If you find your iPhone stuck in headphone mode, the simplest way to tell it’s actually happening is when you play audio and no sound comes out from the phone. Furthermore, a message shows up on your screen with the headphone volume yet there are no headphones attached.
Thankfully, you can fix this problem using a few troubleshooting steps before concluding that the headphone jack is damaged. In this article, we’ll show you a few fixes you can try and these apply to iPhone 6 and later models.
How to fix iPhone stuck in headphone mode
Plug and unplug the headphones
This is the first aid fix to try if your iPhone is stuck in headphone mode because it ‘thinks’ they’re still plugged in. plug the headphones in and then unplug them again. It’s possible that your iPhone’s headphone jack failed to recognize them when you last unplugged and thinks they’re still plugged in.
Check audio settings
Recent iOS versions let you control where audio is played to like HomePod, headphones, the phone’s speakers or other external speakers and more. Your headphone mode issue could be related to the audio output settings. To do this:
- Open Control Center
- Depending on your iOS version, swipe right to left to open music controls (iOS 10). For iOS 11, tap music controls at the upper right side
- Tap audio controls (iOS 10) at the bottom or AirPlay icon for iOS 11 and up
- In the new menu, tap iPhone (if it’s an option) to send audio to your phone’s speakers
Enable and disable Airplane/Flight mode
If the iPhone stuck in headphone mode problem persists, you can check for and fix it using Airplane or Flight mode. Turning it on disconnects all networking on the iPhone temporarily. This includes disconnecting the iPhone from any WiFi networks and Bluetooth devices. To do this:
- Open Control Center
- Tap Airplane mode to enable it
- Wait again a few seconds and tap Airplane mode to turn it off
Restart the device
There are several issues like software glitches that a restart can fix. When your iPhone is stuck in headphone mode, a technical issue may have occurred that a reboot can clear out.
Other solutions
- Clean the headphone jack to remove any gunk or lint that has built up on it, tricking iPhone to thinking it’s there when it isn’t
- Check for any water or liquid damage or moisture that could have gotten inside the headphone jack.
If nothing else works, get tech support from Apple or certified Apple experts.
Elsie is a tech writer with 8+ years professional experience. For Tech News Watch, she brings rich experience contributing to topics such as Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS among others. In her spare time, she loves checking out the latest tech trends, gadgets, and news, listening to music and cars.