iPhone Headphone Jack Not Working

If your iPhone headphone jack isn’t working, it can be extremely frustrating for you. There are some easy troubleshooting techniques that you can try, though, that will hopefully solve the problem.

Some of the ideas to try are turning off Bluetooth, trying Airplane mode, and checking the Airplay Output. We’ll go over each of those in detail in this article.

Your iPhone Headphone Jack Isn’t Working: Common Fixes

Clean the Headphone Jack

This fix may seem a little obvious, but you would be surprised by how many iPhone users don’t think of it. You should look in the earphone port and make sure that there is no lint, debris, or dirt in there. It’s helpful if you can get a flashlight and shine it into the port.

If you see buildup in the port, you can try to blow it out, or if that does not seem to be doing the trick, you can also shoot some compressed air into it. Compressed air is probably the superior method since it contains no moisture. You can also try a cotton swab if you don’t have any compressed air handy.

Try Airplane Mode

You might also try putting the iPhone on airplane mode. Do this if an “error” message is appearing on your phone when you try to listen to music. First, dismiss the message.

1. Either go to Settings or open the Control Center.
2. In the Control Center, you tap the airplane icon, or in Settings, you tap the slider where it says Airplane Mode.
3. Turn off the iPhone for a minute or so, then turn it back on. See if that has solved the problem

Turn Off Bluetooth

The Bluetooth functionality on your phone might be interfering with your ability to play music. If you have connected to a Bluetooth device such as a speaker at some point, then you might have neglected to turn it off again.

1. First, open the Control Center.
2. Next, go to the top left row of icons, and tap Bluetooth so that it is no longer lit up. This should disable the Bluetooth function.
3. Try your headphones again. With Bluetooth disabled, the audio should come through your headphones rather than through some other device.

Check the AirPlay Output

The audio might be getting sent to an AirPlay. You can go to the control panel and disable it if that is the case.

1. First, access the Control Center by swiping up from the bottom of the iPhone’s screen.
2. Go to the top right corner of the Control Center, and press the music playback controls.
3. On the top right of the music controls, tap the AirPlay button to reveal all of the available output sources.
4. Tap the iPhone or Headphones option.
5. Dismiss the Control Center by clicking the home button to see if that has solved the problem.

Check if the Headphones are Broken

If the headphones are not working, it might be a faulty connection that is causing it. In that case, the most likely culprit is probably a poor connection of the inner wire. You can connect the same headphones to other devices to find out if that is the case.

You can also get a different pair of headphones and try them to make sure that it’s the headphone jack that is the problem and not the headphones you’ve been using. It’s usually cheaper to replace headphones rather than solve what could potentially be a complex problem with the jack.

Turn Up the Volume

This is another one that is so obvious that some people might overlook it in favor of more complicated solutions. Raise the volume up as high as it goes, and see if that makes any difference. The iPhone might be in silent mode as well, so make sure that isn’t the case.

1. The buttons on the left-hand side of the iPhone are what you use to adjust the volume. Tap the one on the top to make the volume go up.
2. You can also ask Siri to turn the volume up. This is accomplished by pressing down the Home button for a couple of seconds. When Siri comes up, address her by name and ask her to raise the volume.

Clean Your Headphones

You could also clean your headphones to be sure that they aren’t the problem. Even if it turns out that it’s the jack, cleaning your headphones periodically can dramatically increase their life expectancy. It also gets rid of harmful bacteria that can damage the sensitive tissue of your eardrums.

Restart Your iPhone

If none of these other fixes seem to have worked for you, you can also try restarting your iPhone. That sometimes works.

1. Hold down the On/Off button. On newer models like the iPhone X, you will also have to press the volume up button.
2. Move the Slide to Power Off icon from the left position to the right.
3. Wait for the iPhone to shut down. It might take up to a couple of minutes.
4. Hold down the On/Off button again. The Apple logo should show up after a few seconds. Let go of the button, and the iPhone should power back on again. See if this has solved the issue.

If all else you have tried has failed, you can also contact Apple Support. There are several ways to do that, including calling their toll-free number and live chatting with them via the Apple website. They’re usually very friendly and accommodating, and if you run through a list of all of the things that you have tried, they might be able to come up with some additional possibilities for you.

If you’ve gone through everything on this list and the headphone jack is still not working, then the most likely issue is some interior damage to the components that you will likely be unable to fix on your own. If that happens, then you might need to take the phone into a licensed iPhone store to ask for help.