all the ones i read. I cleaned the usb port on the bottom of my phone with a toothpick and some dust had got in there. Turned the phone off and on again and now sound works and i dont get a message popping up every 5 seconds saying this accessory is not optimised for the phone. Must have been some short somewhere

anyway thanks for the advice

Well Dear I have same problem with I phone 4 gs. When I insert usb pin for charging it pops up and there wont be sms ping or I can not hear the speaker voice, I thought it has something to do with moisture, as my phone was just got dipped in water for seconds. But on viewing the comments over here I felt That I am not the victim of this problem. As someody mentions some lint deber and what not could be the problem. And after blowing air by mouth in the usb port it work to the some extent but occuring again.

Hi Sir,

I am using iphone model 3GS my cell got a probelm that if any calls me i can't hear through reciever but if i on the speaker i can able to listen from it please let me know what is the problem please and tell me the solution from it.

Hashim, my friend, you are a gentleman and a scholar! I tried all the other fixes and this was the only one that worked (after working this issue for about a week). Thank you. My daughter also thanks you - now she can play angry birds with sound again!

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