How do I turn off earbud controls?

Question

Level 1

25 points

How do I turn off earbud controls?

The Apple earbuds that came with my iPhone 7 have been acting very strange lately. It seems that with even the slightest movement, the earbuds will send a control to the phone to either stop a song, skip a song, listen to a song on high speed, open Ask Siri, or end a phone call. This is incredibly annoying and the earbuds are essentially unusable. I believe it has to do with the control buttons on the earbuds themselves, so does anyone know how to disable those buttons or have another suggestion on how to fix this? Thanks in advance!

iPhone 7

Posted on Sep 13, 2017 4:25 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

deggie

Level 10

167,525 points

Sep 13, 2017 9:42 PM in response to Ramsay502

Sorry.

No, there is no way to turn them off. If they are malfunctioning the switch is in-line with the cable and it will continue to be a problem. I've rarely used the supplied headsets so your best bet would probably be to buy a better set. You might try blowing some compressed air across the switch and see if that helps and also make sure your Lightning connector is clean.

Reply

Answer 2

Jonathan UK

Level 10

164,015 points

Sep 14, 2017 6:38 AM in response to Ramsay502

Hi

Follow the instructions here, including contacting Apple Support (mail-in service may be available, if required), making a Genius Bar reservation or visiting an Apple Authorised Service Provider if necessary:

If your headphones don't work with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

Reply

Answer 3

deggie

Level 10

167,525 points

Sep 13, 2017 5:48 PM in response to Ramsay502

Get them replaced under your warranty.

Reply

Answer 4

Ramsay502 Author

Level 1

25 points

Sep 13, 2017 9:16 PM in response to deggie

Thank you, but that's not what I am asking. I am asking how to turn off the controls on the earbuds. These are the earbuds that came with the phone and it is apparently a common problem, so a replacement would likely ultimately have the same issue. Would like to just turn off the control buttons on the earbuds as I don't need them and they are causing the issue. Thanks

Reply