iPhone 5 - loose headphone jack, crackling when rotating plug...normal?

[cabingirl]

Hi all,

When testing out the new EarPods on my iPhone 5 the other day, I noticed that the headphone jack is slightly loose (the plug has a little bit of play when wiggled) and I hear crackling/static when the plug is rotated in the jack. I tried a different pair of headphones today and noticed the same thing.

In comparison, my iPhone 4's jack is still rock solid after 2 years, with the EarPods or other headphones. Should I be concerned about the slight looseness in the 5's jack? I am worried that it will just get looser over time. Also, what about the crackling sound when the plug is rotated? I've experienced that with old iPods and the like so I always assumed it was something that happened with use, not right out of the box.

Thanks!

 

[dward85]

I am having the exact same issue and I am none too pleased about it as I have a feeling I will have to deal with it for a few weeks until Apple meets the demand and models are in stores for regular purchase. Unless anyone has any other tips?

 

[MattBookBower]

This happened with my White 3GS when I first got it, took it back to O2 and they confirmed it as a fault and replaced the handset.

I am having troubles with the volume of my iPhone 5.

 

[cabingirl]

This happened with my White 3GS when I first got it, took it back to O2 and they confirmed it as a fault and replaced the handset.

I am having troubles with the volume of my iPhone 5.

I just did a sound check on both the 4 and the 5, playing the same song at the same volume level with the same headphones. My iPhone 5 is slightly louder than the 4, despite the loose audio jack.

 

[davefromca]

Yes sounds like you will need a new jack. The crackling is being caused by a bad connection.

 

[radiocheck]

Read this before you return

I just got my iphone 5 today.. figured let me try out the headphones and itunes.. I put the male adapter of the headphone into the female port at bottom left of phone.. and pressed "play". the headphones didn't even connect and the sound was coming from the phone speaker.. So I too pushed it in further and then the headphones did work but when I let go the headphones disconnected again and there was a lot of 'crackling'.

However, upon further review after I removed my protective case and reinserted the headphone adapter again i noticed only then that the entire male adapter was not "all the way in" and in fact then I applied more pressure and it 'snapped' into the hole very tightly!

And now I'm listening to itunes and it sounds really nice actually. So, please make sure the headphone adapter is actually all the way in to the audio port so there is no silver of the adapter visible.. the white of the adapter should meet the black of the phone.

Good luck!

 

[takeshi74]

It's not normal but it's not uncommon with mini jacks. They're just not that durable in general and susceptible to noise due to poor connections.

Should I be concerned about the slight looseness in the 5's jack? I am worried that it will just get looser over time.

Your call. If you're worried then have Apple look at it.

 

[Rocko1]

A little static while spinning the plug is normal. Static most of the time or drop outs, no, not normal.

How often are you spinning your plug while listening to music?

 

[rayjss]

Iphone jack

I just got my iphone 5 today.. figured let me try out the headphones and itunes.. I put the male adapter of the headphone into the female port at bottom left of phone.. and pressed "play". the headphones didn't even connect and the sound was coming from the phone speaker.. So I too pushed it in further and then the headphones did work but when I let go the headphones disconnected again and there was a lot of 'crackling'.

However, upon further review after I removed my protective case and reinserted the headphone adapter again i noticed only then that the entire male adapter was not "all the way in" and in fact then I applied more pressure and it 'snapped' into the hole very tightly!

And now I'm listening to itunes and it sounds really nice actually. So, please make sure the headphone adapter is actually all the way in to the audio port so there is no silver of the adapter visible.. the white of the adapter should meet the black of the phone.

Good luck!

That was the problem. Thank you so much.