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

Im gonna explain with more details this method for those who tried it and did not work.
I turned Airplance mode on and off and it did not work.... what i did is i turned it on again and left it on for a few minutes.... after a couple minutes I started pressing the volume buttons (airplane mode still on) and they worked, then i turned airplane mode back off and everything else was working fine, hope this helps some of you.

Thanks a ton!!! Tried do many fixes as mentioned on various forums. The only fix that worked was putting it on an airplane mode and then off.

THANK YOU!!! None of the above suggestions worked until yours! Airplane mode on/off~!

YOU DA REAL MVP

I tried all the suggestions to try and fix the problem with sound- blowing into the socket , putting head set in and out, pressing the middle etc and in the end none worked.
I fixed the problem by having no head set in and going into sound settings, holding my finger on the volume key on the side of the phone and with my other hand slide the messge alert, mailbox etc on and off untill I heard the sounds. Worked for me

hemel

i changed the back housing and now when i try to adjust the volume it says headphones, even tho none are plugged in!!!! ive heard that there are two different types of headphone jacks that apple uses....any1 know how to find out which one u have??? or how to fix without having to change the housing again??

+1 for the tip about playing around with the ring tones in the settings. I'd be blowing, poking and throwing my phone around for two days before trying this method, and in the end it was all the stupid thing needed. Cheers.

Just played a ringtone....baam off headphone mode. NOTHING else worked!

I bought a brand new iphone today - havent even had it for 6 hours yet...this trick did not work. HELP! I've tried reseting the phone and plugging in and unpluging the headpones - still nothing. What am I to do next?!?

I've tried doing this and yet my iphone4 still doesn't have sound when i do what you told me to do I've

The Middle Squeeze has just worked for me; And I was mighty skeptical.....But it did work!

I put my iPhone in the fridge for 5 minutes and start working . I didn't have problems with the phone in the winter, but now here is summer and is very hot all the time, and I saw a comment that the reason can be the hot temperature, I tried everything else, but my fridge helped me :)
good luck

I had that same problem and I tried putting the phone in the fridge for 5 minutes and it didn't work. So I removed it from the case and put it in the fridge for another 15 minutes and it work. Thank you.

hahahahahhahahahahahahahah XD

This does *not* fix my issue. The sound is not being solely output through my headphone jack... I know this because it still makes lock and unlock noises.

No audio comes out of the speaker, OR is received by parties at the other end of my line. This happens with apple earphones, bluetooth headset or plain.

When I initiate a call or accept a call, default audio mode is 'speaker', which also does nothing.

HELP!!

SAme here,
my iphone completely works except on calls.
On a call i cannot hear the other party and they cannot hear me (weather on loud speaker, earphones, or normal). This is not the headphone jack problem.
using the VIBER app the phone works perfect, I cant find anything on this problem and it is very fustrating.
PLEASE HELP ME ANYONE

Any Ideas ???

I was super frustrated and hating my iphone while reading your solutions, and thank you all for them. I just wanna be the guy who states the obvious because I missed it bigtime. I couldn't figure out why my phone was silent on the locks, the keyboard, incoming calls and texts, yet playing music from my itunes. Then I realized that my phone was on silent, not my doing, happened in my pocket.

Anyway, I want to save others the frustration, check the silent tab on the side of the phone.

Unbelievable...I didn't even know this button existed-mine was on silent too-THANKS!!!

Yup that was my issue to. Too bad it took me an hour to figure this out. I just came back here to post the solution also.

OMG! That was it! Thanks so much, It has been a frustrating week without the sound! Thank you for an easy fix. Deb

Oh my God. I didn't even know there WAS a silent tab. Thank you so much for posting this.

This happened a few months ago to my phone, I tried all the tips that eveyone had posted--inserting head phones, blowing into the jack, squeezing the middle of the phone. Nothing worked, then the sounds miraculously started working a week later, but I had no idea what prompted the fix.

Sounds just went out again today and after reading this post, I realized that the silent tab was on. I feel equal parts stupid and relieved!

Thanks!

Omg! This worked for me too. Happened in my pocket too. Didn't even know that button was there. Too bad I restored my phone to new. Could have saved a lot of time if I'd looked here first before calling apple. Thanks so much!

Omfg thank you for that info I totally forgot about that switch!! I was getting really irritated until now! Thanks so much'

THANK YOU!! never knew this button was here.......it worked!!

I have the opposite problem. I pull out the headphone Jack and music starts playing through the speaker. Even though I was not listening to music.

Re your iphone sound not working without headphones,you may have accidentally turned off the small silver audio speaker switch which is located above the volume control on the top left hand side of your iphone,flip it back on if you have and problem solved.

I haven't had sound forever without headphones :(
I tried all kinds of "fixes" nothing worked.
I got to the bottom of this forum and it said squeeze the phone. lol...
I squeezed the sides and nothing, so i pressed in the middle of the screen and it was MAGIC.
SOUND YAY
thanks everyone :)

oh man...i was reading all of these different comments..i tried blowing as hard as i could and m nothing...but then when i squeezed the middle....my phone rang!!! yayyyyyyyy

Not the best first impression I got from my new iPhone 4 (32GB Black). I got the phone yesterday, brand new, played around with it and checked some menus. And then no sounds from speakers. Vibration did work so I knew when someone called me, and I could hear them on the phone and they hear me, but no ringtones, SMS tones or sounds from iPod.

Trying to change the volume didnt say headphones.

What I did to make it work was press with my thumbs as hard as I could around the square button (from the left and right sides of it). Then it started working, played some music for 20 minutes and now (as of writing this) it stopped working again, sounds just stopped. Pressing around the square does make the sound come back, but stops almost immediately I release the pressure.

Has to be a defect in manufacture, a connectivity issue with some wires or such. Stupid phone :(

! :O i am almost going insane ! my phone isn't an iphone but i have exactly the same problem. this was the only website with solutions so i guess i hoped to find something. but it shouldn't be different because of another phone ? i tried the fridge thing and blowing until my cheeks were totally sore and the plugging and unplugging but nothing is working ! this problem showed up shortly after i had dropped it but it was a few hours later ... can that be the reason for my problem or can this be solved ?
please help !

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