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Cannot switch audio outputs on iPhone 8 Plus

I recently upgraded to an iPhone 8 Plus, and I am finding that I cannot switch between speakers, headphones, and headsets when you're listening to audio on my iOS device. I am not seeing the User uploaded file image (triangle with radio waves) anywhere on my screens. So, if I'm listening to music on headphones and the phone rings, I cannot switch the phone to use the headphones rather than the default phone mode. Why isn't this symbol displaying on my iPhone?

iPhone 8 Plus, iOS 11.4, null

Posted on Jun 8, 2018 11:38 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jun 10, 2018 12:34 PM

Hello dbe4876,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities! I understand that you are unable to switch the audio source on your iPhone 8 Plus. Being in control of how you listen to audio is important and you've come to the right place for help.

There's a few different ways to switch between speakers, headphones, and headsets on your device. Let's start by having you play music, a video, or other audio on your iPhone 8 Plus, then bring up your Control Center to switch the audio following the steps here:

Switch the audio on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

Specifically, follow the steps in this section:

Change the audio output

While you're listening to music, videos, or other types of audio, there are a few ways to change the audio output from your iOS device to headphones, speakers, or another device.

User uploaded file

From Control Center

To switch the audio on your device from Control Center:

  1. Swipe up from the bottom edge of any screen on your device to open Control Center. On iPhone X, swipe down from the upper-right corner of the screen.
  2. Touch and hold the audio card in the upper-right corner, then tap User uploaded file to see a list of devices that you can connect to.
  3. Tap the speakers, headphones, or accessory that you want to use.

Under the list of devices that you can connect to, you might see additional cards to control Apple Music playback on nearby devices.

Tap a card to control what’s playing and queue up songs to play next using your iOS device.

To switch back to controlling audio playback on your iOS device, just open Control Center and tap the card at the top.


When you press and hold on the audio card in the upper-right corner of your Control Center, do you then see the User uploaded file icon at the top right of the new audio card displayed? If not, try testing if the option to switch audio sources appears if you play sound through the built-in speakers rather than headphones. Let us know what happens from here.

Cheers!
1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jun 10, 2018 12:34 PM in response to dbe4876

Hello dbe4876,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities! I understand that you are unable to switch the audio source on your iPhone 8 Plus. Being in control of how you listen to audio is important and you've come to the right place for help.

There's a few different ways to switch between speakers, headphones, and headsets on your device. Let's start by having you play music, a video, or other audio on your iPhone 8 Plus, then bring up your Control Center to switch the audio following the steps here:

Switch the audio on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

Specifically, follow the steps in this section:

Change the audio output

While you're listening to music, videos, or other types of audio, there are a few ways to change the audio output from your iOS device to headphones, speakers, or another device.

User uploaded file

From Control Center

To switch the audio on your device from Control Center:

  1. Swipe up from the bottom edge of any screen on your device to open Control Center. On iPhone X, swipe down from the upper-right corner of the screen.
  2. Touch and hold the audio card in the upper-right corner, then tap User uploaded file to see a list of devices that you can connect to.
  3. Tap the speakers, headphones, or accessory that you want to use.

Under the list of devices that you can connect to, you might see additional cards to control Apple Music playback on nearby devices.

Tap a card to control what’s playing and queue up songs to play next using your iOS device.

To switch back to controlling audio playback on your iOS device, just open Control Center and tap the card at the top.


When you press and hold on the audio card in the upper-right corner of your Control Center, do you then see the User uploaded file icon at the top right of the new audio card displayed? If not, try testing if the option to switch audio sources appears if you play sound through the built-in speakers rather than headphones. Let us know what happens from here.

Cheers!

Cannot switch audio outputs on iPhone 8 Plus

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