iPhone 3G stuck in headphones mode

[MrRudy]

Hello!

It has been a while my iPhone 3G is stuck in headphones mode... This is a known issue and there have been many posts about it on the web, but nothing seems to help.

How it started

I noticed that sometimes I couldn't hear the person on the other end, but the problem seemed to disappear by itself. Until one day suddenly the sound was gone. I couldn't get the device out of headphones mode since then. Not even for a short period of time. I don't think the glass screen replacement could be the cause to this because the sound worked just fine after the replacement. And some sound issues started to appearing even before that.


Description of the problem

- no sound from the speakers when earphones unplugged (except for when the phone is set on speakerphone, when smb. is calling or when alarm clock goes off)
- when adjusting volume bar, the phone says "ringer (headphones)" or just "headphones" when on iPod or Youtube app

Solutions tried

- software soft/hard resets
- setting phone as a new phone
- changing different firmwares of iOS 3.x and 4.x
- inserting/removing earphones thousand of times
- cleaning the headphone jack
- blowing in to the headphone jack
- cooling down the device
- replacing the battery (to force a short-circuit)

So it seems this is clearly a hardware issue. Could it be the headphone jack? maybe motherboard?


Solutions to try

- I could replace the headphone jack, but if it is the motherboard or any other part, then it would be just a waste of money.
- Perhaps some expierenced technician could fix this? Maybe it would be less expensive than trying to fix by myself.
- I could live with some software solution (if there is any?). Maybe someone knows about different sound modes of iPhone and how to change them? Since the sound works ok in speakerphone mode, alarm clock, voice memos (when hitting speaker button), then obviously this can be achieved by some means of software hack or just a change in a config file?

Any help appreciated!

 

[JJP9398]

How did you..

Clean the headphone jack?. I had a 2g that had the same problem. What I did was use a q-tip with a small amount of rubbing alcohol. Stick it in the hole and spin it around a couple of times. Worked fine after that. Good Luck.

 

[mattjgerard]

I had the same issue with my 3GS. Turned out to be a big wad of pocket lint jammed way down into the jack. had to use a dental pick and a jewelers loop to see in there and snag it out.

 

[MrRudy]

Clean the headphone jack?. I had a 2g that had the same problem. What I did was use a q-tip with a small amount of rubbing alcohol. Stick it in the hole and spin it around a couple of times. Worked fine after that. Good Luck.

I have tried this, but without making q-tip wet. Also used a paperclip to check if there is any lint in it. Doesn't seem like there is smth. stuck in the headphone jack.

 

[MrRudy]

I had the same issue with my 3GS. Turned out to be a big wad of pocket lint jammed way down into the jack. had to use a dental pick and a jewelers loop to see in there and snag it out.

There was a lint indeed at the time I was cleaning it, but it was minor and it didn't solve the problem. I have checked the bottom of the headphone jack in good light and it seems to be clean.