iPhone4 Voice Control activates randomly when listening to audiobooks/music

I have the 64G iPod touch 3rd generation and it does the same thing. It worked fine with cheap earbuds, but using the Apple headphones with Mic causes the same symptoms most everyone else is complaining about for over 2 years of posts. Very frustrating when running.

I haven't seen any response on this issue since last year. What is this discussions meant for? It doesn't seem that apple is giving attention to these issues. This voice control is irritating me like a ****!! I had to erase the music from my iPhone just to be away at least a little from this, so that the voice control will just pop up like crazy time to time, but not playing the music!! ( where the **** it will play the music if there is no music at all!! Lol)this is really a serious issue. I dont think it's cos of the shortening of mic or whatever since I have tried with different pairs of earbuds. It's really frustrating that we don't see any response or suggestion for a solution which has been yelling over a year in the OFFICIAL WEBSITE of Apple!! What is this? Please address to this Apple! Please!!

This is incredibly frustrating!!! Why the hec can't Apple acknowledge this problem? 15 mins into my run....i lose control of my music and that annoying voice control beep seems to go off every 3 seconds.

I am having the same problem. I got this phone in January, and I have been running with it ever since. For several months, I actually had no problems with the phone or the headphones it came with. Then, in late April/early May, when the first hot and humid days came around, I had the voice control randomly activate and music fastforward/skip for the first time. For a few weeks, it would only happen on my very long runs and maybe only one out of every three runs. However, the problem has gotten much worse over time. Now, it typically occurs about a half hour into every run, and does not cease for more than 30-60 seconds at a time. It happens like this: it activates voice control, I attempt to click out of it, it starts fastforwarding the music, I try to pause the music and restart it, it still plays the music on fastforward, it may skip a few songs and then it settles on one song at a normal speed for about 30 seconds, it activates voice control again, and the cycle repeats.

This has rendered my iPhone essentially useless for running with music, because I am a half-marathon runner, so even my short workouts usually last more than 30 minutes. This is really a shame because my primary reason for purchasing an iPhone (and the majority of the use it gets) was dependent on the use of GPS-enabled apps for running. Additionally, over the course of this happening, the earbuds/headphones have lost some of their functionality... they still work to pause the music, but the microphone sometimes does not work, and the volume controls are completely nonfunctional.

It seems that some people are saying that this problem is occuring due to moisture entry into the earbuds through the microphone? The moisture/humidity part makes sense, given that I started having this problem when the weather got humid, and the fact that I never have this problem except when I am exercizing. However, even when I remove the earbuds from the phone, the problems with the phone (voice control activiation, music fastforwarding/skipping) continue for at least a few minutes, and I am forced to turn the phone off. The phone itself usually returns to normal working order after being inside an air conditioned environment for about 15 minutes.

It seems clear that the headphones are playing some role in this problem, but what I am wondering is if anyone knows if this is a problem that is related to the phone itself as well. Does the problem stop if you switch to new headphones, non-apple headphones, or headphones without microphones? I am curious if it's actually a problem isolated to the headphones, or if they phone itself is hypersensitive to humidity in the air. Or perhaps, the circuitry problems in the headphones somehow exacerbate the humidity sensitivity within the phone. I never had this problem with my 64G iPod Touch when I ran outside, but I also never had the apple headphones before.

Any help is appreciated. Good luck to everyone with this problem!

This is definitly a humidity / sweat or otherwise moisture related issues.

I always have this issue when I workout inside or a spin class. I've had it occur once at an indoor pool facility watching a swiming event, and I have it almost everytime it the headphone microphone is exposed to sweat and humidity.

It doesn't matter if it's the iPhone headphones or my good Shure headphones, or some cheap non-apple headphones. If it has the microphone it happens eventually.

I tend to believe it is not related to brand new headphones, and that maybe some sort of exposure/corrosion are causing it, as when I replace a set it takes a few months for this to start to reoccur.

It's not just limited to the newer iPhones, I had it happen with my original iPhone version 1, but it was after two years into it. Obviously this wasn't a "voice control" issue, but the songs would keep stopping and fast forwarding or skipping etc.

I'm not sure if it can be resolved by simply using headphones without a microphone, as with my original iPhone I seem to recall the music skipping when I used non microphone headphones. Thus it leads me to think it could also be caused by moisture at the input jack or the ear buds themselves, however I can pretty much with regularity get the issue on my iPhone 4 with a sweaty workout and any set of used headphones with a microphone.

It's ashamed apple will not aknowledge this issue.

Since my post on May 29th, I have switched to using just the earbuds without the mic and I have not had a single issue with voice control. It is definitely a mic issue in my opinion

I have the same problem, I just wanted to add how disappointed I am that Apple STILL has not fixed this problem, even by just adding the option to disable Voice Control.

Just today I had this problem for the first time. I was gardening, working hard outdoors on a very hot day and sweating, which seems to be a common aspect of this problem. Did a reboot, no luck, googled and got this thread. I swapped headphones (I keep a second set), and the problem went away. A few hours later, swapped again, and it seems the first pair dried out.

The only thing that is inconsistent with this is that I have done lots of running with my iPhone 4 and this kind of headset and never had a problem.

I'm having this problem too. I think the people referencing the humidity issue are on to something. It happens to me when I'm running or at the gym. It's drives me crazy. I'll have to try using headphones without a microphone to see if that helps. It would seem like the simple solution for Apple would be to enable the ability to disable voice control entirely which doesn't seem to be an option. Ugh!

It's 90 degrees in Seal Beach CA right now and guess what? I just experienced the same exact thing that everyone is describing above. I was on my elliptical machine, listening to Pandora on my Iphone4 while sweating profusely and the voice control display came on and my itunes came on with the skipping. I messed with the phone until it froze then had to reboot.

But here's the twist. An hour later, still freaked out about the phone even after rebooting I decided to take a facetime call on my macbook pro instead of the iphone. I plugged the same headset into my laptop and few minutes later my Itunes came on just like what happened on the phone!

I was surprised and comforted by all of the messages I saw when I googled the problem. It's a good thing it has nothing to do with Steve Jobs announcement yesterday.

I experience the same problem. When I'm jogging using the iPod SW on my iPhone 4 , and sometimes when I'm not using it but using another fitness app to play music, the voice control randomly comes on, disrupting music, sometimes fast forwarding, sometimes skipping through tracks, etc, and not ceasing to demand my constant feedback unless I shut off music entirely. It is really annoying to be in the zone in my workout and have this digital earthquake happen. Very disruptive Apple. Your phone could easily make the market for GPS watches obsolete, but not until you fix this issue.

I don't ever use voice control, nor do I ever forsee a desire to use it. Not yet anyway, and certainly not until I can easily opt out of it. Apple should provide the ability to disable voice control, and perhaps through SW only re-enable when a call comes in, if that is what the owner specifically desires. Otherwise I think the best workaround reported is to use standard headphones without a microphone. The bummer is that when a phone call comes in you aren't prepared to talk hands free with Apple's miked earphones. Come on Apple, you guys are smart enough to know your customers are smart too. Fix this please.

For those of you that might still be having this problem with the iPhone 4 and the voice control starts interfering with your music and/or movies using earbuds. I called apple numerous times and was told all kinds of things except for what was WRONG with the phone. I was told to do a system restore, which I did, over and over. I finally skipped the apple 800 support and took it in to a store and the wonderful girl hooked it up and in less than 10 seconds she said that this is a HARDWARE PROBLEM! Not a software issue. The home button is getting stuck and then she appoligized for all the wasted time I had, gave me a NEW phone a sent me on my way.

Take your phones into an iPhone store and let a tech diagnose it and make it right by you and your lost time and frustration. I have the apple care so I was covered. Might want to make sure you have that first.

Hope this helps. It is a hardware problem, so nothing we do can actually fix it.

Thanks for the response ogram321 but I don't believe it is true. For one I have an ipod touch not an iPhone and it happens regularly when I use the earbud with microphone. When I use the regular ear buds it is never a problem. The common thread in most of these posts is it happens over time and it only happens when using the earbuds with mic. Some day it will be fixed. This thread has been alive since July of 2010 and no resolve yet.

The power of internet is great guys. Writing from here in Australia. I was having the same problem with my iPhone4, it activates the Voice Control ONLY when I am in the gym. I thought perhaps it was interference from other electrical equipment in the gym, TVs etc. Tried to use it in Airplane mode. Still problem continued. In the end thought it was just my phone, and was going to buy an iPod just to listen to music, because I love my music when I am on the treadmill. Anyway, just thought someone else might be having the same problem, so I googled it up. And here I am! Everyone else is having the same problem. Still no official comment from Apple. I will try alternative headphones. Also try masking over the headphone with masking tape, as suggested by one poster.

Internet works wonders, gentlemen and fair ladies. Information just a keyboard away! Keep safe, and keep exercising; it makes you fit and healthy!

Iphone4 on iOS5 here,same problem...spring 2010 topic and not one single reply

From apple??REALLY??And they call it apple support??? This is ridiculous...the best thing about apple stuff is their customer service, this should NOT happen!! Who cares about the voice control anyway?? 5% of the users??10% maybe??? It's a bug,you don't know how to fix it?? Just admit it,and give us the opportunity to shut the **** thing off!!! Unacceptable behaviour from apple guys on this, I'm really disappointed!!

FIX-THIS!