Sound on Headphones Cuts Out on iPhone 4

Make sure there isn't any dirt or pocket lint in the headphone jack, it could be causing connection problems.

You can try disconnecting and reconnecting the headphones 5-6x or spraying compressed air into the jack.

You can also try restoring the iPhone.

If that doesn't do it, you can setup service for the iPhone online or have a Genius take a look at it.

you should also try another pair of headphones in order to eliminate them from the equation

Just started having the exact same problem. Did you ever get this resolved? Mine is an iPhone 4S.

Thanks

@Standtheman

I've just started having this problem today with my iPhone 4--I've never had any problems with it. My problem isn't limited to just the headphones though, it happens with audio through the built-in speaker also. Did you ever find a fix??

Thanks

Hi Smurphy,

I never did get this problem fixed, however I have identified the problem on my iphone. Because the problem is with the audio I automatically assumed the problem was with the headphone jack, when in fact the problem is with the charging/sync connector at the bottom. I believe my iphone keeps thinking it is connected to a dock/speaker which then disables the headphone jack and onboard speaker. What I have found is that by plugging in and then out the charging cable a couple of times it seems to work fine for a while.

Hope this helps.

I am having the same problem. I tried listening to the book without the earphones and it still cut out the volume and I had to plug and unplug the headphones to get it going again. I took my phone to the Genius Bar and they told me that Audible and BeatBurn Apps were having these kinds of problems. They ran my phone through a diagnostic and supposedly fixed the problem but it started happening again. I even tried listening through iTunes instead of through the Audible app and it happens. I think it has to be the phone. Has anyone figured this out? I'm ready to throw my phone in the ocean!

Hi Pamela,

On my previous post I mentioned about plugging in and out the charge cable and it worked fine for me for a while. Until eventualy even that got really annoying and only worked sometimes.

I was about to throw my phone on the floor and kick the **** thing across the room, but I thought I would try one last thing. I stuck a thin flat plastic lever/stick (a toothpick might also work) into the dock connector area and used it to push the connector upwards towards the screen. I cannot quite remember if something clicked but I think it did. Anyways, since then I have not had this issue anymore. I had dropped the phone a couple of times, and not from a serious height thankfully. But I think something inside might have come loose. As I said, my phone has been working fine since doing the above steps.

Of course, I would not recommend doing anything to a phone that could damage it or make it worse, so it is up to you. All I know was that I was on my last straw and if this did not work, I would have been buying a new phone.

I had the same problem as you all and I found that the problem was that the phone thought that it was gettting connected to a docking station, my car's bluetooth, or my in-home bt speaker. It about drove me crazy plugging and unplugging stuff. Eventually I quit listening to music. BUT Standtheman's solution worked!!! haven't had a problem since. My phone has suffered some serious impact trauma and I'm shocked it's still in one piece. Something structural had gone wrong. Now it's all good. Thank you Standtheman!! haha

hey, I was having the same problem (speaker wont work at all, and the headphones would cut out after 2-30 seconds, they would work again after i unplugged and then plugged them back in but again only for 2-30 seconds.) but now it totally works! it definately is a loose connection, and on my phone i've located the exact spot as to where you need to "pry gently" it upwards toward the screen. its about 7 of the little bars in from the left side, or about a quarter of the way in from the left. as i held that up I did initally hear a little click but i could see and hear everything working again. thanks guys for the adivce and saving me from wasting money to try and fix it/buy a new one.

(iphone 4s)

and the rest is just to help google find this link quicker for people who have the same problem.

iphone 4s headphones not working

iphone 4s headphone jack broken

iphone 4s stuck in headphone mode

iphone 4s speaker not working

iphone 4s headphone mode fix

(these were all things that i had previously searched/found.

Thanks again! it works great.

Go to Settings --> Music --> Volume Limit --> Max Volume

Check if the the Max Colume level is low. Increase the Max Volume to maximum level. Now your headphones will play music. Hope this helps.

I found this worked for me. I had one of the older models of docking cables on hand and gently applied pressure forcing the docking jack slightly upwards (towards the screen). I had previously been finding that plugging the iphone in helped with the problem so this fix was a godsend. I still need to upgrade, but I will at least have a fully functioning phone when I do.

Standtheman's solution worked for my 4S. I had the same exact symptoms. Slid a credit card beneath the connector and pressed up as suggested. There was no click or anything. I also cleared out a lot of gunk from around the connector. Back to working properly. Thanks!