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.
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.
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:
- Use a standard BIC pen and remove the cap.
- Use pliers to pull the pen tip away from the plastic housing.
- The tip is attached to a circular plastic cartridge that contains the ink.
- The opposite end of the cartridge is the perfect size to remove debris from the headphone jack.
- Insert that end into the headphone jack and gently twist to loosen the debris, and then shake it out of your iPhone or iPad.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
None of this is working for me
Thank you so much!!
I used a cotton swab and gently moved it around inside the headphones jack and now my iPhone works perfectly!! Thanks a lot for this trick 🙂
Thank you, compressed air did the trick!
Cut the end of a Q tip and it cleaned it perfectly after a restart
There is a manual switch on the side of mine which I think is an I4 or whatever you call it. Its old, but I don’t pay for it so who cares. Anyway, I have an Otter case and the case sits right against the switch so if you squeeze it just the right way it turns off the ringer and you don’t notice it.
Figured you might like to know.
Cotton bud all the way. Take off a good half of the cotton wool and it works a treat for me. One very happy bunny thanks Small piece of cello tape over the hole now as I don’t use headphones much thank you sooooooooooooo much !
Wow, tried cleaning it out with cotton swab a few times with no avail. But then I shut the phone off and left the cotton swab inside for a few minutes, and now the problem is fixed. Thanks for the solution!!
YAY!!!! Cotton swab worked for me too! Thank you!
I had this exact problem with my iPhone 6s. I tried all of these ideas and nothing worked. So I planned on using the speaker option when I got phone calls got a while. I put my phone on a charger for the night and went to bed. When I got up and tried my phone, it was working fine!
Mine still isn’t working though I haven’t used my head phone in about 2 days and all of the sudden it stoped working
Thank you so much! The cotton swab worked. How awesome is that.
Thank you so much, I just saved my phone
For athletes: again, risky, but if you put a piece of cotton in the headphone jack to soak up the sweat and then pry it out, it has a good chance of fixing your phone!
My phone was stuck on headphones. After reading this I realized it may be water from being out in the rain with my phone in my back pants pocket that is not very deep. I used the qtip swab and it came out wet! After turning my phone off and back on it worked! Thank you for the tip!
cut the cotton top off a swab – inserted the cut-off end into the speaker holr, rotated it right and left a few times.. pushed the volumn up and down, BINGO – the volume screen went to VOLUME and the HEADPHONE word disappeared. Amen! Thank you for sharing your knowledge……
Thank you! Thank you!!! I was stuck in a heavy thunderstorm and I think some water might have gotten into the jack because when I got home no sound was coming out of my iPhone and it was stuck on headphone mode even though none were plugged in! I used the cotton swab method (had to swirl it around quite a bit) and nothing happened, but then I decided to try to plug in my headphones and pull them out a few times again (I had tried this first) and it worked! Thank you so much!!
I tried everything above and nothing worked, then an iOS update wouldn’t get off my screen so I plug in to the mains and clicked update. Twenty minutes later my phone switches itself back on and hey presto the headphones issue has disappeared. I’ve never used the headphone jack on any of my iPhones so was extremely confused why it was doing it. I used fiber optic light and magnifying glass to check out the jack plug to see if any issues but nothing, tried compressed air, gentle suction (not by mouth too scared about condensation as I’m about to… Read more »
I had this problem, never used the jack and didn’t think that was an issue,anyway used the air trick and now it’s all good, took a few minuits to do but worked great.
The butt-end of a Bic pen worked for me just now. Wow, I would have never guessed that.
Was giving up hope but a few goes with a stripped back cotton bud and did the trick
I dropped my phone about 2 times the same day do you think that had something to do with that?
Thanks! Using can of compressed air, with pointer stick, either dislodged debris or dried it out, because it did the trick!!
Thnku
I HAVE DONE EVeeerrrrrryyyTttHhhhHhiiiig IT HASNT WORK it may be water damage should I just set it in rice idddkk
Can’t thank you enough
After it got wet in heavy rain, My phone firmly believed it had headphones attached. I dried it thoroughly, then put it on airplane mode for a few minutes, then checked again. Worked for me!
Thank you I repair my I phone
It worked! I used a piece of tissue, inserted in audio jack and it worked!! So relieved
Thanks everyone
Thanks!! Compressed Air worked.
I used a hairdryer to clear water damage for free. it worked. Thanks though for the sudgesgion of water issues
I gave up but i got it back lol just threw away all the cotton and use the stick well i thought it was already lost case but it worked just found the exact pin haha just pressed it like two or three times it worked
Many thanks. Used a cotton swab,headphone mode gone working perfectly.
HERE IS HOW TO FIX VERY EASY!!!!
CALL SOMEONE
PUT ON SPEAKER
PLAY MUSIC OR VIDEO IN BACKGROUND WHILE ON SPEAKER
FIXES PROBLEM
Oh wow, thank you so much.. I tried something too and will share. Don’t laugh, I tried the shutting off reboot no luck, then was going to opt for the bic pen fix when I happened upon my eyelash wand, it’s clean and you can get them at any makeup store, it’s like a mascara wand with no debris or mscara on it yet. Perfect size and whisked it around inside my headphone jack, nothing sizable came out but wha laaaa it worked !!!
I got lucky blowing air from a small compressor directly into the headphone jack of an iPad that had this problem. We never use headphones with it so possibly someone stuck a pair in and got it stuck thinking headphones were still in it. I was this close to tossing it so I had nothing to lose. I know it has a little metal plate that bends in when you insert a headphone to tell the device a headphone is attached. Possibly this plate got stuck in place…maybe some gunk in there didn’t help. I must have got it loose… Read more »
This helped I put rice in my head phone jack then put my phone in rice because I had water damage and now it works fine
Omg thanks so much I spent a day trying to fix this any way I tried with a cotton bud removed most of the cotton tip and tried did not work right away I left the phone alone for a few hours came back checked again it was sorted so don t give up if at first you don t succeed! Thanks very much your a star
Hearty Thank you!
It’s really helped.
Once again Thanks.
Keep advised for us.
Wow! The cotton swab worked in two seconds! I pulled a little off the top first so it wasn’t so thick. Thanks!
Nothing worked for me…:(
I dropped my phone in the toilet and my headphone jack wasn’t working so i took a q-tip and cleaned it out and now it works
Thank you!! This helped!!
Used the cotton bud trick and it worked, thank you so much
Work with cotton buds!! Thanks!!
I tried cotton swab several times. Tried power on and off and still in headphone . Help …
Oh my god thank you so so much!! Took a lot of swabs but finally got out the gunk!!
I tried the pen trick and multiple cotton swabs, but nothing was working! I even tried the SIM card trick but my phone still thought I had headphones in. I didn’t think there should have been any moister in the jack but I decided it was time to see so I turned off my phone and put it in a bag of rice for two hours and voil! The sound worked perfect when I turned it on! Thanks for the help and I hope this might help someone else. Good luck!
Hey hey hey guys am very happy the cotton swab method worked on my phone am very happy thank you
If this didn’t work for you like it didn’t for me and it’s still stuck on headphone mode well I may have one more trick
go to settings
go to sound
In the section of “RINGER AND ALERTS” where it says change with buttons click it and it should do the trick
O my goodness! The BIC and cotton swab didn’t work for me and I was already in the verge of quitting! But took my facial tissue twisted it with my fingers and inserted in my iphone jock until I felt the end, twisted it a little inside and VOILA! No more headphones mode, back to ringer Don’t quit!
OMG…the Qtip worked.
Yay!!!
Q-Tip worked! Left it in for approx 10-15mins… Thanks for the tip.