MBP audio no longer plays from my speakers...Optical light stays on

I am very disappointed to see that this issue has been going on since 2006, and Apple has still not fixed it. This problem just popped up on my MBP and is very frustrating to have to deal with. Am now having my doubts wether or not to buy the new Retina Display MBP if things like this are going to continue to happen.

APPLE PLEASE FIX THIS ISSUE.

Pockets745 wrote:

Well, first of all, you're a fool if you don't think they read these.

I wonder who the fool is, the OP who refuses to believe that this is not where you get to talk to Apple or the responder who does, and points it out to the OP, who is very rude.

Good luck with your rant

Stick a metal object with a little inclined edge. Like one of those small metal hair forks your mother uses, make sure to remove the plastic at the edge.

1- Go inside the jack hole until the bottom of it.

2- Now retract the metal object slowly applying some pressure to an edge, you should hear a CLICK sound.

3- Once it clicked means you're in the right zone, now circle the metal object until it goes over the right switch.

4- When the red light disappears, you're done.

5- Congratulations! You just fixed your MBP hardware audio issue 🙂

Just got the same problem on my Macbook OSX 10.5.8 , got really worried as I use my Mac for Djing and I don't want any problem to do with sound.

Read on a different forum that someone put in a headphone jack and took it out really quickly and it worked for here, I did it twice and mine is back working fine again!

Praying it won't happen again!

yeow!

aanndddd it just happened again and I can't fix it.. fml

I have read and tried all the recommendations in the string: PRAM reset, toothpick, qtip, compressed air, headphones in and out, changing input device in Settings. Still no luck.

Has anyone taken this to Genius Bar and had them fix it on the spot? send off for repairs? If so, did they have to replace the logic board? At what cost/

My MBP is out of warranty. Has anyone had any success with Apple in finding someone who will listen and help with the problem without having to pay a service charge?

Get yourself a USB interface, as a DJ I am surprised you are not using Serato and a compatible interface already.

jerry268 wrote:

I have read and tried all the recommendations in the string: PRAM reset, toothpick, qtip, compressed air, headphones in and out, changing input device in Settings. Still no luck.

Has anyone taken this to Genius Bar and had them fix it on the spot? send off for repairs? If so, did they have to replace the logic board? At what cost/

My MBP is out of warranty. Has anyone had any success with Apple in finding someone who will listen and help with the problem without having to pay a service charge?

Unlikely, but take it to an Apple Store and ask, there's no downside.

I just fixed this after about five hours of research and experimentation. Santa Rosa Macbook Pro 2.4, June 2007.

Did probably 4 hours of research, figured there HAS to be a software solution to this. Maybe there is, but I did not find it.

Then about an hour of sticking things in the headphone jack.

What finally worked was I put in headphones, put on iTunes, removed headphones (red light), then bent the tip of a push pin and felt around. I found a depression in the back of the jack at 10 or 11'o clock that would turn the internal speakers on when depressed. At first I couldn't get it to stay fixed, but continued screwing around w/it for about 5 minutes, then it stayed on.

Then I started typing this and the music went off again. Then I put in headphones (music from them), then removed them, now music.

So I have a very touchy fix.

WITH PROBLEMS REPORTED SINCE 2007, IT IS ABSOLUTELY ABSURD THAT APPLE DOES NOT PROVIDE A SOFTWARE OVERRIDE FOR THIS "FEATURE"

I had this issue - no speaker sound - with the red optical audio light intermittantly on (speakers not working regardless). I tried the toothpick/pin options VERY delicately (I don't like being agressive with something I don't know what I'm doing)...no luck.

Took it to the Genius bar, the Genius put in an 1/8" plug-type "tool," blew compressed air into the output, pulled out the "tool" and violà, sound returned! Sixty seconds tops.

He said the port sometimes just gets dirty (which... I'm a pretty particular type - aren't all us Mac users? - so don't take my MBP into the trenches...but...it worked, so, who am I to say?). AND, he noted, that yes, the next solution is a new board...

He said I could use compressed air without the tool on the MBP should the issue return (I see some tried that to no avail).

That's my experience.

I have an Early 2011 Macbook Pro. The problem happened when i used a set if apple headphones from my phone. I also seeemed to have luck messing around in the hole with a toothpick. No idea what i hit that fixed it but at least it works now. I had an early 2006 MBP that I also had to fix this way. This is such a sad problem, what happened to the quality i had in my classic mac products.

I have a late 2011 MBP which last night had a red ligh shining out of the headphone port. Had no idea this was a combo audio/digital out port.

Discovered today that I had no sound from the speakers. A google search directed me to this discusson.

Apple have, on one occasion I know, allowed replacement of a defective item. My son's white Macbook had a replacement back cover free of charge (out of warranty) after Apple addmitted some defective back covers where the rubber backing started to peel off.

<Edited by Host>

Someone edited my post above!!

So Apple DO read these posts.

Could I politely ask, therefore, on behalf of the thousands of people suffering from this issue that Apple does something to rectify the problem.

There is a simple trick that is way safer than inserting stuff into the side. Simply place any jack lead into the headphone socket click on the adjest volume icon on the taskbar with the mouse and keep it open while you remove the jack, this forces the mac to stay on the built in sound card and therefore bypasses the optical out.

Thank you PerfectSound! This worked -- sort of -- after more than 2 years of complete frustration, I'm now listening to iTunes playing through the onboard speakers.

I'd given up so many times, for months at a go. Been trolling these "red light" forums for all that time -- tried every trick mentioned -- nothing worked.

So thank you...I can cut back on the Xanax now (kidding).

Now for problem No. 2 -- how do I get sound to come out of headphones or external speakers plugged into the "red light" port?

Has anyone out there tried a USB sound adapter?