My iPhone Is Stuck In Headphones Mode. Here’s The Real Fix!

You’re absolutely sure that headphones aren’t plugged into your iPhone, because, well, they’re not. You see “Headphones” above the volume slider when you press the volume buttons, but your iPhone isn’t making any sound. You’ve tried a hard reset, putting your headphones in, and taking them out again, but it’s not working. In this article, I’ll explain why your iPhone is stuck in headphone mode, an awesome trick to get junk out of your headphone jack or Lightning port, and how to fix the problem for good!

My iPhone Doesn’t Have A Headphone Jack! How Can It Be Stuck In Headphones Mode?

Apple got rid of the headphone jack when they released the iPhone 7. It was very controversial at the time, but many people have moved onto using Bluetooth headphones like AirPods.

However, Apple didn’t completely eliminate the ability to use wired headphones on newer iPhones. Your purchase of an iPhone 7 or newer model includes a pair of wired headphones that plug directly into your iPhone’s Lightning port (also known as the charging port).

A new iPhone 7, 8, or X also includes a dongle which lets you connect your old headphones to your iPhone’s Lightning port. However, Apple stopped including this dongle with the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR.

Even though the iPhone 7 and newer models don’t have a traditional headphone jack, they can still get stuck in headphones mode! The steps below will help you fix any model iPhone that is stuck on headphone mode.

No, iPhone, There Aren’t Headphones Plugged In!

Your iPhone is stuck on headphone mode because it thinks headphones are plugged into the headphone jack or Lightning port, even though they’re not. This is usually caused by a problem with the headphone jack or Lightning port itself. 99% of the time it’s a hardware problem, not a software problem.

iphone display headphones volume

Eliminate The Possibility Of A Software Problem

The easiest way to make sure a software problem isn’t causing your iPhone to stay stuck in headphones mode is to turn it off and back on again. To turn off your iPhone, press and hold the power button (also known as the Sleep / Wake button) and slide the button next to “slide to power off” across the screen.

slide to power off power icon on iphone

If you have an iPhone X or newer, press and hold the Side button and either volume button until “slide to power off” appears on the screen. Swipe the power icon left to right to shut down your iPhone X or newer.

It can take 20 seconds or so for your iPhone to turn off, and that’s completely normal. To turn your iPhone back on, hold the power button (iPhone 8 and older) or the Side button (iPhone X and newer) until the Apple logo appears on the screen. You can let go of the power button or Side button when the Apple logo appears.

If your iPhone is still stuck on headphones mode after your iPhone turns back on, there’s a hardware problem with your iPhone. At this point, this problem is being caused by one of two possibilities:

  • Debris stuck inside the headphone jack or Lightning port is fooling your iPhone into thinking that headphones are plugged in.
  • The headphone jack or Lightning port is damaged, either physically or by liquid.

Take A Look Inside Your iPhone

Grab a flashlight and shine it inside your iPhone’s headphone jack or Lightning port. Is there any debris stuck inside? I’ve seen everything from rice, to brown goo, to broken-off tips of cheap headphones stuck inside. Trying to extract something from your iPhone’s headphone jack or Lightning port is extremely difficult, and some Apple techs won’t even try.

Poking around in your iPhones headphone jack or Lightning port can cause damage, but most people I’ve worked with agreed it was worth the risk because they really had nothing to lose. If I had to guess, I’d say I was successful about 50% of the time when I tried to extract something from a customer’s headphone jack when I worked at an Apple Store.

How Do I Get Junk Out Of My iPhone’s Headphone Jack?

There’s no right way to do this, and Apple Stores don’t have any tools designed to extract debris from headphone jacks. There are, however, some unofficial tricks that Apple techs sometimes use to get stuff out. Be careful — none of these are Apple-approved methods because they can cause damage, but I’ve had success with each of them in different situations.

The BIC Pen Trick

I really wanted to write this article so I could share this trick with you. An Apple Genius showed me how to do it, and I still think it’s brilliant. Be warned: Your pen will not survive this procedure. Here’s how to use a BIC pen to remove debris from an iPhone’s headphone jack:

  1. Use a standard BIC pen and remove the cap.
    IMG_0277IMG_0278
  2. Use pliers to pull the pen tip away from the plastic housing.
    IMG_0282 IMG_0293
  3. The tip is attached to a circular plastic cartridge that contains the ink.
    IMG_0299 IMG_0298
  4. The opposite end of the cartridge is the perfect size to remove debris from the headphone jack.
    IMG_0304
  5. Insert that end into the headphone jack and gently twist to loosen the debris, and then shake it out of your iPhone or iPad.
    IMG_0309

I’ve saved lots of headphone jacks using this trick. Be careful not to press too hard. If the debris isn’t coming out, move on to the next tip.

Compressed Air

Try using a can of compressed air to blow air directly into your iPhone’s headphone jack. This may work even if you don’t see anything stuck inside. Compressed air can loosen debris just enough to shake it out or blow it out completely. Be gentle: Don’t stick the hose all the way into your iPhone’s headphone jack and start blowing. Start from the outside of your iPhone and work your way in.

If you don’t have a can of compressed air, you can try blowing it out yourself, but I don’t particularly like that option because our breath contains moisture that can damage your iPhone’s internal circuitry. If you feel like you have nothing to lose, then by all means, give it a try.

Tweezers

Really thin tweezers can sometimes reach just far enough inside to pull a piece of rice or other debris out of an iPhone’s headphone jack. Using tweezers is risky, though. It’s a lot like the game called Operation (by Milton Bradley). It’s very easy to damage the sides of the headphone jack if you shove tweezers in too far.

I Don’t Recommend This, But…

Some tech-savvy people (and secretly, some Apple Geniuses) have had success extracting debris from iPhone headphone jacks by disassembling the iPhone and poking the debris out from the underneath of the headphone jack. There are some excellent teardown guides of iPhones if you’d like to try, but I don’t recommend you do. 

How Do I Get Junk Out Of My iPhone’s Lightning Port?

Just like a headphone jack, it can be difficult to remove gunk and debris from from a Lightning port. The safest way to remove debris from an iPhone Lightning port is to use an anti-static brush.

clean ipad lightning port

If you try to clean out the Lightning port with an object like a paperclip or a thumbtack, you can run the risk of causing an electrical charge within your iPhone, which could cause even more damage. Toothpicks are also risky, because they can splinter and get stuck inside your iPhone.

However, most people don’t own an anti-static brush, and that’s okay. A brand new, unused toothbrush makes a fine substitute if you don’t have an anti-static brush.

The Cocktail Straw Trick

This method could also be called the “coffee stirrer” trick, as either utensil can be used. Flatten out the tip of your cocktail straw or coffee stirrer so it can fit inside your iPhone’s Lightning port. Use the flat tip of the straw to scrape or scoop any gunk out of the Lightning port.

clean iphone lightning port with cocktail straw

Compressed air and tweezers are also possible solutions if something is lodged in your in your iPhone’s Lightning port.

I’ve Tried Everything And My iPhone Is Still Stuck On Headphone Mode!

If your iPhone still isn’t working after you’ve tried everything above, there’s a good chance your iPhone needs to be repaired. Usually, the headphone jack or the Lightning port on an iPhone will stop working for one of two reasons:

Water Damage

A very common reason for iPhones getting stuck in headphones mode is water damage, and a lot of the time people don’t know how it could have happened. Here’s how the conversation went: I’d ask, “Are you an athlete?”, and they would say yes. I’d ask, “Do you listen to music when you run or work out?”, and they’d say yes again. Can you guess what happened?

A lot of the time, this is problem is caused when sweat runs down the cord of an athlete’s headphones. At some point, a small amount of sweat gets inside the headphone jack or Lightning port and causes their iPhone to get stuck in headphone mode.

Other types of water damage can cause this problem too — it doesn’t take much. The headphone jack on older iPhones and the Lightning port on newer iPhones are two of the only openings on the outside of the iPhone, and that makes them particularly susceptible to water damage. Even if the rest of an iPhone works perfectly after it gets wet, the headphone jack or Lightning port may not.

Physical Damage

If your iPhone is smashed into 1000 pieces, you probably know what’s wrong. If it’s still in one piece, there is another very common reason why iPhones get stuck on headphone mode: The headphone jack or Lightning port gets pulled away from the logic board.

“Wait a second. I keep my iPhone in great shape.”

Plugging headphones in and out of your iPhone should never cause this problem. I’ve never seen it occur from normal use. Here’s the question I’d ask: “Do you wrap your headphones around your iPhone when you’re not using it?” The customer would say yes. (Come to think of it, the same Genius who turned me on to the BIC pen trick told me this, too. I’d give him credit if I didn’t think he could get in trouble.) Can you guess what happened here?

IMG_0313 IMG_0316

After a while, the strain from the headphones wrapped around the iPhone on the end plugged into the headphone jack or Lightning port becomes so great that they entirely start to pull away from the logic board. It’s OK to wrap your headphones around your iPhone, as long as you unplug them when you do. 

IMG_0318

Unfortunately, if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance the damage is already done and you’ll need to repair your iPhone.

Repair Options: Apple vs. Puls

This problem is especially frustrating for people who go to the Apple Store because the only repair option Apple offers to fix a broken headphone jack is to replace the entire iPhone. A lot of people simply refuse, opting instead to use a Bluetooth headset or speaker dock to make and receive phone calls, but it’s a major inconvenience when the sound doesn’t work on your iPhone.

The case is similar for broken iPhone Lightning ports. Apple will typically just replace your iPhone if its Lightning port is broken. The replacement is covered by your AppleCare+ warranty.

To make matters worse, debris stuck inside your iPhone’s headphone jack or Lightning port isn’t covered under warranty, so repairing this simple problem can be very expensive.

Puls

If you’d like to repair your iPhone today for a lot less than Apple, Puls will meet you at home or a location of your choice in less than an hour, and they offer a lifetime warranty on parts and labor.

Get A New Cell Phone

You may want to consider getting a new phone instead of having your current one repaired. iPhone repairs can get expensive quickly. If more than one component is damaged — which isn’t uncommon if you dropped your iPhone or exposed it to water — the repair company typically has to replace every part, not just the headphone jack. Check out the UpPhone cell phone comparison tool to review your options!

Wrapping It Up

It’s frustrating when an iPhone gets stuck in headphones mode, because it seems like a simple problem should have a simple solution. It’s unfortunate that a tiny piece of debris or a little drop of water can have such a detrimental effect on your iPhone. I sincerely hope that your iPhone is no longer stuck on headphone mode, but if it is, at least you know what to do next. Feel free to leave a comment below. I’d like to hear about any creative ways you’ve found to remove debris from the headphone jack or Lightning port of your iPhone.

About Author

I'm a former Apple employee and the founder of Payette Forward, and I'm here to help you with your iPhone.

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Anonymous
7 years ago

Thanks a million times over. Finally I can hear the buttons again and have conversations NOT in speaker mode.

Anonymous
7 years ago

Cotton swab worked for me ..thanks so much

Anonymous
7 years ago

My incredibly clever wife just fixed it by, first, tightly twisting a corner of a tissue into a fine point, then carefully inserting it into the headphone and letting the tissue absorb the water. She did that 4 or 5 times, until little water was being absorbed. Then she put it near the dehumidifier in our basement. After about an hour the phone was dried out and working again.

Anonymous
7 years ago

Thank you so much! Used the compressed air and worked wonders !!!!!

Anonymous
7 years ago

Headphone out –> turn off iphone –> turn on –> insert headphones –> headphone out. It always helps me.

Anonymous
7 years ago

YAS I DID THE SHUT DOWN THING ON MY MAC BOOK AND IT WORKED THANK YOU GUYS 🙂

Anonymous
7 years ago

this happened to me ass pieces of Apple [fruit] got inside…. I read the article… turned off the phone blew air into it and even exposed it to air as I opened the window and held it out for 40seconds or so ….. I also inserted / cleaned the headphone orifice with the BIC PEN cartridge and also inserted unwired paperclips…. after 4 hours I turned the phone on again and EUREKA… it worked …. thanks for the article!

Anonymous
7 years ago

Thank you so much for posting this advice!!! You are amazing and I’m so happy it’s working again!!! I used the cotton ball trick!!!!

Anonymous
7 years ago

Wow! I bleeping love you bro!!!!! That BIC pen hack worked wonderfully! You saved me bunch of frustrations and a trip to the Apple Store. Once again I bleeping love you bro!

Anonymous
7 years ago

Headphone jack came back on right after I posted a success!!!!! Ugh, back to the drawing board!

Anonymous
7 years ago

Finally, I was about to give up. Q-tip trick eventually worked. Plus I turned it on and off multiple times.

Anonymous
7 years ago

all good advice…here is what fixed my phone. was snowboarding today…jack got wet and stuck in headphone mode. Per a friends advice, I turned off phone, took a hairdryer set on low, set phone on a towel about a foot from phone and laid the hairdryer down and let it run for 5 to 10 minutes…..turned it on and now its back to normal

Anonymous
7 years ago

Neither the bic pen or the cotton swab worked for me. So I took a hair dryer on the coolest setting and aimed it at the headjack port for like 45 minutes. Worked thank God!! No more music in the shower.

Anonymous
7 years ago

Like people are saying on here. The bic pen doesnt work to well, but a Qtip works awesome. Take a bit of the cotton off so its not as bulky and it should fit in the jack perfectly. Spin it around and make a disgusted look at the crud in the headphone jack hole. I did this 3 times. Turned off my phone, turned it back on and VOILA… speaker works again.

Anonymous
7 years ago

I tried everything suggested and it didn’t work.
I then used my wife’s hairdryer and blasted it for 5 seconds and voila.. problem fixed !!

Anonymous
7 years ago

I never use earphones, I have had an Otterbox on it since day ONE (which has covers for all of the holes /ports! Headphone jack, charging port, volume on/off switch). I have never gotten my phone wet, I don’t work out, so there is no sweat issues! I listen to music to help me sleep, that’s it… All of a sudden I started seeing the headphone icon. I turn it off/on, I do a hard reboot/restart/force restart, what ever you call it.. nothing works. The phone is only a year and a half old. My iPhone 4 I had for… Read more »

Anonymous
7 years ago

Mine was doing this after a day of snowmobiling so I was pretty sure it was moisture. I ripped about half the material off the end of a Q-tip and jammed it in the headphone jack. I twisted it and pulled it in/out a few times. Re-tried and good to go.

Anonymous
7 years ago

Combination of a cotton bud & compressed air has just worked a treat! Brilliant! Thank you!

WINK
7 years ago

OMG the cotton swab actually worked!! left it in for about a min or 2!!!! a

Anonymous
7 years ago

My ringtone works but no music on speakers

Anonymous
7 years ago

My dad put some Wd40 on my headphone jack plug, put it in and out the headphone jack on my phone a couple times which loosened up the “balls” inside the phone that grasp the jack plug, and it was fixed immediately after trying all the other lame ideas.

Anonymous
7 years ago

I figured out how to fix it; call someone, switch over to the speaker option, then upend up a YouTube video, it should play while the call is taking place. have the other person hang up and boom. You’re all set.

Anonymous
7 years ago

SUCCESS STORY: I cleaned the headphone jack as much as I could with no luck, but finally tricked my iPhone by hooking it up to my Bluetooth speaker (which overrode the imaginary headphones) and then turning the speaker off. When I hit play, it was back to normal.
Not sure if the cleaning beforehand made a difference. Probably worth doing just in case.

Anonymous
7 years ago

The ink pen worked. Thanks

Makeup By Kiah
7 years ago

Used a pen and a hairdryer and mines fixed

Anonymous
7 years ago

Hi i have tried everything and still today my iPhones sound won’t work it was working lastnight and when someone calls me I can hear it but when I answer I have to put it on loud speaker to talk if I don’t have my earphones on me

Anonymous
7 years ago

Toothpick is the easiest and most likely the safest, I would expect. Of course, you can kill a man with a toothpick if you know what you’re doing, so it can still be dangerous. That’s my disclaimer…

Anonymous
7 years ago

Worked perfectly for me today, glad I came across this helpful post. I used a cotton swab(q-tip) and just twisted it up into the headphone jack, and let it stay in there about two minutes. Then, voila! My phone is now out of the dreaded headphone mode it was stuck in.

Anonymous
7 years ago

Thank you–the BIC pen trick worked!

Anonymous
7 years ago

Thanks for tip, I fix it, but no with pencil 🙂

Find some another solution 🙂

You can see on sticks end what make a problem.

Thanks again!

Anonymous
7 years ago

God bless you bless you abundantly thank you the bic pen tip worked

Anonymous
7 years ago

Using a can of compressed air worked beautifully, thanks

Anonymous
7 years ago

This just saved me. I cut a cotton swab down had to cut part of the paper/stick part, too, to make it fit. Left just a little bit of cotton on the end. 10 seconds and I got my audio back after nothing else working.

Anonymous
7 years ago

hi tried all of the above with my son’s iphone including the bic biro – all of this to no avail. however my wife suggested we get a cocktail straw which my daughter bought very cheaply from Tesco – we prodded this into the earpiece socket and sucked and hey presto it worked.! – if all else fails try this.

Anonymous
7 years ago

Thank you, now fixable cause by water. thanks thanks a lot.

Anonymous
7 years ago

Awesome, my sons iPhone 6 had these symptoms too. I tried the air and the q-tips, the q-tips came out black but the problem still presisted. I did one last hard restart and viola, problem solved. Thank you

Anonymous
7 years ago

My iphone 6s fell into water and I quickly pulled it out and dried it off. It seemed ok, but later I discovered it was stuck in headphone mode. I found this blog and realized that water got into headphone jack. I turned the phone off and over night, I put the phone in front of my refrigerator where the warm air blows out. Thank goodness in the morning it was working fine!

Anonymous
7 years ago

Thanks, I had some fluff stuck in my jack. Chanced with a straightened out paper clip and gentle circular motions. Hey presto, out comes a lump of trouser fluff! Good as new

Anonymous
7 years ago

I was having the same issue. With the heavy rain these days and me always carrying my phone in my back pocket I guess some water some how got in the headphone jack. Then I googled the problem I was having and came across this posting and found out that it’s more common than I thought lol. Then I was bummed after reading that the only option i have is to get the iphone repaired if the problem is not fixed after turning off or doing a hard reset on the iphone. Then I started thinking “what could possibly help… Read more »

Anonymous
7 years ago

I pulled most of the cotton off of a Cotton swab, crammed The stick with little cotton on it in the headphone jack hole, rolled around in there for a few seconds, shut the phone off and then turned it back on, and it was fixed!

Anonymous
7 years ago

Wow the cotton swab trick worked!! Thanks so much

Anonymous
7 years ago

Stuck on headphone mode. Tried plugging in phone jack 20 timed nothing. Tried a paper clip nothing, tried a reset noting, tried a q tip striped down nothing but some black(dirt), tried a second Q tip stripped WORKS. I had phone in pocket while snowblowing that apparently created problem. Rice was going to be my next step but now I dont have to. Thanks to who ever posted the idea.

Anonymous
7 years ago

I take care of my iPad pro and only inserted the proper TRRS plugs into the jack. Apple has lousy repair options….spend more $$ is their brute force solution. Thanks for nothing Apple.

Anonymous
7 years ago

I looked in my headphone jack and everything was fine. I resorted to just turning my phone off and turning it back on. It is now off heaphones-mode 🙂

Anonymous
7 years ago

i dont have a bic pen so i tried the cotton swab, cut off the tips, blew in the jack a few times, restarted my phone and voila! its fixed! thank you so much for your tips!

Anonymous
7 years ago

Thanks anyway! I didn’t find a bic pen. But my daughter reminded me of the tooth stick in my Swiss Army knife. I turned the iPhone 6 Plus off first, then used the tooth stick to gently take some debris out. Turned the phone on…it worked! Very happy. Thank you

Anonymous
7 years ago

I did the pen trick. I knew it was moisture. I cut off a small piece of the empty part of the ink tube and blew into the earphone port. Restarted iPad and it worked! THANKYOU!!!!!

Anonymous
7 years ago

Bic pen – yay!

Anonymous
7 years ago

omg….this is a lifesaver….cotton swab totally did the trick…tried the bic pen and no help but a few swabs and some patience and voila! thanks everyone.

Anonymous
7 years ago

My dad got his phone in the toilet for 4 times lol