Q: iphone thinks headphones are plugged in even when not - how to fix

I got my iPhone wet and I soon realised the speaker wasn't working (it said I had headphones plugged in) but then I tried the paper clip and tissue technique and worked like a charm :) such a relief! Thanks

I am having the exact same problem. Q-tips, paperclips, air, bobby pins, unplugging and plugging in headphones, reset and restore- nothing is working for me. Is anyone else having Siri activate when they plug in the headphones?

I spilled a drink on my iPhone 5 and a little water got into the headphone jack. I dried it out with a piece of tightly rolled paper towel and then came on here and saw the paperclip tip. Worked like a charm! Thanks paperclip dude!

Worked for me! Thanks!

Thank you for your suggestion! I had the exact same problem and was really freaking out about it. I sucked really hard on the headphone jack and it worked!!!! A million thank you's!!!!!!

I tried sucking on the headphone jack several times.  I was about to give up, but I decided to try it once more, and it worked! ☺ I had dropped my iPhone in a puddle, deep enough to fully submerge it. I am amazed how robust these things are. Well done, Apple! Even so, my iPhone never leaves the house again without its Otter Box.

The mostly stripped Q-tiip worked for me where nothing else did. I was in a downpour and the headphone jack end was uppermost in my outside pouch, so even with the umbrella that must have done it in. A friend just told me, though, that evidence of exposure to moisture in your iPhone invalidates your warranty, even for unrelated problems. So I guess that's it for free fixes.

Ok, when I read this I laughed.  Then I tried it and laughed my *ss off at myself for "falling for it".  Then I realized I didn't form a good seal when trying it.  Then I tried again, AND IT WORKED!  I laughed so freaking hard! It sounds ridiculous and I felt like a dork doing it but it really worked!

edited to add: This is regards to this advice:

"This happened to me. I read on another site that if you suck really hard on the headphone port it would fix it. I tried it, and it worked instantly!" by KBlomquist

Same happened to me after my daughter threw my phone in literally a teaspoon of milk in her cereal bowl.

Sucked on the headphone jack (not a pleasant sight)

Stripped an ear bud (q-tip) this helped but didn't resolve the problem.

Activated my music so I would know when it worked, rolled up some kitchen roll and bingo! Thank you. This just saved me a trip to the apple store.

Worked for me !

I tried all methods before, but only worked with your solution

Thanks !

I tried Q-tip, paper clip, blowing, slight banging, etc. and nothing.  The only thing that worked for me was sucking the headphone jack and it worked instantly!!!  Great tips - and saved me a lot of time from visiting the Genius Bar.

Pushing rolled tissue to the bottom worked for me! Thanks a lot to Cdaamn...

Solved my problem too.... Used regular paper napkin and it worked!!! Thanks a lot!!!

Hi all. Just had this problem and stuck a needle in headphone socket and pulled out loads of fluff. Works fine again now

The partially-denuded Q-tip did the trick for me after nothing else worked. I realized that a small amount of water must have gotten into the headphone jack when I was out in a driving rainstorm earlier that day. Even though I had an umbrella and my iPhone was in my purse, it was in an outer pocket that obviously was exposed to some moisture.

A similarly low-tech solution fixed my wireless mouse, which kept losing its connection after I changed batteries. Apparently slipping a piece of paper between the batteries as well as laying on on top before closing the lid keeps the batteries from moving; the commenter said that all batteries are not the same size and if you buy slightly smaller ones it causes this issue. I love these low-tech solutions to high-tech problems!