Level 2

212 points

iPhone stuck in "headphones" mode

Earlier I accidentally grabbed my iPod headphones instead of my iPhone headphones and I think I may have jammed them in there too far. Because now I can't hear any of the keyboard clicks or sounds and when I receive a text message there's no sound either. And when I receive a call it won't allow me to hear the person on the other line unless I put my headphones in or use the speaker function. And when I turn the ringer volume up/down it says "headphones" in parentheses as if it's been set to "headphones" mode or something! Is it possible that I jammed them in so far that my iPhone thinks my headphones are still plugged in? Did I just totally ruin my iPhone? What do I do? Anyone know how I can fix this? Thanks!

Windows XP Pro

Posted on Jan 15, 2008 9:14 PM

Top-ranking reply

Sabz79

Level 1

14 points

Posted on Sep 20, 2016 6:01 AM

I cannot believe I had this issue today - literally 4 days before I get the iPhone7. I went into panic mode and spoke to Apple Support chat online - we spent almost an hour testing voice memos, restoring my phone from backup and as new - no luck. Then we got cut off 😕

But then someone else took over and 'kindly' warned me that I was out of warranty so I would be liable for any hardware costs. YAY! However they told me of the simple trick of getting a cotton bud and gently inserting it into the jack to clear it out. I had no cotton buds so I delicately used a cocktail stick. Five mins later of tiny bits of lint coming out, hey presto! A bigger ball comes out and my phone went back into ringer mode! I could have cried. Literally.

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928 replies

Sep 30, 2015 1:01 PM in response to SoCalSkippy

Had a similar problem. Swiped up and selected apple tv rather than "Headphones" in Airplay and then selecting headphones again this solved it for me.

rsd1032

Level 1

0 points

Oct 4, 2015 10:44 AM in response to SoCalSkippy

I just fixed this problem on my iPad using the following instructions;

http://osxdaily.com/2013/05/22/fix-iphone-stuck-headphones-mode/

Jul 13, 2016 8:25 PM in response to SoCalSkippy

Bigdalla, I can't thank you enough. Sweet mother of dear God, thank you! I sucked on my iPhone and it worked!

Sep 8, 2016 2:25 AM in response to SoCalSkippy

Hi, i had the same problem in iphone 6 i tried ever thing given in the posts but noting worked, at the end i tried putting it on airplane mode and back, it worked for me.

Nov 11, 2016 3:28 PM in response to SoCalSkippy

Sucking threw the jack worked for me too! I was having this same issue and it worked!!!

Oct 17, 2017 3:06 PM in response to Blairmcn

Hi! thank you for ur recomendation! this happened to me and i called my self from another phone TOTALLY WORKED!!!🙂

Jun 22, 2018 4:38 PM in response to SoCalSkippy

My I phone was stuck on headphones most of the day.

I tried sucking on the headphone port, and voila my phone is back to normal.

Thank you.

Jan 21, 2017 8:59 AM in response to SoCalSkippy

i tried everything i could think of i sucked on the headphone jack look to see for debris or anything suck and nothing i turned it on and off several times and still nothing so i was desperate i grabbed my blow dryer i set it on high and bam it worked i could hear everything hope this helps you an saves you money

Oct 14, 2008 4:53 PM in response to SoCalSkippy

heres a video of how to do it and reset the iphone... this actually works for both 1st and 2nd gen iPhones...

http://www.iphoneuserguide.com/apple/2008/08/07/iphone3g/tips-my-iphone-is-stuck -in-headphones-mode/

Message was edited by: realitydreamship

Jul 28, 2009 4:18 PM in response to awillimd

It's either a software issue or the headphone jack needs to be replaced. I got my iPhone fixed at a repair store in Dallas called Dr. Cell Phone. A couple of people on this message board referred me to them. When I went to the store, they mentioned they also take care of software issues. Seeing how this is probably a software issue (or a problem with the headphone jack) you should give these guys a call. That way you can diagnose the problem. Here's the link:

http://www.drcellphone.com/iphone-3g-repair-service.php#Headphone%20Jack%20Repai r

awillimd

Level 1

31 points

Aug 11, 2009 6:14 AM in response to awillimd

A further update...my iphone problem has returned (so nix the wrong headphone jack theory). I'm now going back to my original theory that this is a heat buildup issue. Why? Last night after my kid had played with the iphone for about 15 minutes it again slipped into "Ringer:Headphone" mode. Instead of inserting and removing the headphone jack, I held the jack-end of the iphone into the stream of cold air coming out of my room air conditioner. Almost immediately the iphone corrected itself and went back into the "Ringer" mode. I repeated this experiment two additional times (used the iphone for about 15 minutes until it warmed up and went into headphone mode and cooled it down in front of the air conditioner) and each time this cooling technique corrected the problem almost immediately. This suggests that heat buildup is triggering the thermocoupler that is sending a confusing message to the iphone. I'd be interested to know if anyone else is able to get the same results. Please post.

Apple, you need to address this issue with a software fix or provide free replacements (even for phones out of warranty)...you need to do the right thing.

Aug 12, 2009 2:23 PM in response to antwjohnson

Hi guys and greetings from Finland. I have the exact same issue with the phone stuck in "Ringer (Headphones)" mode painfully often. I have also tried all the tricks on the net from cleaning to sucking and inserting the headphones. Nothing seems to help.

However, I too have noticed that it always goes to headphones mode when it is in intensive use or simply in my hands for a longer time. It is definitely a heat issue. I also got it to the normal "Ringer" mode by using coldness. I put it on a cold block for 10 minutes an voilà! You know those things u have in the cold bag.

Apple needs to react to this problem!!! I did not have this issue with my iPhone 3G 3.01 a few months ago. Now it just seems to get worse all the time. And I don't normally even use the headphone for anything.

Apple do something before we have to go dirty with this. So many of us here and on the net also here in Europe have this issue.

dtommyd2

Level 1

6 points

Sep 1, 2009 12:45 AM in response to SoCalSkippy

So either this worked for me or its a coincidence.
So I tried putting it in the freezer and tried the memory dump with "scan lite" from the app store and it still wasn't working. That isn't to say that these didn't help but on a hunch I put in (in the bottom) an external speaker I have for my iPod Touch. You know the little white rectangle looking external speaker for 5 bucks on ebay. It doesn't work right off the bat so you have to restart with it plugged in. I then went to my podcasts and listened to a few minutes then tried my baseball app and on and on. It works great that way if you really can't get it to work. A possible workaround maybe. But a few minutes later my plugging in and pulling out (just trying to confuse it) . Somehow its now working. I have to say it works even better and louder with the external one. Not good for on the go but great for sitting in the backyard. Loud. Hope this helps. Its also a pain if you have a fancy cover/shell but still a workaround if it doesn't work.

awillimd

Level 1

31 points

Oct 1, 2009 3:53 AM in response to Steelers43

I have tried everything and, as far as I'm concerned, there is no known fix for this. It is a combination hardware/software problem. The only solution is to take the phone back to the Genius Bar and have them replace it soonest. If you are out of warranty having it replaced might be a bit more difficult but the Genius's have the discretion to still replace your phone for free (they'll try and make you pay $199 but kindly insist on a free replacement) so be sure to push them hard. It may take more than one visit to the Genius Bar (and have the same person deal with you problem). All the the fixes suggested in this thread are only temporary fixes and the problem will return in time. Replacement is the only solution.

Oct 4, 2009 2:55 PM in response to SoCalSkippy

Tried all fixes (and I really mean all) without success. This particular problem has occurred on 2 different Iphones. Hmmm.

Procrastinating period. Gears rolling. Tests.

It got back to work by just reverting the ringtone sound to a built-in one . I was using a Ringtone I did myself and it seems it was confusing the Iphone making it think it was an Ipod. It was the only thing the 2 Iphones had in common.

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iPhone stuck in "headphones" mode