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Are you in a situation where the headphone jack is working? Problems with the headphone jack on smartphones are not as rare as many people think. This happens to many users and can be very frustrating, especially for those who listen to music regularly.
See the list : the best Bluetooth headphones
In this post, we will share five fixes that will hopefully solve your headphone jack not working problem. Let's get started.
Make sure the headphones are working.
The first step when discovering a broken headphone jack is obvious. It's entirely possible that there's actually nothing wrong with the headphone jack and the problem is with the headphones. You can verify their functionality by simply connecting them to another device. It doesn't have to be a smartphone. A laptop, TV or any other device with a built-in 3.5 mm jack will do.
Take note : what to do if your mobile phone falls into water
If you don't hear sound when you connect your headphones to other devices, you've found a problem. Just replace the headphones and you're done. If they work fine with another device, something else is to blame. It's time to move on to the next step below.
We also recommend connecting other headphones to your smartphone before moving on. Although this is rare, there is still a chance that the headphones are not compatible with your smartphone, even if they work with other devices.
The phone does not recognize wireless headphones
Bluetooth headphones can be used on smartphones, computers, laptops and any other gadgets. They run on batteries and require periodic recharging, which is something you need to pay attention to when determining why the wireless headset is not connecting to your phone. If the battery is low, the indicator will notify you about this, and you will have to connect the charger.
There are other reasons why a Bluetooth headset may not work:
- Problems with the driver: they need to be reinstalled or rolled back if new software was installed.
- Incorrect settings.
- Incorrect parameters in the BIOS (applies only to computer equipment).
In the last two cases, you should familiarize yourself with the settings for a specific Windows series, and if there are any inaccuracies, enter the correct value in the special fields.
Check if your smartphone is connected to another device via Bluetooth.
If your smartphone is paired with wireless headphones, a speaker, or another device via Bluetooth, the headphone jack may be disabled. Typically, when you plug in your headphones, your smartphone should recognize them and everything should work as intended, regardless of your Bluetooth settings. However, this is not always the case.
This is a quick and easy solution as all you have to do is open the settings menu on your device, find the Bluetooth option and check if it is turned on. In this case, the smartphone is most likely connected to one of the other devices you have at home. If this is the problem, just turn it off, plug in your headphones and see if that solves the problem. If they still don't work, you should move on to the next step in this list.
What to do if the headphones on your phone don't work?
First of all, check the headset itself. Sooner or later, headphones can fail, even the most expensive and reliable ones. The reason is obvious: the gadget is constantly exposed to various influences from humans. Many people are used to twisting or rolling up their headphones. For this reason, the contact wire near the plug often breaks. Finding a problem area is not so easy, but if you have the right tool, the task is quite doable.
It’s another matter when the headphones on your phone don’t work due to a faulty connector. This case is much more serious than the previous one. Try cleaning the connector; it may be dirty and after some basic cleaning it will work again. If this does not happen, then you will have to conduct a thorough diagnosis of the phone. The headphone jack is considered one of the most vulnerable points of the device. It becomes clogged with foreign inclusions and is often exposed to the negative effects of moisture and other unfavorable conditions.
Clean the headphone jack.
As you can imagine, over time, a lot of dust and lint can get into the headphone jack. This can cause damage as dirt can actually block the connection between the headphones and the jack.
The first thing to do if the headphone jack is not working is to simply look into the jack to assess the situation. You may need a flashlight for this. The next step is to try to clean it and hope that solves the problem. There are many different ways to do this, some of them work better than others. One option is to simply blow into the headphone jack to remove at least some of the dust and lint found inside. You can also use a can of compressed air if you have one.
A good option is to use a Q-tip. Insert it into the connector and twist it a little to remove dust and lint. Be very careful when doing this as there is a risk of damaging the device further. You can also soak a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol, but be careful not to use too much.
Once you're done, look in the headphone jack again to see how much dust and lint is still left. If everything is clear, plug in your headphones to check if everything is working as it should.
One of the devices is unavailable
Speaking about why the phone does not see Bluetooth headphones, it is worth starting to look for problems with the simplest and most banal things. First, make sure that the Bluetooth function on your smartphone is turned on when connecting the headphones.
To do this, repeat the following steps:
Step 1: Open your mobile device settings and go to the Connected Devices tab.
Step 2. Open the item called “Connection Settings”.
Step 3. Now from the entire list of interfaces, select the “Bluetooth” line.
Step 4. Check that the slider is in the “Enabled” position and click on the “Add device” button to search for other Bluetooth devices.
It happens that the phone does not find the headset due to incompatibility, but this happens rarely. If the equipment has not been recognized, in some cases it makes sense to place it next to the smartphone. Old and cheap wireless headphones can only support outdated versions of Bluetooth technology. In this regard, the range within which devices using this protocol can communicate can be very small. In addition, the range is also affected by the presence of interference/obstructions.
Don't rule out that your headphones and phone may not have enough charge, as Bluetooth may simply turn off due to a low battery percentage without you even noticing.
Check your sound settings and restart your smartphone.
There's also a chance that the problem is not with the jack or headphones you're using, but with the device's audio settings. If this is the case, you will be able to figure it out in no time. Simply open the sound settings on your device and check the volume level as well as other settings that may be muting the sound.
See list : best noise canceling headphones
Typically, there are not many such settings on a smartphone, so you should quickly find the problem. If there is one.
If everything seems fine but the headphone jack is not working, you can try another simple solution - restarting your device. Rebooting usually resolves many different issues related to your smartphone, and it takes less than a minute. Simply press and hold the Power button, select the restart option, wait for the device to turn on again, and then check if the problem is gone.
Nuances of different models
The most common common factors that lead to no sound in headphones when connected to a mobile device have been described above. But there are other problems with the gadget, as well as typical malfunctions for some groups of headphones and smartphones. Against this background, it is worth highlighting wireless gadgets and Apple phones.
Features of the problem for a wireless gadget
Often, modern wireless headphones are more reliable and perform better, since they are devoid of cables - the main source of problems with conventional headphones. But they also have their own operating characteristics, which depend on the technology used to transmit the audio signal “over the air”. So, when using wireless headphones (for example, on a Samsung Galaxy or Xiaomi), you need to take into account the range:
- Bluetooth – converts a digital signal into an analogue one and can operate at a distance of up to 10 meters from a smartphone;
- IR - work on the principle of remote controls via infrared radiation, and the reason for the lack of sound can be any obstacle between the headphones and the phone;
- radio headphones - their action is based on transmitting an audio signal via radio waves, the range of which is up to 150 m, but interference significantly reduces the sound quality.
On a note! Oddly enough, the problem with wireless headphones on HTC is often solved by regular charging. You need to connect your phone to the mains and use the headset with a battery charge level of at least 30%. And headphones from the JBL and Sony brands support connection via NFC, which greatly simplifies the process of using a wireless headset. To make the connection faster, the device is brought closer to the N mark on the case.
Another reason for the lack of sound on wireless headphones is the smartphone switching to power saving mode. Moreover, in each model the battery level of this mode is set individually. When the charge reaches the energy-saving level, the phone can turn off music, Internet access, and lower the screen brightness to reduce energy consumption as much as possible .
Features of the problem for iPhone
Partial or complete lack of sound in headphones on iPhone is a common problem. Owners of the iPhone 5s, and even newer models 6 and 7, are faced with the fact that the reproduction of certain frequencies is disrupted. The right earphone, on the wire of which the volume rocker and microphone are located, also often breaks. It's almost impossible to fix this problem - you'll need a new pair of headphones.
Advice! You can temporarily switch the headset to work in mono mode: in the settings, find the “Universal Access” item and change it to mono audio. The sound quality will noticeably decrease, but it will also be supplied from the right earphone.
If the wiring is intact, everything is fine with the headset, but there is no sound at all, the problem is the following:
- failure in the operating system;
- connector damage.
If the headphones do not function on a smartphone, but work on a computer, you should also pay attention to the above reasons. In this case, to repair the connector, you must seek help from a specialized workshop. A failure in the operating system occurs when the program does not detect the moment the headphones are connected to the smartphone. The situation can be corrected by flashing the shell or resetting to factory settings.
It's time to go to a repairman.
If none of the tips listed above help, this means that the problem is not as small as we would like. If your smartphone is still under warranty, your best bet is to simply contact the seller or manufacturer. Explain the problem to the company and send it in for repair or replacement. In some cases it may take a long time, but at least it's free.
The second solution is definitely the worst. You may need to have the device repaired by the manufacturer or someone else who knows and understands this. You'll have to open your wallet and pay to get it fixed, but at least you'll be able to use the headphone jack again. Otherwise, you can simply opt for a pair of wireless Bluetooth headphones, which will also solve the problem. Well, sort of.
These are some of the fixes that we hope will help you fix a faulty headphone jack on your smartphone. If you think we missed something, let us know in the comments. Also feel free to share which of the above solutions - if any - worked for you.
When to contact the service center
If the headphones were purchased recently and the warranty conditions are met, they are not only possible, but must be taken to the service center at the slightest hint of a problem, since an attempt to repair it yourself can lead to even greater problems, and free service will no longer be available . If the sound check on a laptop with Windows 10 or 7 shows no results, and the headset does not work on any device, the service will replace it with an identical new one or repair it.
You should also contact the service center if there are problems with the connector. If it clearly rattles and “falls out” from the smartphone, then most likely it has already been disconnected from the board. No independent manipulation without disassembling and replacing will help.
Damage may also occur to the board in the area of the audio playback device, for example, after the smartphone is dropped or comes into contact with water. In this case, only the service will help.
If you are connecting via Bluetooth
The Bluetooth connection can also cause problems and make our mobile phone not detect the headphones or they do not sound . In this case, since it is a wireless connection, we must try other methods to detect the problem. Some of the methods shown above can also work like this:
- Reboot your mobile
- Turn Bluetooth on or off
- Check the volume
- Try different headphones
Clear network settings
Clearing network settings works many times. This causes any configuration to be restored and the settings are cancelled, which could mistakenly cause the mobile phone not to recognize the headphones. This option is located under Settings/System/Reboot & Reset, but may also be under Settings/Connections. We won't lose any data, but we will have to pair the Bluetooth device again.
Clear Bluetooth cache
Another effective method is clearing the system's Bluetooth application cache . To do this we go to Settings / Applications and, once inside, click "Show all" and look for Bluetooth. Once inside, click on clear data and cache. The next step is to restart your mobile phone and try again.
Check the maximum number of connected devices
If this option is set to "1" and we already have another Bluetooth device connected, it will be the reason that we will not be able to connect the Bluetooth headphones. To dispel doubts, go to Settings / Connections / Bluetooth and click on “Number of connected devices”. If the value is one, we will try using a higher number, such as 3 or 5, to see if this way the problem goes away and we can connect the headphones correctly.
Change codec
Sometimes there may be compatibility issues between our Bluetooth headphones and the configuration selected on our mobile phone. Among the options for developers we will find the option “Bluetooth Audio Codec”. It's about trying different options compared to the default one to see if we find the right one and if we can listen to the sound without problems.
Option 2: why Android doesn’t see headphones - check the phone
If you've tested your headphones and they work with other devices but not your phone, then that's the problem! To once again confirm the version of the problem with your Android device, connect other headphones and check their operation on your device. If they don’t work, then the problem is in the phone.
Why does the phone not see the headphones:
- The headphone jack is clogged.
- Oxidation of contacts in the headphone jack.
- Damage to the cable or socket.
- Damage due to short circuit.
Of all the above options, you can deal with a clogged headphone jack yourself. Take a toothpick and a paper clip and carefully clean the nest of dust and debris. As a rule, this saves in 75% of cases, since most people carry the phone in their pocket or use it impudently and, as a result, the connector becomes clogged with dust.
With a damaged cable, oxidation of contacts and a short circuit in the phone, we advise you not to carry out repairs yourself, and we strongly recommend contacting a service center.
