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iPhone is stuck in headphone mode

I hadn't used the headphones before this happened. I've tried cleaning out the jack with a match (it looks very clean) and plugging the headphones in and out several times whilst watching a video. Neither worked.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

[Re-Titled by Host]

iPhone 6, iOS 8, 1 day old.

Posted on Oct 11, 2014 5:26 AM

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Posted on Jan 9, 2017 7:37 PM

I think any solution here might be spurious; I tried plugging and unplugging headphones, reset network settings, and sent a ton of texts to myself. The thing I did last before I got it to work was call myself over and over while switching the silence off and on as my phone was ringing. If it's actually a software issue I'm thinking that each phone will have a different solution. If it's hardware issue I think there would just be one common solution. That's just my thoughts.

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Jan 9, 2017 7:37 PM in response to patrickfromnewbridge

I think any solution here might be spurious; I tried plugging and unplugging headphones, reset network settings, and sent a ton of texts to myself. The thing I did last before I got it to work was call myself over and over while switching the silence off and on as my phone was ringing. If it's actually a software issue I'm thinking that each phone will have a different solution. If it's hardware issue I think there would just be one common solution. That's just my thoughts.

Feb 14, 2017 8:26 AM in response to patrickfromnewbridge

Saw a bunch of posts on this and some of the answers are pretty stupid. In fact, some are malicious. There is no software reset, reboot, network reset steps to do this. The headphone jack is DIRTY and/or got wet. That simple. Phone thinks there is a jack in there so its stuck in headphone mode. One suggestion was to stick a paperclip in the jack. That will potentially damage your jack and phone!!! How stupid can one be?

Heres a fix that is SAFE and works. Use a cotton swab to rub alcohol or contact cleaner on the head phone cable jack and insert it a few times. Each time you pull it out, wipe the jack clean and insert it again. keep doing it until you see your ringer volume pop back up. Don't stuff a cotton swab up in there. I ended up using a toothpick with a tiny lens cleaner cloth wrapped around it and was able to insert it into the jack and rotate as I pulled it out. Lens cloth came out very dirty. Phone works now.

Feb 28, 2017 3:43 PM in response to patrickfromnewbridge

I've been trying to get this issue fixed on my iPhone 6 almost all day. I never use headphones and my phone has never had any water or physical damage. I tried SO MANY things and what finally worked for me was this.. HOLD DOWN THE VOLUME UP AND DOWN BUTTONS AT THE SAME TIME, WHILE STILL HOLDING THESE DO A HARD RESET. SO ALL THE STEPS YOU WILL DO AT THE SAME TIME ARE HOLD DOWN THE VOLUME UP AND DOWN BUTTONS WHILE HOLDING DOWN THE HOME BUTTON AS WELL AS THE BUTTON ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF YOUR PHONE. ONCE YOU SEE THE WHITE SCREEN WITH THE APPLE YOU CAN LET GO OF ALL BUTTONS. THIS SHOULD FIX THE ISSUE! I really hope this saves someone a lot of the hassle I've been through!!

Dec 31, 2016 8:21 PM in response to patrickfromnewbridge

I had the same problem with my iPhone 6 S. I had not used my headphones and my phone was stuck in headphone mode. After reading several postand trying different suggestions, I remembered that I had my charger plugged into my phone earlier . I simply plugged my charger back into my phone and unplugged it ,and it worked.

Hope this helps.

Jan 11, 2017 5:16 PM in response to patrickfromnewbridge

What did was I blew into the jack and got a cotton ball and took a small peace of held it from one side and turned the other side so than I put it in the jack all the way and made sure that I left a little bit of the cotton ball out so than I can talk it. So when the cotton ball was inside I turned it so that the debris or water inside can get stuck to the cotton ball and pulled it out. When I pulled it out I turned my phone off and it made sound.

Apr 10, 2017 12:20 AM in response to Matrillik

Thanks! I tried calling my iPhone 6, put it on airplane mode, resetting to network settings, shutting it off/on, plugging the headphone jack in/out. Nada. I finally had someone text me a few times and it worked! The phone finally recognized Ringer and not Headphone mode. This took almost 1 1/2 hours to figure out. Just don't reset settings until trying the other simple things first. You have to trick the phone which is the key. Thanks everyone! (I will not let my son use the headphones on this while listening to music and getting a call or text. It may confuse my phone again. I'll know what to do next time tho).

Dec 8, 2017 8:18 AM in response to patrickfromnewbridge

I had this problem and tried a bunch of fixes that didn't work like:


  1. un-plug and re-plug headphones repeatedly
  2. re-start phone
  3. clear out the jack of debris (there was none but I tried anyway)


90% of the time this is a hardware problem and not a software problem, as the main reason your phone thinks earbuds are in is because there is some sort of debris, rust, or other obstruction tricking your phone into thinking that earbuds are plugged in.


I read on other forums that it could be water damage in the headphone jack (but wait, I take amazing care of my expensive phone, how could this be?! Well if you are an athlete and train with your phone, it is likely that sweat trailed down your headphone cable and seeped into the jack over time. This is likely what happened in my case, and could be your problem too.


Not to fear. Go pick up a can of this stuff Quick Dry Electronic Clnr 11oz Can 12Pk - Walmart.com


CRC QD electronics contact cleaner is probably one of the most useful cleansers I've ever purchased. This $5 can has repaired hundreds, if not thousands of dollars worth of sensitive music, computer and tech equipment. It is non-conducting, quick drying and just all around awesome.


Put a half second spray of this stuff into your jack (phone can be on or off, doesn't matter because the solution is non-conductive as said before) and then put your earbuds in and out, and twist the plug in the jack. Do this for about 30 seconds.


This stuff should dissolve any rust on the contacts that could be shorting the circuit and tricking your phone into thinking that the earbuds are plugged in, and put a protective coating on the contacts as it dries to prevent more rust from forming.


This method should work immediately - as soon as the cleanser is dried, which should be seconds. If it doesn't work immediately, fear not. Go to bed. It should work in the morning, sometimes the cleanser just takes a little extra time (what happened in my case).


In the case that this does not work, you might need to replace your headphone jack as you can only repair rusted equipment so much, but I would only recommend doing this if your phone is no longer under warranty.


Hope this Helped.

Mar 14, 2017 11:17 AM in response to jbmarshal

I tried everything as well. Tried drying out the headphone jack with a really strong hand dryer in my office. Tried resetting the network settings, tried plugging and unplugging the headphone jack several times, played around with the volume buttons, NOTHING!

Then I put the phone on Airplane mode for about 10 minutes and that Finally worked!!!!


Thank you so much 🙂

iPhone is stuck in headphone mode

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