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iPad 3 Headphone Jack Issue

K

kong1111

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 30, 2012
3
0
I have always been a happy apple user. I'm a former Apple Retail Employee (Mac Specialist) and I have always has great customer service when visiting apple until today.

I recently purchased an ipad3 along with a stylus. My stylus had a cap that would allow me to plug it into the headphone jack when it was not in use. Big Mistake. The cap broke off and is now loged deep in the headphone jack rendering the port totally useless. So I went to the nearest apple store thinking this wouldn't be a big deal to fix and I'd be on my way. First, they were backlogged an hour on their appointments. Then, without seeing a genius another employee told me not to wait, I was told that there was nothing they would do to repair this. I purchased apple care but apparently this does not cover it. I was presented with two options. Pay 50% of the cost of the ipad (that was just purchased) or stick some superglue down there and hope for the best.

Is it me, or are those options completely absurd? Has anyone had a smilar experience or know of some way to fix this? Should I go back and be completely ignorant?
 
For what it's worth, you could try something like a tiny dab of super glue on the end of a toothpick. Glue the toothpick to the broken bit down in the headphone jack and once the superglue dries just pull it out.
 
j.dstasio said:
For what it's worth, you could try something like a tiny dab of super glue on the end of a toothpick. Glue the toothpick to the broken bit down in the headphone jack and once the superglue dries just pull it out.
Click to expand...

What about filling the jack with hot glue? Since when it dries it will turn rubbery and then just pulling it out all in one piece? Superglue scares me a bit.
 
I wouldn't fill the hole with anything. Especially hot glue. Hot glue, while in a more liquid form will run into any nook and cranny in there and dry hard. That would make pulling it out next to impossible.
 
You could find a small straw to insert into the hole prior to working in there. That would give the side wall of the jack somewhat of a protective barrier.

Another option I would try would be using a tiny drill bit and twist it a few times (by hand, not w/ a power drill) into the top of the broken plug and pull it out.
 
1. use your lips and create a seal around the audio jack
2. relive your college years
3. ???????
4. profit
 
Just ofthe top f my head you are really stuck here. Depending how far it is in there there are two ways I would try to remove it. First take a can of air. Use most of it up because the can won't freeze until almost empty. Than only will the air be super cold. At the end of the can with about 2% left in it. Shooting the thin straw like tube to aim the air into the hole to freeze the plug as much as possible. Put some blue painters tape around the hole so you do nt freeze burn a stain around the hole area. THe jack area I mean.
When you think it's frozen enough heat the end of a pin. Bend the point just slightly then melt the point into the frozen polymer plug and twist pull it out. Do not push pin to hard as not to spread and tighten the plastic plug. The freeze will reverse that anyway. ( one micro droplet of Teflon oil might make it all that much faster to come out. Leave the tiny, mini , droplet of rem oil over night. USE QTIP Do not drop it in, use a q-tip and just slightly coat the hole) these three factors might dislodge it.

.
 
Last edited:
I had same problem I looked on this website yesterday to get a little help but little advice worked and I didn't want to go down the glue road.
I had a long hard think and racked my brain all day till I had a brainwave (at least I thought it was lol)
Find a very small screw and gently screw it in to the broken piece of plastic that is lodged in the earphone socket,after you manage to catch a couple of threads of the screw into the plastic gently pull out the screw and hey presto it works.no more piece of broken plastic in earphone socket.
Hope this helps
 
If you knew their policies - why did you expect them to fix it free of charge?

You got something stuck in the headphone jack and they gave you multiple solutions - I don't see the problem?
 
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