Headphone problems with iPhone 4

Hello all, I just picked up the iPhone 4 and whenever I plug in a pair of headphones or ear buds the sound tends to play as if only half the sound is coming through the headphones. This problem is remedied by jiggling the plug but once I move the phone problem comes back and I have to jiggle the plug again to get it working again.

Oddly enough this seems to only happen with "vertical" plugs, I used an "L" shaped plug did not have this problem nor do I have this problem when using Apple's own ear buds.

I know that the earlier iPhones had recessed headphone jacks so special adapters had to be purchased is this also the case with the iPhone 4?

iPhone 4, iOS 4, 32GB

Posted on Aug 3, 2010 6:53 PM

Reply
24 replies

Sep 11, 2010 3:26 AM in response to Johnathan Burger

hi, ok is my first time i wrote here and i test thsi problem a lot and i find some interesting things about this, i tray to explain and is very long and hard so excuse my english

first i have an skull candy fmj too. and whrn i use in my iphone 4 i note the sudenly changes of volumes too, (ok this is not new i know) but i notice some strange behaivor about this.

inot only i have the volume problems also i have this more issue, when i use my skull candy to make a call or answer one, the other callers cant ear me , and in the other phone they toldme they listen a clicking sonud that make impossible to earme.

ok.. then i try this... i connect my skull candy to my iphone and i try to record some voice note and i discover that when i do this is impossoble to record any in a very good form, but... when i use the original apple headphones i cantalk and record very well.

first i think was my headphones and i tested in another iphone 4 the other iphone work perfet with but headphones (apple and skull candy) the other iphone was a canadian iphone tjis means is another series of manufacter.

the first thing of this problem is that insome iphones 4 happen and in other not, thats is weird but not finosh yet, seat and put attention to this.

i put my skull candy in my iphine 4 (the one with the problem not the canadian) and i turn up the volume to the max and play a song and of course the problems still but if you pause and listen very carefull you canear a series of clicking noises with an especiffic patern, this is the patern three click and a silence, and repeat, like

1,2,3, ,1,2,3, ,1,2,3, ,

ok i try to make and musical rythm explanation of the patern, and i notice that this is exactly the patern and the clicking noise that the oter caller ear when i try to use this headphones to make ana call.


ok

if i use the apple headphones of course no problems appear, and this is my conclussion

this clicks is a signal that the iphone send via headphones to make possible to control functions like volu,e and pause whitout the needing to put more wires in headphnes cable and make a compatible headphones jack

on standard telephone headset the jack was 4 conector right, left, ground and microphone, the way to control the pause and answear button is putting the ground and mic cable in short and any standar telephone understand this like a push button, and use to answear and put play and pause

apple control volume also, but obousli you need 2 more cables to do that and this is the way that use the clicking boises that i ear, is a code for send in less cables more control sognals.

ok thats sound strange i know, but if you oppen the apple control and mic that came with the original headphones you notice that there ara a set of little transistors and a little chip, and i wonder what that, the only answear is for decode special control signals

one thing that made me think that is this simple test, i connect my skull cand and again the pause buttonwork wird putting volume jumo and so on, but.... if i yell very loud to the microphone in the skullcandy the voume chang too and some ptimes they put in pause.

some guy report that driving in theri bike with the sound their iphone make rar thing and i recreate that escenario.

the answear to this is that... when the mic detect a loud sound there is a vry little change in voltage and imoedance and tjis changes are detected by the transistors and withe code sognal (clicking nosies) their send to the iphone volume changes in the same way that happens when you press the vpulmebuttons in the origianl headphones from apple

conclussion

the iphone 4 is a pice of crap that make all the hardware incompatible with all and the only soultion is wait that apple autorize other brands to use their techonology and the user pay the final price.

is very unfair apple do this, and obously the apple "genius" ara a bunch of idi-ts.

the strange part of this is that some iphones 4 do and another not, this is the proof that apple do not have qulity test

i'm very upset for this problem the onl soultion that i found is cut the skull candy and put in the apple headphones cable, as you kwonthis cable is a crap and brpke very quickly, and the skullcand cable are more heaby duty

i hope my explanation work in some way to any one, i dont have and ociloscope to make more test to this clicking nosie but i think that i made a some kind of dicover

if any one can tell something more about this i and a lot of user where happy

thanks

joe

Sep 15, 2010 9:00 AM in response to Mc_Shizzel

I have just received an iPhone 4 today.
I have a set of Skullcandy Full Metal Jackets with in line mic.
They work perfectly on a Blackberry Bold and my old iPhone 3GS.
They dont work on the new iPhone 4.
When I speak the other person cant hear me and I hear clicks down the line. This is not a problem with the headphones but another design fault with the iPhone 4.

Sep 15, 2010 3:34 PM in response to stevecarroll74

It's hard to tell how the affected head sets worked with iPhone 3GS, but I read somewhere that Skullcandy Full Metal Jackets uses a standard 3.5mm stereo jack, hence won't work with iPhone 4, which requires a 4-ring jack.

Here's a reference to the fact that this phone won't work with iPhone 4: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=955131

Check your head set to see if it has the 4-ring jack.

Sep 24, 2010 12:42 PM in response to Johnathan Burger

The Genius did not job him. I had to upgrade my V-moda earphones which worked with my previous iphone for a compatible pair for iphone 4. Person on the other end could not hear me either.
I was told this by v-moda.Seems the iphone4 earbuds have an extra chip or something. If you own a pair they have an excellent upgrade program if still under warranty. Service is fast as well. I suggest only getting the black pair though the chrome is cheap looking. I am trying to trade them.

Feb 12, 2011 11:03 PM in response to Mc_Shizzel

Hello all,

Just wanted to add to the line of problems.

I have a BeoSet 3 headset from Bang & Olufsen. And are experiencing the same problems.
However, since it's still under warrenty, I have had 3 different cables on it (since it tends to break in the jack, when they're connected to the phone and are tucked away in a jeans pocket).
The 1st cable had the clicking sound from time to time.
The 2nd cable never had the problem
The 3rd cable is unuseable for phonecalls, as it's constantly clicking.

3rd cable have been tested on both a 3G and a 3GS, and I didn't find any problems.

As I can see in this thread, and many other threads, the issues is related to the iPhone 4, and not the headsets - I truly hope that Apple will fix the problem - so that we can use our preferred headsets without problems.

(a suggestion could be to add an option in the settings for 3rd party headsets without volume control)

Mar 16, 2011 10:38 AM in response to Mc_Shizzel

hey there

it is indeed an headphone connection deal

iphone 4 uses a 4 ring headphone jack to allow for the built in mic
standard headphone jack is 2

you can change it over to a standard headphone jack by resetting the settings

settings
general
reset
reset all settings (will not erase any media or contacts only your screen image)
enter your pass code if necessary

after this normal headphones will work
been listening to for about 8 songs with no issues
also too a line out to my speakers (which did not work before) and all is good

if you go back to using the supplied headphones
it will revert back to the 4 ring deal
you'll just need to reset the settings to use standard headphones again


hope that helps



michael
london

Mar 22, 2011 7:17 PM in response to michaeljamesbrown

I wouldn't suggest anyone to follow michaeljamesbrown instructions. I can say after having given this a try that:
1-it's a pain to put everything back the way that you like after a reset all settings
2-secondly the results appear to be identical to plugging in the FMJ through a sheet of paper. I believe the results are totally subjective.
3-I've tried that trick myself and people are annoyed forcing me to unplug the FMJ's and talk the phone directly.

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Headphone problems with iPhone 4

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