13 Bulletproof Ways to Fix iPhone Stuck in Headphones Mode

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“If you don’t take off your headphones, there’s a high chance that it’s either you going to be deaf, or you’re iPhone’s going to be deaf.”

So like I always do, I didn’t care much.

Days went by until one gloomy Friday. I was at home, listening to my Spotify using my headphones and it came to a point when I wanted to place a call to my friend, so I had to unplug the headphones.

Suddenly I hear nothing. Now for a second, I thought I went deaf but thankfully in almighty Spongebob’s name I wasn’t. The next course of action I took was I try to check my iPhone whether it produced any sounds such as whilst typing on the keyboard or whether it played any of the ringtones.

Again it didn’t make any sound. At this point, I was getting frustrated and felt like throwing my iPhone out of the window. I kept checking to see what the heck is wrong with it and I came to find out that my iPhone got stuck on headphones mode when I saw this cowbell-like symbol saying “ Headphones “ underneath it …

So what did I do? I tried these thirteen ways that I’m about to show you right now. I’m sure, at least one of the ways will fix your iPhone stuck in headphones mode too as it did for me. 🙂

1. Remove Your iPhone’s Case.

Make sure that you remove your iPhone’s case and check if that does the trick.

Most of the time, it could just be that your iPhone’s case could be blocking the pathway to the audio jack which causes your iPhone to remain stuck in headphones mode.

2. Turn Your iPhone Off And Back On Again.

Even if you’ve removed your iPhone’s case but you still find that the iPhone stuck in headphones mode, then what you can do is turn your iPhone off and back on again to make sure that the problem does not lie in your software.

Yeah I know, you already tried it so many times, but it’s still worth a shot.

Try plugging in your headphones and out a few more times, as sometimes your iOS can forget that your headphones were disconnected. There’s one thing you should make sure when you plug it in — you should be able to hear the audio clearly on your headphones.

Once you are pretty sure it works all great, only then should you slowly stop the audio, clear your history (by double-tapping your Home button and making sure no background apps are running) and then firmly plug out your headphones.

4. Try Another Pair of Headphones.

Different headphones have different configurations.

So if you do have the original Apple’s EarPods (and I mean the originals, not the fakes) then go ahead and give that a go. Whichever brand of headphones you were using before your iPhone got stuck, it could be possible it may not have been entirely compatible with your iPhone because there are certain types and brands out there that may not sync perfectly with your iPhone because of its different configurations.

It’s completely fine if you do not have the original Apple EarPods with you, any headphones would do (you can try asking your friends or your siblings) just as long as it is not some Chinese knockoffs or something you found lying somewhere (which could have been the reason why someone left it there in the first place).

5. Go Airplane Mode

Going Airplane mode is kinda like going offline except you don’t turn off your iPhone altogether. I’ll show you how you can do that if you’ve never done it before.

1. Go onto your iPhone and then swipe up from the bottom of your Home screen to open your Control Center
2. Then tap on the Airplane icon to turn on Airplane Mode. Give it a good 5 minutes or so and then turn it back off to see if your speakers are working again.

Alternatively

You can also go onto your Settings and then turn on your Airplane Mode by tapping the slider to turn it on. Give it a good 5 minutes or so in Airplane Mode and then turn it back off to see if your speakers are working again.

6. Use a Bluetooth speaker.

I know what your thinking,

“How is this any different from the way you manually plug in and out using the headphones?”

You see, if you’re stuck on headphones mode as a result of your plug-in headphones or earphones then you can easily undo it if you use a Bluetooth speaker or a pair of Bluetooth headphones as they work without the need to plug them in since they are wireless.

So when you connect your iPhone to a Bluetooth speaker or a pair of Bluetooth headphones, your iPhone will recognize the Bluetooth device and will also know when you disconnect it (since you’re not unplugging it manually which can sometimes be confusing to your iPhone).

This is a pretty neat trick that you can do and all you’ll need is either a Bluetooth speaker or a pair of Bluetooth headphones that you have lying around.

Once you have that, all you have to do is connect your iPhone to your Bluetooth speaker or the Bluetooth headphones, give it a good 5 minutes or so and then disconnect it back to see it has fixed your iPhone. 🙂

7. Give your iPhone a Hard Reset.

One of the best ways to fix any problem you might get with your iPhone: whether your iPhone won’t charge or if you find your iPhone does not turn on or if your iPhone does not ring when you get an incoming call. Just any situation you find yourself stuck in, this is your escape rope.

And that escape rope is to give your iPhone a Hard Reset.

Now a hard reset is not that hard to understand. Just think of it as how you normally restart your iPhone but with this, it clears more of your device’s unwanted garbage memory. (it’s NOT your storage. You won’t lose any of your data).

So here’s how you do it:

If you’re on an iPhone 6S or older

Go ahead and press and hold your Power button together with your Home button at the same time. Hold it for at least 20 seconds until the Apple logo appears on the screen.

If you’re on an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus

Go ahead and press the Power button and your Volume Down button at the same time. Hold it for at least 20 seconds until the Apple logo appears on the screen.

If you’re on an iPhone 8, 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro

1. Quickly press and release your Volume Up button then press and release your Volume Down button.
2. Then, press and hold your Power button (iPhone 8 or 8 Plus) or your Side button (iPhone X, XS, 11). Hold it until the Apple logo appears on the screen.

Now try and see if your iPhone’s speakers are working and that it has fixed it from being stuck on headphones mode. However, if you still find your iPhone stuck on headphones mode, then it’s time to get your hands dirty.

8. I’m Going In! Cover Me.

Think of it as a game of Operation.

So you are going to need to be very gentle as you go into your headphone jack to clear up the debris that’s making your iPhone stuck in headphones mode. It’s very easy to mess this up all by just poking it a little too hard or if you hit one of the very fragile components.

One of the safest ways to clean your headphones jack is to use a cotton bud. Simply grab one and use it to clean inside your headphone jack gently.

Since they’re soft you don’t have to worry about it being harmful. This isn’t the case if you’re thinking of using a toothpick or a brush because the sharp edges can cause damage.

Also when you use your cotton bud, do not push it in but rather swipe the debris outwards.

9. Update your iOS.

By making sure to keep your iOS updated, you’ll not only manage to fix to your iPhone stuck in headphones mode but also you’ll prevent a lot of software-related bugs and problems from ever coming up in the future.

All you have to do is just follow these simple steps to get your iPhone updated and then you’re good to go.

Step 1: On your iPhone’s home screen, click on your Settings app and then tap on General

Step 2: Next, click on Software Update. Give your iPhone a few seconds or so for it to check for any new updates.

Step 3: If there are updates, follow through with the update. Once you’re done it should fix your iPhone is stuck in headphones mode. If this doesn’t do the trick, then you know it’s something that’s got to do with the hardware side of your iPhone.

10. Change your iPhone’s Settings.

Did you know?

💡 There’s a setting that deals with where audio is heard during phone calls and FaceTime audio calls.

I’ll show you how you can get there and make the changes that’ll fix your iPhone:

1. Head over to your Settings, and then General.
2. Next select Accessibility
3. Scroll down until you see Interaction
4. Keep scrolling, until you see Call Audio Routing
5. Sweet! Now all you have to do is just make sure it is set to Automatic if yours is not then choose Automatic from the list.

Now if you already find that it is already set to Automatic and it is still not working, then try and test by setting it to Speaker.

To check if this did the trick, all you have to do is just place a call or a Facetime audio call and then see for yourself if your speaker works.

If it does, then just go back to this same setting and change it back to Automatic.

11. Put your iPhone in DFU Mode

If you find that none of the above methods work to fix your iPhone stuck in headphones mode then it’s pretty likely you might have a corruption in your iPhone’s iOS itself.

Let me ask you, have you ever jailbroken your iPhone?

If yes, then there lies the problem. You see since you made some tweaks here and there from Cydia, this can sometimes change your system files in your iPhone altogether.

So what’s the solution?

You should go for a DFU mode restore for your iPhone. This should patch up all the corrupted iOS files and the files will be replaced with new ones that should get your iPhone running as good as ever.

Note

Make sure that you have backed up your iPhone using your iTunes. Do that before moving on with the steps below.

Here’s how you can put your iPhone into DFU mode:

1. Go ahead and hold the Power button on your iPhone for 3 seconds.
2. Keep holding the Power button but now you have to also hold down on your Home button for 15 seconds.
3. Release the Power button while continuing to hold the Home button for another 10 seconds.
4. Alright! Now your device should prompt with the Connect to iTunes Screen
5. Now plug in your iPhone into your computer and open your iTunes. It will either prompt to restore and update or you can manually restore using the following steps.

iOS Restore Steps

Before you restore your iPhone using DFU mode, make sure that you:

Restoring your iPhone

1. Go ahead and connect your iPhone to your computer.
2. Now select your iPhone when it appears in your iTunes. Select the Summary tab, and then click the Restore button.
3. Click Restore.
4. After you have finished with your restore, your iPhone will restart. Then, you should see the Slide to set up. From here on, follow the steps in the iOS Setup Assistant.
5. You can always restore your device from a previous backup if you need it or you can also choose to set it up as new.

12. Who Are You Going to Call? Ghostbusters!

Nah I am kidding,

Well if none of the above ways did work for you then you should meet up with the geeks at your nearest Apple Support or an Apple Authorized Service Provider.

Feel free to go through the many tips and advice from the many helpful comments posted by others who had the same issue below. Let us know down below if you found a better option and we will update the article with your credit.

If this guide was helpful, please share it. As well as join us over at Saint, where we how-to guides and tutorials daily. 🙂

Originally published at https://www.saintlad.com on September 29, 2019.