My earphones make no sound when connected to iPhone SE 3rd gen

FYI ... the Apple Lightning to 3.5mm adapter has a chip inside, and they do go bad more often than expected. If your new earphones use the same adapter, but it’s the same old adapter, this could still be the culprit. Borrow another one or try a certified replacement if you can.

Here's a few things you can try:

• Plug in the earphones and go to Control Center → Audio Output (tap the AirPlay icon when media is playing). Sometimes iOS gets stuck thinking it should be routing audio to another device (especially if you've had Bluetooth headphones connected recently). Make sure it’s set to “Headphones” when plugged in.
• Turn off Bluetooth entirely in Settings → Bluetooth (not just via Control Center), then plug in the wired headphones. If audio starts working, your iPhone might have been redirecting sound to a dormant Bluetooth connection.
• Try recording something in the Voice Memos app while the adapter is plugged in — this helps confirm whether the iPhone is registering the headphone input. If it doesn’t even detect the mic portion, that points to a hardware detection failure (either the adapter or the Lightning port).

If none of these help, then the next step would be to contact Apple Support directly for further assistance with this issue.

Can you clarify “play music using the Apple adapter?” Are you using EarPods or other earphones with a 3.5mm audio jack, connected to a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter plugged into your phone? Have you tried a different adapter?

V11NYL ~ What point version of iOS 18 is your iPhone running?...

Settings > General > About > iOS Version

And as your iPhone SE 3 could be >3 years old, it's worth checking for a weak, aging battery. So...

Does your iPhone SE 3 still have its original battery?

And what's the Maximum Capacity % here?...

Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging

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V11NYL wrote: "...I have the original battery and its capacity is 81%"

81% is not healthy and is probably the reason for the problem. Apple recommends having the battery replaced at around 80% – so have the weak, aging battery replaced and all will (probably) be well:

iPhone Battery Service

About genuine iPhone batteries

Repair Provider Verification

(Articles found by searching Apple's Knowledge Base.)

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