Have you pulled the headphones out of your iPhone – causing the ear speaker to stop working? And the only way to hear anything is to put the headphones back in? Doesn’t that frustrate the hell out of you?
Me too. It happened to me and almost everyone I know who owns an iPhone! Luckily, I was able to fix the speaker in about 2 seconds – and you can too:
The good news is you don’t have to take it to the Genius Bar AND the speaker isn’t broken – Here’s the simple fix:
- You were probably listening to music, watching a movie or a YouTube video, or using the phone right?
- You yanked the headphones out of the jack during one of the activities in #1 – right?
- Perfect. Just stick the headphones back into the jack and start doing whatever you were doing when you pulled the headphones out (listening to music, watching a movie, etc.)
- You should be able to hear the sound in the headphones.
- Now click the “Pause” button in your movie, song or video.
- Remove the headphones again
- Try making a phone call
- It works!
This iPhone fix did not come easy. I played around with it forever and was ready to drive to the Apple Store / Genius Bar and demand a replacement iPhone (just like my buddy Dave did when he had the same problem! oops.)
Honestly, I was surprised as anybody when my little fix worked. And overjoyed when I realized that I didn’t have to take the iPhone in for service… Because I probably would have bought something at the Apple Store! I’m a sucker for shiny Apple products.
i wish i had this info 2 weeks ago. but thankds.
thank you soooo much, i was thinking it was dead. and there is no support in Australia for first gen iphones as they were not released here. I got mine from the US and jailbroke it. 1 minute fix to a week of frustration and problems. i owe you. great work!!!!
very helpful. thanks so much!!
Worked great. Thanks a million.
THANK YOU !
Awesome! Thanks for the simple fix. Thank you thank you thank you.
Thank you so much! What a frustrating problem with such an easy solution!
Works on the iPhone 4 too – I’ve just had to do it! 6 hours old and the speaker packed in, but this fixed it! Thank you!
Thanks a lot man, it was hard day today , but after i read your idea it works
thx a lot again
It works!!!! Thank you soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!
You’re welcome!
Strange… why for me didn’t work? I play a video with mxtube then i click pause close the mxtube app and i make a call. Nothing…please help.
Hi Mike - Not sure what’s happening with your iPhone. Try plugging the headphones in again. Then play a song from iPod. Now pause and pull the headphones out. If that doesn’t work, you should take the iPhone to a local Apple Store.
My speakers just stopped working and I was hopeful this would fix it but sadly not – still no sound!
My speaker is broke. I can talk on the phone but my ringer doesn’t make sound and I can’t use my speakerphone. Will this work for me? If not what will?
Hi Michael - Try the headphone trick. If that doesn’t work, you’ll have to visit the local Apple store.
This worked for me too, even after my Iphone was fully submerged in water!! Thank you soooooo much. You’re a genius!!
Hi Jessie – I’m not a genius, I just play one on this blog. Glad your speaker is fixed!
I have the same problem but I got the phone used and have no idea what they where doing when the sound stoped working.
I have found that everytime I pluged in my phone it was like played for a split second but then I lifted the charger end that goes into the phone and the speaker was working fine but I had to hop it in the position anyone have a fix to that? ( iPhone 3GS software version 4.2
I can’t believe that worked! I wasn’t using my headphones earlier, but it solved the problem anyway. THANK YOU!
I wanna kiss u right now life saver
dude, i did as you described but not working. Any other tips I can try?
Hi nuox – I don’t have any other ways to fix the speaker. Sorry!
This worked perfectly. Thank you for posting this
thank you, but my speaker only works when the headphones are in, when I take them out it doesn’t work. i can’t hear anyone when they call or if i call.. are there any other tips please
Hi Chelsea – make sure to press pause to stop the video or music you’re watching / listening to. Then unplug the headphones. If that doesn’t work, check the jack on the iPhone to see if there is any dirt in it. The last option is to take the iPhone to the apple store.
Thanks very much! I’ve only had my iPhone for a few days and I thought it was broken already, but this solved it!
i got an i phone yesterday but it is having some speaker problem the thing is it doesn’t ring when i tried calling neither can i hear songs when i play it without head phones plzzzzzzzzz help guys
i tried all this stuff but still doesn’t work
Wow..it works. Thanks a lot!
you’re amazing!
but it did not go back to its full volume =/
when i call somebody the speaker its works, but when i wanna hear some music its doesnt work, its just work with the handphones in, and when i take out its not work, help pleaseee
Hi Amando – You should bring the iPhone to the Apple Store. Have the Apple Genius people take a look at it.
This tip sounded like a joke to me, I admit, but I was desperate and I gave it a try. And voila, my speaker works again!!!! Thanx a lot dude for sharing this with the world
Ha! Markoni, I know exactly what you mean… It shouldn’t be that easy to fix, right? I was as shocked as you are. You’re welcome
Thanx! You are welcome to visit MNE (Montenegro), this summer is really crazy here, with really insane parties with hundreds of happy people… You know, I NEED MY iPhone!!! Thanx again
Tried it several times and still not working. Even went used and turned off iPod, youtube, and pandora with no luck… Guessing this means i should go to the apple store? A few weeks ago I needed a new sim card because it was suddenly saying no sim card installed… It’s not even a year old. ??
Hi Ace – If your iPhone is less than a year old, definitely take it back to the Apple Store so they can fix or replace it. Remember the standard iPhone warranty is only 1 year – so get it fixed ASAP. Also, I recommend buying the 2nd year warranty for $60-70.
what if you pulld it out during a call what do you do then
Hi Myles – Try making a call, then plug the headphones in during the call. End the call and take the headphones out. That might work.
Thanks a million times! =)
hey.. i bought my iphone4 in malaysia but i was wondering would i be able to bring it to a local Apple store in the United States for probably some warranty cause my speaker seems abit off.. and everything sounded so soft even tho i have the max volume. and i only got my phone like earl February..
Hi Jean – Great question. I don’t know the answer. Try calling an Apple store or just set an appointment and find out.
Hey Tony
I wasn’t watching video or listening to Ipod, but my earpiece speaker (on the phone) just doesn’t work anymore. I have tried the earphone trick anyway but still doesn’t seem to work. Hmm..
I’ll try a couple of times more and if that doesn’t work I’ll just throw the damn thing out of the window!
Jesper
Hi Tony
Great stuff and amazing tips… I have bought an iphone 4 recently… the earphone trick did work in my case as well…
Ashutosh
My Iphone4 was an unlocked version, unofficially, and by error i reset it, that left my set unsed for several month, until I did official unlocking fro Apple. It is unlocked and updated, the prolem aroused the headphone is not working whicle making calls etc. I can hear any thing accept craking noises, and connection doesnt take properly, I facing problem in making a call or receiving as craking noise. How to get rid of this problem.
Hi Sajid – I’m not sure what the problem is. It could be the speaker is broken. You should take the phone to an Apple Store to find out exactly what is going wrong. Sorry I can’t help!
Hello There..
I have done the workaround metioned above, but still i am not able to talk using the ear speaker,
Any more help please…
Thanks
Kilbul
Hi Kilbul – sorry, I don’t have any other tricks to fix your iPhone speaker. Try taking the phone to an apple store and see if they can help.
hi,
this has happened to my iphone4 before, and your headphone trick worked. But, my speakers went out again today, and i cannot hear anyone who is on the phone with me, or any dials, etc unless my phone has the headphones inside, or if it’s on speaker. and today, the headphone trick did not work. i’ve tried turning it off and on again, and i’ve put in the headphones a million times and taken them out also including to pause the song, etc. could it because i dropped it today? nothing happened on the outside and it wasn’t a major fall…
Hi madzy – If the problem keeps happening (and now it might be permanent after the fall), you should take the iPhone to the Apple store. If you tell them the speaker doesn’t work and it doesn’t look like the phone has been damaged, they might give you a new iPhone.
Damn.. If i knew this before i sent it to apple for repairs!!!!
Ohh..well at least i ‘might’ get a new iphone!!!
IT WORKED!! Thanks so much for the post!
I dont get it, is it insert the earpiece while using youtube, then pluck out and pluck in again, then pause, and make a phone call????
Thank you! It save my life! Phew!
genius
I had this issue for 2 months now. I went Att store they had no clue. After hearing my problem out Apple store wanted me to make an appmnt. U da man! It worked for me too.
Thanks a million my genuine Applecslut:)))
I dropped my phone while I was talking to someone – and had to finish using the speaker phone…I thought my iPhone was @#$%*! In desperation I Googled “iPhone ear speaker not working” and voila! Your AMAZINGLY simple fix popped up and it worked like a charm!!!!!! Thank you for posting this
MOIX!!!!!!!
After trying pretty much all of the other fixes posted on other forums, this one worked! Seems like it had nothing to do with upgrading OS.
Perfect! Thank you!
Saved my iPhone, even after it was submerged in a cup of tea!
Hi,
I had the same problem with my iPhone 4 – nothing from the earpiece.
On another site I found a fix that said to close ones lips around the headphone socket on the top and blow a long, hard breath into it.
Somehow that has fixed the problem, so I thought it might be worth mentioning here.
my phone still does not work. i have try everyone advice except blow the air compressor in the headphone hole because i dont have one. my phone speaker only works when i have headphones in. but as soon as i take my headphones out, my ringer don’t work, my music and videos sounds doesn’t come on, i can’t facetime no nothing. please can someone help me….!! i’m going to go crazy…!!
Hi – If you pause your music, then remove the headphones and it still doesn’t work… you should take the iPhone to an Apple store or a repair shop.
Wow thank you so much!! Tried everything I could online but yours gave me hope
it took several times though but in the end after I gave up I was so happy that it worked. You are total legend x
Hi guys thanks for the help it didn’t seem to work for me went all the way to the apple store to told come back Saturday 20:10 so I’m going to be looking on the Internet till then. Ringer works perfect,loud speaker works fine tried doing the listerning to music and you tube thing it still does not work I can’t hear people who ring me but they can hear me or dialling tone when I ring out
You are so awesome! I thought I was going to have to go pay another 100$ for a new iphone after both my kids dropped my phone. But I tried your little trick and . . . Yay it works. THanks
Wish I’d have read this earlier! Just spent 2 hours waiting in the Apple store, but hey, at least I have a new phone now….!
I had the same problem — on a call using headphones, pulled them out and couldn’t hear anything except on speaker… nothing worked for me except blowing really hard into the headphone connection. Worked! So if you aren’t having luck with the plug in and unplug trick, try blowing!
my ear speaker is low and the only way i can hear the other person is on speaker phone… what can i do 2 fix this problem
Hi April – if the speaker is low volume all the time, then you should take the iPhone to an Apple Store.
Hi,
Im just wondering if it works better if you pull the headphones out quickly, or slowly and gently.. I have tried your fix a couple of times, ad it hasnt worked, but I have enver dropped my phone, Ive had it for a year, and its never been near water… any ideas how I could clean the little grate thing that seems to sit between the actual speaker and the casing?
Hi Jess – For me, it worked when I removed the headphones slowly.
Worked like a charm. Thank you.
Mine is related to the parrot car kit I link to – the best way I have found to fix this is to remove the battery connector for a few minutes, IE fully power cycling the phone.