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.
Comments
Anonymous replied on Permalink
ok so this might sound stupid but I dropped my iPhone 4 in the bath and quickly pulled it out. I then realised that the sound wasn't working but it was through setting so I tried the jack thing and blowing air into it and nothing worked please help me my mums gunnah kill me btw im 13
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Okay. Phone had the headphone problem at first and THEN once I cleaned it out and sucked out all the headphone and dock areas it now works for phone calls without speaker on. HOWEVER, now my music will play for 10 seconds at most and cut out. If I blow in the charger dock area, the music will play again for about 10 seconds before cutting out. The dock symbol shows up with the arrow pointing into an upside down C when the sound goes out. I press on it and it indicates a hook up to a dock or a potential dock. How do I fix this and get my music back?
Anonymous replied on Permalink
My phone does not play music through the headphones either and when trying to turn volume up the volume sign shows but no scale HELP!?! Tried turning on and off Reyes aeroplane mode someone help please!?
Joe replied on Permalink
Same issue!! Tried everything. Only thing that worked was putting it in fridge, couple minutes later wala. Butttttt minutes later goes back to same issue. Moral of the story iPhones only last about a year. If you have this issue earlier maybe your too ruff on it. IDN -____-
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Hi,
I've plugged and unplugged my earphones several times and the output sound is still not producing. I bought this phone, ... literally ... yesterday.
Not too happy right now and hoping this will fix soon.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
I've had this problem with my iPhone ever since I got it fixed and it's a little but different then everyone else's. See mine does the same thing too, it will stop randomly when I'm listening to headphones. I unplug them then plug them back in again an they work fine. But when I don't have the headphones In my speakers won't work sometimes. Today I was listening to YouTube with my headphones and for a couple songs it worked fine then it would stop playing music but say it was still playing. I kept trying to unplug them and do it again to see if it would work but it kept doing the same thing. What can I do? HELPPP!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
I have been having a really hard time with changing my phone from headphones back to normal ringtones, etc. However, when I read that the phone might have accidentally been moved to silent on the side of the phone, I removed my phone from the Lifeproof case and found that it was on vibrate only. I turned the phone off of vibrate to get sound again and put it back into the case... Just to be sure, before I closed it again, I pulled it out and found that by putting it into the case, it moved the button back to vibrate. I had to very carefully place the phone into the case without letting the vibrate button slide.
So far, it is working like a charm.
lizziesweet replied on Permalink
Hi iPhone whizzes, Re no sound on iPhone: a couple of days ago the microphone wouldn't work in my language app I was using. Then I discovered I couldn't hear any music. I didn't seem to have any sound, the ringer sound bar was not visible and I was not in "silent" mode.
If I put my headphones on I did have sound. Now here is the strange thing, if I plug my iPhone 4S into iTunes and then unplug it my sound is restored but then disappears again some time later (probably when the phone locks after not being used). When plugged into iTunes there is no sound, only when the charger has been unplugged again. Also today after doing the iTunes thing and unplugging the charger I played music for 45 minutes but, then after turning off the music app and leaving the phone for a while the sound disappeared again.
Yesterday I was on the phone to Apple Support for, wait for it, 5 hours, trying to restore my phone. My phone just doesn't not like being updated either. On 12/7 it took me three hours on the phone to update my phone to IOS6:3:1 after it went into recovery mode. Yesterday I was getting another error message saying my phone could not be restored (not exact wording). I was told by my tech that as it sounds like a software issue that updating to IOS7 would solve the problem. Well guess what, after going through the gruelling 5 hour restore debacle, it didn't.
Also the "insert the headphone jack several times trick" does not work. Apple are sending me a new phone and kindly waiving the replacement fee!! However, I am worried that the sound issue will persist on a new phone as I still think it sounds like a software and not hardware issue.
If anyone has bothered to read all this do you have any answers or suggestions? I would be very grateful.
Thanks, Liz
Anonymous replied on Permalink
restarting works for me. i had headphones on and when i took it out the phone still thinks theyre plugged in. ringtones work but afterwards they go back thinking headphones are in. restarted the phone and voila, sounds are on again.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Well after hours of frustration and a EE shop saying
You have to take into Apple shop. I followed a link to get my iphone 4 sound working.
Volume said " headphones " only . I sucked the headphone socket with my lips . It worked !!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
It didn't work for me :(
Anonymous replied on Permalink
None of these tricks worked for me
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Mine will still not work
Anonymous replied on Permalink
the sqeeze solution worked for me too go figure. had to try all over worked around the bottom corner
Omer replied on Permalink
This happens once there is some moisture inside which makes phone malfunction place your phone upside down out in the sun for some appropriate time it would warm the phone and it vaporizes the moisture and phone starts working perfectly fine . This worked for me :D
Anonymous replied on Permalink
compressed air worked.
Alexa replied on Permalink
Okay, so I restarted my phone when this happened, and it worked, but I'm a little antsy after reading all of the other comments. Repeatedly unplugging and re-plugging the earphones in and out, didn't work, and neither did blowing in the earphone jack, compressed air and just from the mouth. Switching the silencing button didn't work either, so try restarting your phone because I guess it's a new start, but unplug your earphones before.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Okay so, friend gave his me iphone 5, he dropped it and the speaker stopped working, I read through this post and squeezed the middle, didn't work, then I squeezed the side, BOOM, worked! I couldn't believe it, this is just excellent!
incognito replied on Permalink
The most elegant solution I found is to blow... HARD. (in fact, it is the solution to nearly all hardware problems)
Anonymous replied on Permalink
I actually found a way to make the sound work. I made a Viber call on speaker for like an hour. And viola! It just started working. I cut the call, and surprisingly, my sound came back on.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
I just restarted mine and it WORKED !!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Worked for me
Anonymous replied on Permalink
I really need help...does blowing air in the headphone jack work even if my iphone fell?
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Worked like a charm!!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
I used the suggestion and repeatedly inserted and removed my headphones and it works!!!. Thanks
Anononymous replied on Permalink
I tried everything. Plugging in and out, squeezing the middle of my iphone, airplane on and offf, playing with volume buttons, repowering, hard reboot, all to figure out that the thing that plugges into my phone broke and half of it was stuck in the hole. All that 7 days waisted just for that. Dont buy cheap headphones..
Anonymous replied on Permalink
i tried doing everything it still doesnt work :/
help please
Anonymous replied on Permalink
My phone would play sound on music and then stopped working when I was making/receiving calls. Just tried the trick with the cotton bud, sucked through the tube and hey presto it started working! Amazing!!!
Jaelin replied on Permalink
I have tried every single method but none of them seem to work.
I put my IPhone 4S into a speaker for a while and the volume worked once.i can only hear sounds when I FaceTime or call or my alarm goes off. This recently happened a couple days ago and it's driving me insane.:(
Derfmiglyt replied on Permalink
It worked!ur a genius man!!um about to lose hope ang pay a $175 deductable to tmobile until i read abt ur article!!so helpful!god bless u for sharing ur knowledge! U save people like us to spend our hard earned money to those already rich co. God is good for a person like u!
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