Can I use Lightning EarPods with my iPhone?

Owners of the iPhone 5, 5s, 6, 6s and Plus models may be wondering if wired Lightning EarPods will work on their device. After all, the iPhone 5 and later have Lightning ports in addition to a 3.5mm audio jack.

Lightning EarPod compatibility list

Yes, Lightning EarPods will work on devices with a Lightning connector. This means Lightning EarPods will work with older iPhones.

Apple states that iOS 10 is not required, only a Lightning connector. However, some users have reported problems with older versions of iOS. The official list of devices compatible with Lightning EarPods is below:

  • iPhone 5
  • iPhone 5c
  • iPhone 5s
  • iPhone SE
  • iPhone 6
  • iPhone 6 Plus
  • iPhone 6s
  • iPhone 6s Plus
  • iPhone 7
  • iPhone 7 Plus
  • iPad with Retina display
  • iPad mini 2
  • iPad Air
  • iPad Air 2
  • iPad mini 3
  • iPad mini 4
  • iPad Pro (9.7-inch)
  • iPad Pro (12.9-inch)
  • iPod touch 6G

To use Lightning EarPods with any of the above devices, simply plug them into the Lightning connector. In addition to audio, the microphone and remote controls will also work just like they do on headphones plugged into the 3.5mm headphone jack.

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Comments

iOS 10 is required. It's listed on their website: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201869

I received Apple EarPods with lightning connector with a IPhone7. They do not work with my old IPhone6 with iOS 10.1. The error message is "this accessory is not supported by this device. My daughter is using also an iphone 6 with iOS10.1- no problem. Finally my wife's iphone 6+ with iOS10 is not supporting the EarPods with lighting connector.

So the general Apple statement "iOS 10 is required", seems not to be the full story.

Any idea? Could language setting, county of origin etc. be a reason?
Thanks, Stephan 14.01.2017

If you had the iPhone 7, why do you need to test it at iPhone 6 ?

When you road you are road

Yep same here. I tried on my iphone 6 but it doesn't work it Says This Accessory is not supported by this iphone.

Strange, they work fine on my iPhone 6 and I enjoy the better quality of sound on lightning port compared to 3.5mm jack. Is your device upgraded to iOS 10 or higher? I noticed that they do not work on iPhone's 6 with iOS older than 10.

They work for a while on my iPhone 6 running 10.3.3 then brings up the accessory not supported by this Iphone. Having same issues with my power cord