iPhone stuck in "headphones" mode

Ok. We need to provide the feedback to apple. There is a feedback section on here to do so


I tried posting something similar but apple removed my post as I am "citing a riot" or some bs.

Have updated to 3.1.3, same problem persists. After any extended use, whether actual phone use, web surfing, map use or whatever, phone switches spontaneously to headphones mode. If you realize this has happened in the middle of a long business call, you can quickly switch to speakerphone mode to continue, but can't get back to normal phone mode. If you plug in your headphones/mic, most times this will cut off the call.

If your party will hold on after you've told them what happened, a quick trip of the phone to the freezer for 90-120 seconds will often restore normal function, though your reserve of functional time before next spontaneous switch to headphones is reduced.

I have demonstrated this to Apple Geniuses in NYC, and have discussed this with telephone support. I continue to get the "that's a new one" answer, even after I point them to this thread and its' 44,000 views, and in one case, after reminding the Genius I had been in before and we had discussed the whole thing.

For the moment, I'm carrying my headphones/mic everywhere until I get this replaced. I'm still waiting for Apple to step up on this issue, as many of you have requested in previous posts.

Finnished, you nailed it perfectly. That is exactly the experience I have been having, although I never try to cool my phone in the refrigerator. That is just ridiculous, although I hand it to you and other iPhone users for your ingenuity.

I have had the phone go into headphones mode spontaneously during several business calls and have also found that plugging in the headphones will disconnect the call. If we were meant to use headphones all the time, they should have called it an iPod with calling functionality, not an iPhone with music functionality.

Using headphones is to me just a workaround, and an annoying one at that. I have serious doubts about buying another iPhone, since it could suffer the same problem. I baby my phone and use no case which could act as an insulator. Even when the phone has been sitting idly for hours, long before feeling warm to the touch, this problem can occur. After only 2 years of gentle use, it is totally unacceptable, but perhaps the problem is not the hardware after all, but recent iterations of the OS.

I also would like to see this issue marked as yet unresolved.

I sent an email to Steve Jobs detailing this issue. While I did not get a response back from him, I did have an Apple Customer Service Representative call me to discuss it. After directing the man to this thread and having him read through the issues, his response was, "based on the metrics that I can see - and you can't, this is not a widespread problem. As a matter of fact, it looks as though it is only a few people and they are posting repeatedly." I called his attention to the fact that it had over 45,000 views for the topic and he brushed that off. His solution was to "use a bluetooth" or "use the headphones" but that since the phone was out of warranty, there really wasn't anything to do. He did call at&t for me to try and move up my upgrade date so I could buy a new phone sooner. Which, they wouldn't do, even though my upgrade date is in June, just 3 months from now. Anyway, he did acknowledge that it sounded like a bad chip or heating issue and that sometimes "those things just happen." I was certainly impressed that they called me. But, unimpressed that he offered no solution other than to hold out until my upgrade date and buy a new phone. I even went through the laundry list of thousands of dollars of Apple products I have purchased over the years - all to no avail. So, doesn't appear as though any of us are going to see a fix or replacement phone for our troubles. For now, I am back to carrying around my headphones and holding my phone against my air conditioning vent in my car. I am very disappointed.

Got my phone up against the window now (Wisconsin, 20 degrees out), went to headphones after 3 minutes of web surfing this morning. I'm saving energy, as I don't need to use the freezer.

I'm somewhat suspicious of the Apple metrics --- as I've posted before, I've had an Apple Genius I had very recently discussed the problem with tell me on my next visit that he'd never seen anything like it. I've also opened more than one case with telephone support, but had the latest of these also say that they didn't have previous reports. If you don't keep records (and the Genius bar does not keep specifics of your visit) you have no metrics.

There is a partial solution for those of you who bought your iPhone with a credit card. Many credit cards above base level cards (Gold, etc.) provide an insurance coverage, many of which double the manufacturers warranty, up to an additional one year. This will help you if you are out of warranty but before eligible for upgrade.

If we want to collect metrics, we should start another thread, perhaps titled "iPhone spontaneously switches to headphones mode" to discuss and collect comment only from those with this problem, and not the lint in the jack people. This thread is listed as solved, and the moderators have indicated that they can not change it back to unsolved.

I definitely agree about the title of a new thread. I think it should be open ended as you suggested, titled "iPhone spontaneously switches to headphone mode". I'm still not convinced that the issue is directly related to heat, or due to a faulty motherboard.

As for the trick of cooling the phone down, I haven't tried placing my phone in the freezer or a similar place, but after switching into headphones mode after typing a letter out on the phone, I let it sit idle all night. In the morning, my phone had not magically turned back to standard Ringer mode. So, I have my doubts about the cause or the solution for this problem. My phone got just as warm through casual use a couple years ago as does now, yet the problem didn't strike until recent months.

There is another post with the specific "headphone mode" directly linked with heating...

http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=11188880#11188880

Guys:

As per previous discussion, have established new thread devoted specifically to the spontaneous switch to headphone problem. Please join in the Phone and messaging forum, thread titled

iPhone spontaneously switches to headphone mode

Thanks,

finnished

Please provide a link Finnished. It's not showing up in the search.

Topic should be there now, jpkcfk has already replied.

For me the issue first surfaced on a vacation in south Florida by we Minnesotans.

Only after my 8GB 3G iPhone heats up does it lock in the Headphones Mode.

(Tested using a _processor intensive_ 15" long YouTube Video & also MLB.TV while out in the sun.)

*Two minutes in the freezer unlocks my iPhone back to the normal ringer mode.*

Overheated = Locked In Headphones Mode -> ->

Freezer -> ->

Cooled = Back to Normal.

Hopefully a software fix will be offered by Apple.

Please post your above experience on the dedicated thread:

iPhone spontaneously switches to headphone mode

in the Phone and Messaging forum.

the new thread has been opened for the peeps having trouble with the heat making your phone slip into headphone mode

its here http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2360498&tstart=0

There is another one post

IPHONE GET "HEADPHONE MODE" on MOTHERBOARD HEAT

http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=11188880#11188880

Hello,
After i tried each and every suggested fix for "Stuck in Ringer (Headphones)" situation only thing that helped, ONLY SOLUTION THAT HELPED was:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4KK15twUiM