ITunes stops working when headphones removed

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Level 1

10 points

ITunes stops working when headphones removed

When using ITunes on Windows 10, if headphones are unplugged - Itunes stops working. It doesn't crash/quit, it just stops playing the song and becomes unresponsive. Even if I pause the song before unplugging the headphones, it still becomes unresponsive upon removal of headphones. Have to quit and restart Itunes to get it working again.

When using Itunes on Windows 10, and listening through speakers, if I then plug in headphones - sound continues coming through speakers. Have to restart Itunes to use headphones. You basically can't switch output modes/devices without restarting Itunes.

Windows, Windows 10

Posted on Oct 16, 2020 7:56 AM

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Answer 1

SKcalhoun Author

Level 1

10 points

Oct 21, 2020 6:59 AM in response to Leanne_68

Yes it happens regardless of which headphones I use, whether they are plugged into the headphones jack or a headset using the USB port. Any time I plug in, or unplus, a headset, itunes stops working.

The link doesn't provide any information that is relevant to this issue. I'm not getting an error code. Itunes just stops. The song stops playing and the app becomes unresponsive.

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Answer 2

d3cbl

Level 1

9 points

Oct 30, 2020 3:23 AM in response to SKcalhoun

If you go into 'Preferences > Playback > Play Audio Using' and change it from 'Windows Audio Session' to 'Direct Sound', it makes the situation slightly better.

To switch from speakers to earpiece: Just plug in the earpiece without needing to pause the song.

To switch from earpiece to speakers: Pause the song before unplugging your earpiece.

I'm not sure how changing this dropdown affects anything else but so far it doesn't seem to have broken anything. I guess iTunes just ***** on Windows and I won't hold my breath on Apple doing anything about it.

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Answer 3

Leanne_68

Community Specialist

Oct 20, 2020 4:20 PM in response to SKcalhoun

Hi there SKcalhoun,

Thanks for using Apple Support Communities. It sounds like you are not able to switch your audio output on your PC when using iTunes. Does this issue happen when using any other audio sources on the PC? See what to do if you have an issue in iTunes on your computer here: If you see an error in Finder or iTunes on your computer.

We hope this helps!

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ITunes stops working when headphones removed

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