iPhone 4 headphone microphone stopped working

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Level 1

5 points

iPhone 4 headphone microphone stopped working

The headphones that came with my iPhone 4 are working fine except, out of the blue, the microphone stopped working a couple of days ago. Everything else about the headphones work - I can hear fine, I can use the "squeeze" to stop and start tracks, but the mic is totally dead. If I try making a voice memo, nothing is recorded - voice control shows no input coming in.

I looked online and some suggested checking for lint in the iPhone jack, but it looks crystal clear.

Any other ideas before I think of spending $30 for another set of headphones. Any way to check out the microphone for a loose connection or the such.

Thanks

iPhone 4, iOS 4.2

Posted on Apr 21, 2011 7:41 AM

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Answer 1

Apr 21, 2011 8:01 PM in response to regb

you probably got water or sweat in it. if so you will need to bbuy a new one

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Answer 2

regb Author

Level 1

5 points

May 20, 2011 5:28 AM in response to subzero27

I'm surprised the headphones are this sensitive to moisture. But yes, it all seems to be related to me wearing the headphones while exercising. The latest behavior is the volume controls not working and on long runs about 45 minutes into them, the audio I'm listening to starts skipping.

I may try covering the controls area with some plastic wrap to see if that fixes it.

I'm also looking at waterproof headphones with a control like this one, but they are a bit more.

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Answer 3

Jun 6, 2011 10:14 AM in response to regb

mine did the same thing suddenly . its not the running.

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Answer 4

BretB

Level 1

0 points

Aug 15, 2011 6:18 AM in response to regb

Hi, my apple issued earphones did the same thing, the microphone stopped working. I figured it was because of something like sweat or moisture. So I picked up a pair of Sennheisser/Adidas headphones. The microphone worked for the first week, and then on day eight, it stopped working.

The day the microphone stopped working, I used them while driving in my car, and I talked on the line. Then I plugged them into my laptop at work to Skype, and they worked fine. Four Hours later, I unplugged them from the computer, into my iPhone...and the microphone wouldn't work.

Could this be a phone issue? Is there anyway to check the microphone settings in the iPhone? I haven't found any setting that mentions external mics.

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