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How Can I Use My Lightning Headphones With My New MacBook?

When I get my new iPhone 7, with the included Lightning EarPods, how will I be able to connect them to my brand new MacBook with Retina display?


Is there an adapter that converts USB-C to Lightning, or the 3.5mm headphone jack to Lightning?

Posted on Sep 9, 2016 1:54 PM

Reply
129 replies

Oct 28, 2016 10:23 AM in response to IdrisSeabright

Because the purpose of this thread was to answer a question and he's not answering it.


I also have the same question. That's how I found this post. But I had to read through three pages of crap because someone decided to comment stupid stuff instead of answering.


It's also incredible to me that I can listen to my headphones on my iPhone or my iPad, but can't use them with my MacBook.

Oct 28, 2016 10:57 AM in response to averydev

Good find. However, given that Lightning almost assuredly outputs a proprietary signal on specific pins, it's unlikely a simple USB dongle will provide the necessary signal without custom drivers, either in Mac OSX, or the dongle itself. Still it might be worth a try in the event Sierra actually has such drivers buried in the software for future adapters.


Thanks for the link either way, I noticed they also have Apple Pencil Lightning-to-Lightning female adapters fro $9, which is more than Apple currently offers the general public without calling Support (not even sure what they charge).

Oct 28, 2016 10:58 AM in response to Matt Riddell

Now that the other shoe has dropped -- the new MBP event -- and we know there is no Lightning port on it, I'm hopeful somebody is going to bring an adapter to market. I'd love to get a look at the current MFi specs to see if Apple is even permitting a female Lightning port to be used this way, now that they are finally allowing third parties to officially use it at all.

Dec 20, 2016 4:21 AM in response to Matt Riddell

I have the same question, which was why I ended up here.


I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that thinks it strange that Apple is selling a new type of headphone with one of its products, which it has been promoting as a superior product to the "old" 3.5mm jack headphone, and yet I can only use these wonderful new headphones with my iPhone 7, and not my MacBook Pro.


Since they bothered to produce a lightening to 3.5mm converter, would it have been too much to ask to also make a 3.5mm to lightening converter? I don't think so, but apparently we are in the minority!

Dec 20, 2016 8:32 AM in response to Junman78

Where did Apple promote their iPhone supplied EarPods with lightning connector as superior to the EarPods with the 3.5 connector? They are the same as last years model with a Lightning connector on the end instead of the old 3.5. They are thrown in with your iPhone to use with the iPhone, they really aren't designed to be your only set of earphones. Either wait for an adapter or buy a decent pair of headphones.

Dec 20, 2016 9:30 AM in response to deggie

I think they said it was so they could make the phone thinner? I didn't say that the headphones themselves were better, but that the overall package (narrower phone plus using lightning socket for the headphones) was an improvement.


If I was going to need a second set of headphones for everything else, why bother shipping a set of headphones with the iPhone 7 at all? They could have just included the lightning to 3.5mm adapter and left it at that.

Dec 20, 2016 9:35 AM in response to Junman78

Actually you did, "Apple is selling a new type of headphone with one of its products, which it has been promoting as a superior product to the "old" 3.5mm jack headphone"


I agree with you in your last statement it is a waste of money to ship the phone with any headphones. I am just getting a piece of hardware I will never use and being charged for it. How long will it be before all of the phone makers finally wake up and quit shipping their phones with this item? But for now they ship them to use with your iPhone (they came in the iPhone box, remember) and they aren't "selling" them as your single headphones to work with everything. Do they work with your iPhone? If yes then they have done what Apple intended.

How Can I Use My Lightning Headphones With My New MacBook?

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