How To Make Iphone 7 Headphones Work On Iphone 6

The headphone jack isn't working on your iPhone and you don't know why. You plugged your headphones in and started playing a song, but you can't hear anything! In this article, I'll explain why your iPhone headphone jack is not working and show you how to fix the problem.

Is My iPhone Headphone Jack Broken?

At this point, we can't be sure whether or not your iPhone headphone jack is not working because of a software issue or hardware issue. However, it's important for you to know that software problems can prevent your headphone jack from working properly. So before taking your iPhone into the Apple Store, work through the troubleshooting steps below!

Restart Your iPhone

To test for a potential software problem, try restarting your iPhone. Turning your iPhone off and back on can sometimes fix small software problems because all of the programs running on your iPhone can shut down and reboot naturally.

To turn off your iPhone, press and hold the power button. After a few seconds, you'll see "slide to power off" and a small power icon appear on the screen. Swipe the power icon from left to right to turn off your iPhone.

Wait approximately 15-30 seconds, then press and hold the power button again. Release the power button when the Apple logo appears right in the center of your iPhone's display.

Turn Up The Volume On Your iPhone

If you plugged headphones into your iPhone, but you can't hear any audio playing, then the volume on your iPhone may just be turned all the way down.

Press the volume up button on the left side of your iPhone to turn up its volume. When you do, a small box will pop-up on the center of your iPhone's display indicating the volume of your iPhone.

When the box appears, look for two things:

Make sure it saysHeadphones at the top of the box. This confirms that your headphone jack has detected that headphones are plugged in.
Make sure there's a volume bar at the bottom of the box. If it saysMute, then audio won't play through the headphones.

make sure headphone volume is up

If a box doesn't appear when you tap the volume buttons, open the Settings app andSounds & Haptics. Then, turn on the switch next toChange with Buttons.

ios 13 change with buttons

Try A Different Pair Of Headphones

It's possible that nothing's wrong with the headphone jack on your iPhone. Instead, there may be an issue with the plug of your headphones.

Try plugging a different pair of headphones into your iPhone's headphone jack. Can you hear audio playing now? If audio is working with one pair of headphones, but not the other, then your headphones are causing the problem — your headphone jack is perfectly fine!

Check To See If Audio Is Playing Somewhere Else

Even if your headphones are plugged in, there's a chance that the audio is playing through a different device such Bluetooth headphones or speaker. If your iPhone connected to a Bluetooth deviceafter you plugged your headphones in, then audio would start playing through the Bluetooth device and not your headphones.

For iPhones Running iOS 10 Or Older

If your iPhone is running iOS 10, open Control Center by using a finger to swipe up from below the bottom of the display. Then, swipe right-to-left to view the audio playback section of Control Center.

Next, tap on iPhone at the bottom of Control Center and make sure there's a check mark next toHeadphones. If the check mark is next to something else, simply tap on Headphones to switch. If you don't see a Headphones option even though your headphones are plugged in, then there may be a hardware problem with the headphone jack or the plug on your headphones.

audio playback ios 10 control center

For iPhones Running iOS 11 Or Newer

If your iPhone is running iOS 11 or newer, open Control Center by swiping up from below the bottom of the screen. Then, press and hold the audio box in the upper right-hand corner of Control Center.

Next, tap the AirPlay icon and make sure there's a check mark next toHeadphones. If the check mark is next to a different device, you can switch to headphones by tapping on Headphones.

checkmark headphones audio playback

Clean Out The Headphone Jack

Lint, gunk, and other debris stuck in the headphone jack can prevent your iPhone from recognizing headphones that are plugged in. If the headphone jack is not working on your iPhone, grab an anti-static brush or brand new toothbrush and clean out the headphone jack.

Don't have an anti-static brush? Check out Amazon where you can buy a six-pack of great anti-static brushes that you can use to safely clean out the ports on your iPhone.

For more great tips on cleaning out the headphone jack on your iPhone, check out our article on what to do when your iPhone is stuck in headphones mode!

Repairing The Headphone Jack

If you've worked through the steps above and your iPhone headphone jack is not working, then there may be a hardware problem with your iPhone. If your iPhone is covered by an AppleCare plan, take it into your local Apple Store — just make sure to schedule an appointment first!

Headphone Jack Problems: Fixed!

You fixed the problem with the headphone jack on your iPhone and you can start enjoying your favorite music and audiobooks again. I hope you'll share this article on social media to help out your friends and family if their iPhone headphone jack is not working. If you have any other questions, ask them in the comments section below!