Will Apple replace broken earbuds?

badtzwang · May 11, 2011

I got my iPhone 4 less than a year ago and the earbuds that came with it are having issues (left earbud won't transmit sound) ... I've read online that Apple will replace the earbuds if you bring them in, given that they are still covered in your warranty. Can anyone confirm that this is the case?

Also, my iPhone 4 is jailbroken (hence why I'm posting this in the Hacks forum). Not sure if this matters or not ... I imagine Apple is going to want to take a look at my iPhone to make sure that its still under warranty. If they realized my phone is jailbroken, will they refuse to replace my earbuds?

aristobrat · May 11, 2011

As long as they don't show any physical damage, the device they're from is under warranty (and you bring it with you), you should be good. I don't think your iPhone being jailbroken is an issue, but honestly, it all depends on whoever is helping you.

You might want to call ahead and see if they require you to make a Genius Bar reservation for this, or if you can just walk in anytime.

Intell · May 11, 2011

This happens to me all the time. I just walk in to an Apple store and wander about until someone asks if I need anything. Then you just show the the broken ear things and they'll ask when you got them. Just say sometime within the past year. They'll go and get you a new set.

badtzwang · May 11, 2011

Intell said:
This happens to me all the time. I just walk in to an Apple store and wander about until someone asks if I need anything. Then you just show the the broken ear things and they'll ask when you got them. Just say sometime within the past year. They'll go and get you a new set.

So they didn't check your iPhone / iPod at all? And they instantly got you a new pair right then and there? If so, then I think I'll do a walk in and do the same.

Intell · May 11, 2011

badtzwang said:
So they didn't check your iPhone / iPod at all? And they instantly got you a new pair right then and there? If so, then I think I'll do a walk in and do the same.

Yes, but if the pair looks purposely damaged, they won't replace them. Also, from experience I found out a good way to get them to notice you is to pretend you don't know how the iDevice goes back on its dock. That usually get some cheery person to pop right out of nowhere.

dudeabiding · May 11, 2011

A, broken earbuds have no connection (ooh, sorry) with the phone. So just take in the buds.

B, why do you want more Apple buds? They are really pretty low-fi. You can buy higher-quality ones for not much $, or start going up the food chain towards the more expensive, better-sounding ones. I'm currently using Ultimate Ears 10s, which cost as much as the phone itself (actually, they list for 2X, but you can find them half-price on Amazon). But they sound so good I don't care. You can find pretty good buds for $30-50 which will sound soooo much better than the stock ones.

bli625 · May 11, 2011

dudeabiding said:
A, broken earbuds have no connection (ooh, sorry) with the phone. So just take in the buds.

B, why do you want more Apple buds? They are really pretty low-fi. You can buy higher-quality ones for not much $, or start going up the food chain towards the more expensive, better-sounding ones. I'm currently using Ultimate Ears 10s, which cost as much as the phone itself (actually, they list for 2X, but you can find them half-price on Amazon). But they sound so good I don't care. You can find pretty good buds for $30-50 which will sound soooo much better than the stock ones.

I agree with you, but there are so many people who don't seem to care about sound quality at all. When I told bought my Shure SE535's, my friends thought I was crazy because music is just music to them. Sound quality apparently does not matter.

aristobrat · May 11, 2011

dudeabiding said:
A, broken earbuds have no connection (ooh, sorry) with the phone. So just take in the buds.

At the store I worked at, that wouldn't fly. You needed proof that the headphones were under warranty before they could be swapped. Either a device under warranty, the receipt from a device under warranty, or the receipt from the headphones themselves, if they didn't come with a device.

dudeabiding · May 11, 2011

My point was the OP was nervous about bringing in a JB phone. Yes, he would need to prove (via receipt) that warranty was still in place, but no need to bring in a phone. Let's not mix our apples and our oranges.

anthdci · May 12, 2011

I had one side of my headphones die about 6 months ago, took them in to the local apple store and they replaced them no questions. I even had quite a pleasant conversation with some of the staff at the genius bar about the modifications I had done because of the jailbreak.

TC25 · May 12, 2011

badtzwang said:
I got my iPhone 4 less than a year ago and the earbuds that came with it are having issues ...

What does this have to do with iPhone Hacks?

awadeee · May 12, 2011

anthdci said:
I had one side of my headphones die about 6 months ago, took them in to the local apple store and they replaced them no questions. I even had quite a pleasant conversation with some of the staff at the genius bar about the modifications I had done because of the jailbreak.

Nice bro! LOL. Good stuff.

MaxBurn · May 12, 2011

OT but IMO ditch those earbuds and get something decent, a set of triplefi 10vi can be had for very nice prices.

Grayburn · May 12, 2011

dudeabiding said:
You can find pretty good buds for $30-50 which will sound soooo much better than the stock ones.

Exactly, Sennheiser CX300 II's for example.

johndallas999 · May 12, 2011

dudeabiding said:
A, broken earbuds have no connection (ooh, sorry) with the phone. So just take in the buds.

B, why do you want more Apple buds? They are really pretty low-fi. You can buy higher-quality ones for not much $, or start going up the food chain towards the more expensive, better-sounding ones. I'm currently using Ultimate Ears 10s, which cost as much as the phone itself (actually, they list for 2X, but you can find them half-price on Amazon). But they sound so good I don't care. You can find pretty good buds for $30-50 which will sound soooo much better than the stock ones.

Are there any decent $30-50 ones that come with the remote? The ability to be control volume, skip / pause tracks and use it to talk on the phone is a huge plus even with the mediocre sound quality. I couldn't give up the features the remote gives in favor or better sounding music.

42streetsdown · May 12, 2011

Having your phone jailbroken could be a problem because technically it voids your warranty. but if you HAVE TO bring it in you could just do a factory reset

sgjohnston · May 12, 2011

I got the Sony DREX300IPB to replace my standard ones. They have a remote (stop/start/volume/etc) and microphone. They sound way better than the stock earphones.

dudeabiding · May 12, 2011

AGAIN, earbuds function (or don't) exclusive of your phone. If they are under warranty, you don't need to bring the phone in, also. Which part of that is unclear? Broken buds>under warranty>no phone needed.

DocMarlor · May 12, 2011

I'm currently using Klipsch S4 In-Ear buds, but the lack of the remote control is making me begin to use Apple standard ones. Suggestions of good in-ear buds with a remote would be great!

aristobrat · May 12, 2011

dudeabiding said:
My point was the OP was nervous about bringing in a JB phone. Yes, he would need to prove (via receipt) that warranty was still in place, but no need to bring in a phone. Let's not mix our apples and our oranges.

When you said "A, broken earbuds have no connection (ooh, sorry) with the phone. So just take in the buds.", I didn't catch the part where you mentioned the receipt. My bad.

bigjnyc · May 12, 2011

TC25 said:
What does this have to do with iPhone Hacks?

Why don't you read past the first line of his post. His phone is Jailbroken and he is not sure if he needs to present it in order to exchange the headphones.

OP:

FWIW I had this same issue with the in-ear apple headphones, I took them in and they actually needed my iPhone's serial number to make sure it was still under warranty. (they have to tie the headphones to a device under warranty) my phone was jailbroken but the genius ignored that and just took down my serial number.... I guess it depends on who you get.

Will Apple replace broken earbuds?

macrumors regular

macrumors G5

macrumors P6

macrumors regular

macrumors P6

macrumors 6502

macrumors 6502a

macrumors G5

macrumors 6502

macrumors 6502a

macrumors 68020

macrumors 68020

macrumors 65816

macrumors 68020

macrumors 6502a

macrumors 6502a

macrumors member

macrumors 6502

macrumors member

macrumors G5

macrumors 604

Our Staff