Why the phone doesn’t see the headphones: reasons, solutions

Very often, smartphone users encounter a problem when the phone does not see the headphones, regardless of whether they are wired or not. Why does this happen? It is impossible to say for sure, since there are various reasons, starting with a system failure and ending with a hardware failure. In this material we will try to talk about all the most common problems due to which headphones are not detected. In addition, troubleshooting tips will be given, so it will be interesting!

OS crash

The first problem due to which the phone does not see the headphones is a malfunction of the operating system. No one is immune from this, and failures themselves can occur at a completely inopportune moment.

This problem can be resolved in two ways. The first one, which is also the simplest, is to reboot the device. As practice shows, in most cases, a reboot solves the problem and the headphones begin to be detected by the device again.

The second method of solving the problem is more radical - resetting all phone settings to factory settings. If rebooting doesn't help, then resetting to factory settings should help 100%. You can perform the procedure through your phone settings in the “Backup and Memory” section.

Why don't wired headphones connect to my phone?

In the case of wired devices, the situation changes greatly, since the method of signal transmission is different, and therefore the problems are different. We can conditionally divide them into 2 categories: software and physical. We will consider both niches separately.

Problems with the software

Often the headphones do not connect to the phone due to a software glitch. Application conflicts, system errors, firmware bugs, applications not working - all this can lead to sound problems. Mostly, the problem can be resolved on its own after replacing the application, resetting the settings, or flashing the gadget.

What to do if the phone does not see the headphones due to the fault of the software:

Checking application permissions. There are 2 potential culprits: the required privileges were not granted to the audio player or they were received by an application that blocks the sound. You should go to the device settings and in the permissions section see which programs have access to sound control. If there is no player among them, that is the answer to the question. The headphones are detected, but sound is not transmitted to them.
We remove temporary files, viruses and change the audio player. Initially, you should run CCleaner, which will delete the cache and temporary application data. Then we can use the free Avast antivirus to clean the system of viruses. Finally, install another media player on Android from Google Play.

We reset the gadget's settings, this leads to the complete deletion of all user data (except for those located in the memory of the flash drive). The smartphone acquires the same state as when it was first turned on. You need to go to Recovery mode (press and hold the volume up and lock buttons when the phone is off). Here you need to select the Hard Reset option.
Reflashing Android. This is the last correction option from this perspective, which we do not describe in detail here.

Hardware failure

Typically, such problems are difficult to correct manually, since the problem is in the physical condition of the phone or components. Quite often, the phone refuses to connect to the headphones due to careless use of the smartphone. Falls, moisture, frequent use of the gadget with dirty hands - all this falls under negligence. The only case when it is possible to quickly and easily restore the functionality of the port is if it was contaminated. An ordinary cotton swab, needle or match works well to remove accumulated debris.

Other reasons why headphones on your phone do not work:

The headset is not compatible with the phone. Some manufacturers follow the shady path of increasing sales of their own accessories. They simply change the positive contact and ground. This leads to the fact that only branded headphones work on the smartphone. Most headphones from Aliexpress and other stores do not work with this option.
There is no contact at the 3.5mm port. Contact can be prevented by dirt, dust, debris, splinters of wood, glass, etc. The worst thing is if the problem is caused by water, because this can lead to malfunctions of other components of the smartphone. Another cause could be simple damage to the nest. Cleaning, restoring contacts or replacing the port should help.

The audio codec has failed - this is a small chip that converts an analogue to a digital signal, and also does the same in the opposite direction. You can check the problem with the microcircuit by the fact that not only the headphones stop working, but also the speakers, microphone, and communication. If the problem appears after a fall, it is most likely an issue with the audio codec.
Headset failure. The contact of the wire near the plug often disappears. Interruption, strong bending, or pressure on the cable can lead to breakage. You'll have to change the cord or buy new headphones, at least it's better than having your phone repaired.

Dust and dirt

The second reason why the phone does not see the headphones is dust and dirt getting into the headset connector. At first glance, it may seem that the connector cannot become clogged, but this is not at all the case. It collects dust and small particles of dirt, which over time become compressed and clog some of the contacts. As a result, the phone cannot detect the headphones.

There are several ways to fix this problem. The first is to blow out the connector. You can do this either yourself, or use a can of compressed air.

The second option is more effective - use a toothpick with cotton wool or a cotton swab. The cotton wool should be dipped in alcohol, just not too much, after which you can start cleaning.

Device diagnostics

Initially, the user wants to understand what to do next if the phone does not see the headset or headphones. You need to figure out which device to look for the problem in: headphones or phone. This must be done even if you plan to see a specialist later.

Carrying out diagnostics at the initial stage is quite simple.

Connect potentially faulty headphones to any other device: player, computer, TV. If they function, then the problem is with the phone.
Install other headphones into your mobile phone and check. If the accessory works normally, then the socket and contacts of the phone connector are working properly.
If you have Bluetooth headphones, try connecting them to another Bluetooth device and see if pairing or discovery occurs.

Connecting headphones to the player

Any mobile phone can experience a malfunction due to which it will not see the headset. This especially applies to little-known and budget devices, but it can also happen to famous brands. Therefore, first you should restart the gadget and try to reconnect the headphones; if the action has no effect, then it’s time to move on to the next options.

Faulty connector

The next reason why the phone does not see the headphones is a broken connector. If the headphones are absolutely working and work on a computer or other device, but rebooting, resetting settings and cleaning the connector from dust and oxidation do not help, then the connection input itself is faulty.

In this case, repairing the device will help solve the problem.

Problems with your smartphone

What should I do if headphones with or without a microphone are detected on other equipment, but the phone does not see them? To finally make sure that the problem is on the side of the phone or tablet, connect other headphones to them. Does not work? Check for the following problems:

Damage to the cable or socket.
Connector clogged.
Oxidation of socket contacts.
Closure.

An ordinary user can deal with a clogged socket on his own, but if we are talking about damage to the cable or connector, then it is better to contact a service center. To clean, you can use a needle, toothpick, or thin tweezers. The main thing is not to overdo it and damage the connector.

Wireless Bluetooth headphones won't connect to Android phone
Headphones don't play well on Android phone

Headphone failure

Another fairly popular problem why the phone does not see the headphones is a malfunction of the “ears” themselves. It’s quite easy to make sure whether the headset is working or not. To do this, you need to connect the headphones to another smartphone, tablet, laptop or computer. If they do not work, then the diagnosis is obvious - they need to be replaced.

#2 Wireless models

When trying to determine why wireless headphones do not connect to the phone, it is worth considering that most often the problem is related to the connection of the Bluetooth device to the smartphone.

To check the connection you will need:

Check if the audio device is turned on. For this purpose, all devices have a special button, and when turned on, a signal is triggered - sound and/or light.
Battery charge. If the device does not respond to the power button with a signal, then most likely the device is discharged.
Check compatibility
Well, of course, don’t forget to turn on Bluetooth on your phone.

If your Android phone does not see wireless headphones, then you should look at the “Settings” menu (to do this, click the gear icon in the top curtain). In the “Connected Devices” section, move the “Bluetooth” slider to the “On” position.

To enable wireless connection on your iPhone, you need to open “Settings”, click on “Bluetooth” and move the slider.

Another feature of wireless models is the range of distance between the smartphone and the headset. Some devices can maintain a stable signal at a distance of up to 100 meters, but most often when the distance is 8-10 meters, the phone no longer sees the device.

It happens that even after this the headphones do not connect to the phone, what to do in this case is not an easy question. The breakdown can be hidden both in a smartphone and in an audio device; only a repair specialist can answer this question more accurately.

Thus, most problems arise due to inattention and haste, for example, Bluetooth is not turned on or the mini-jack is not fully inserted. However, no one is immune from serious damage, in which case the headphones will require repair and sometimes replacement.

Problems with Bluetooth headphones

The last point concerns a wireless headset: why doesn’t the phone see Bluetooth headphones? There are several reasons for this, fortunately, they are all simple:

First of all, you need to make sure that Bluetooth is turned on on both devices.
If the wireless connection is active, then the next step is to make sure that the sync feature with your phone works. To do this, press the corresponding button on the headphones.
If the headset does not show any signs of “life,” then with a 99% probability its battery is dead and needs to be charged.
Bluetooth headphones may not be detected due to the banal lack of phone support for the A2DP function, which is necessary to work with wireless headsets.
And lastly, the headphones may turn out to be faulty or simply break.

That's all!

Bluetooth headphones do not connect to phone

Increasingly, wireless headphones that work via Bluetooth are being purchased along with Samsung, Huawei, and Horor smartphones. Of course, they are much more convenient to use and help avoid constant wire tangling. In their case, completely different problems come to the fore.

Causes

Most likely the phone does not connect to the headphones for one of the reasons:

The headphone battery level is too low;
headset is turned off;
the phone is not paired with headphones;
Bluetooth is turned off on the smartphone;
the Bluetooth version on the gadget is incompatible with the version on the headset;
went out of range of wireless communication;
headphones are broken.

Firmware is to blame

Sometimes, when faced with a problem, the user checks the devices separately and comes to the conclusion that they work separately, but do not want to work together. In this case, the software is to blame.

Virus - its action can cause failures of any kind, including a lack of communication when connecting headphones. Installing an antivirus or completely resetting the device to factory settings will help.
Software glitch. In such a situation, a reboot will help, as was said at the beginning of the text, but if there is no effect, then you should try to roll back the phone to its factory state.
Sometimes the reason why the sound is not coming through the headphones is because of the applications. Some of them receive unnecessary permissions to interact with different parts of the phone and can, among other things, block sound. In this situation, you need to go into the smartphone settings, open applications and view their permissions. If there are any doubts that this utility should interact with the audio system, then the permission must be revoked or such software should be completely removed.
Android devices are far from perfect, and this is especially true in those moments when the memory is full. The smartphone may behave very strangely, including not being able to see the headset. Treatment is memory cleaning.
Sometimes the reason is hidden in the settings of the player that is used to listen to your favorite songs. It's worth checking this out.
The lack of communication may be caused by a simple incompatibility between the accessory and the phone. For example, Apple headphones may not work with Android and vice versa.

If the smartphone is old enough and the OS version on it is outdated, then this could be the reason . The only option is to try to install a more recent OS on the phone by flashing the gadget, which may threaten the performance of the device.

Only one bluetooth earphone works: how to connect a second one so that both work

Unfortunately, cases often arise when only one Bluetooth earphone works, but the other one does not connect. What to do in such a case?

No sound on Android phone - what to do

Many devices have a mono mode. When connected, only one speaker will be heard. The function can be deactivated so that the device operates normally. However, in most cases there is a breakdown in synchronization between the two “ears”.

You can fix the error as follows:

Place both headphones in the case.
Then remove and hold the function buttons for about 20 seconds.
They will turn on, turn off again, and then they need to be put back in the case.
After that, take them out and turn them on at the same time.
As a result, the headphones should connect to each other.

Note! Sometimes on a smartphone “ears” are displayed on the screen as two different devices - R and L - right and left. In this case, they will not be able to work simultaneously; you can only connect them separately.

Using the headset is not only very popular, but also very convenient. Devices free up your hands and allow you to do much more while still being connected. In some cases, the headphones are not detected by the smartphone. There are several reasons for this phenomenon, some can be dealt with on your own, others will require the intervention of specialists. If it is not possible to solve the problem at home, then it is recommended not to take risks so as not to damage both devices.

Device Compatibility

Among other reasons not related to software, one can highlight the problem of incompatibility of the accessory with gadgets. Technically, the headphone jack is different:

Mono connector with two contacts;
three-pin stereo jack;
stereo headset jack with four pins.

The phone does not see the incorrectly selected accessory, but such situations are rare. As a rule, modern technology has maximum potential, that is, it has 4 contacts with the ability to connect a headset.

There are designs where the contacts are “swapped”, which will also lead to the phone not seeing the headphones. It's simple here: many companies develop things like headphones, microphones or headsets exclusively for their products. This is economically beneficial, because the user will buy more products of the same brand, although forced.

iPhone 7 and Lightning headphones

Average companies, due to competition, do not take such measures; this is rather a privilege of the leading manufacturers in their industry.

The second point is that goods are of low/unstable quality; as a rule, these are cheap Chinese (sometimes Taiwanese) headphones without a specific brand. If a company does not monitor production and uses foreign technologies, then as a result the user receives products with unpredictable technical characteristics. In both this and the previous case, the accessory will work properly.

The device is not compatible with this headset

A user may encounter this error when trying to synchronize a wireless headset with their smartphone. When synchronizing with the device, a message appears on the smartphone screen indicating incompatibility with the headset. Most often this happens with headphones from other companies.

Unfortunately, this situation cannot be corrected directly. You can try connecting the headset via the NFC module; most often this works, but it turns out to be not very convenient. If you want to listen to music via bluetooth, you need to change the accessory.

Where are the notes on a Samsung phone?

Check if your headphones are fully charged

It is recommended to fully charge the battery before using the headphones for the first time or if they have not been used for a long time. When you charge the battery for the first time or when it is completely discharged, it takes at least 30 minutes.
To charge the headphones, insert them into the appropriate jacks, and then connect the charger.
The charging case, which has a built-in battery, is charged together with the headphones, which are located in the charging case. The charging case may not close properly if you insert the headphones in the wrong direction.

Note: Do not charge the headphones using a computer or laptop. This may cause the headphones to charge more slowly.

Check the Bluetooth connection between the Galaxy Buds+ and your mobile device

If the headphones are not found on your mobile device:

Close the charging case again and open it to enter Bluetooth pairing mode.
Make sure your headphones and other Bluetooth device are within the Bluetooth connection range (10m). The distance may vary depending on the environment in which the devices are used.

If the headphones cannot connect to Bluetooth:

The headphones will turn off Bluetooth pairing mode after 3 minutes. Insert the Galaxy Buds+ back into the case and open the case again to enable pairing mode.

You can also manually enter Bluetooth pairing mode using the touchpad. Press and then hold the Galaxy Buds+ touchpad.
Make sure your headphones and other Bluetooth device are within the Bluetooth connection range (10m). The distance may vary depending on the environment in which the devices are used.
Check for any obstacles such as walls or electrical equipment between paired devices.
Restart your mobile device and launch the Galaxy Wearable app again.
If you only have one earbud connected to your mobile device, reboot the earbuds to connect them both.