iPhone 7 Headphone jack - 6 months later poll

[pbasmadj]

Older cars don't have that, unfortunately. I found a solution... I have an 05 Acura TL and added it with this nifty device.... works like a charm my car now has every luxury you see in today's vehicles. The device and the adapter behind it have blue lights, which matches my other blue lights in my car. Worked out great!

The loss of the jack frustrated me cause I couldn't play music in my car, which I use Apple Music 100% of the time. Ever since I bought this, zero complaints.

Not a fan.

Suffer huge audio quality losses over BT then AGAIN over Radio. No thanks.

This is a much better solution:

 

[C DM]

Not a fan.

Suffer huge audio quality losses over BT then AGAIN over Radio. No thanks.

This is a much better solution:

View attachment 696188

The downside of that type of an adapter is that it doesn't quite cover all the typical cases, at the very least in the sense of pushing anything more than media audio (calls don't seem to be pushed through that, nor is Siri it would seem).

That particular one seems to be potentially questionable too as it seems that the Kickstarter campaign for it was suspended and it's hard to know whether it really actually exists and works well.

More discussion about the various adapters/splitters/dongles at https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/quality-3-5mm-audio-charging-splitter-where-to-buy.2024192/

 

[sunapple]

Started with using my old wired earbuds with the included adapter which was fine, now I have the BeatsX.

There was one occasion at which I wanted to plug in an aux cable from an old stereo and forgot I couldn't. I was slightly annoyed, used an iPad instead.

Deal breaker? No. Still feels like a cheap way of selling more AirPods rather than enhancing the experience. Every smartphone that comes out these days with a headphone jack gets praise. Apple plays the long game, lets people adjust for a time when the headphone jack really can't be included anymore. They could've waited another two years IMO, but that's Apple for ya.

 

[Freakonomics101]

Not a fan.

Suffer huge audio quality losses over BT then AGAIN over Radio. No thanks.

This is a much better solution:

View attachment 696188

Audio quality is good for me. Then again, it might not be for someone else. But is that Adapter supported with iOS 10.3 and up? Mine quit working after upgrading. Plus I don't have an aux cord in my car either. But what I have works great... for me anyway.

 

[Freakonomics101]

Or you can swap the head unit on most older cars. I added a Pioneer DEH-X8800BHS to my 1998 Mustang GT Convertible and now my 19 year old car has bluetooth streaming and calling. I also put a Pioneer AVH-4200NEX to my 2011 Silverado, so it now has Apple CarPlay. No need to have a brand new car for this.

In your case, those little transmitters work just fine too. Great way to avoid payments on a brand new car that costs half as much as what a house cost a few years ago.

Exactly! My current car is the best car I've owned. It's super reliable, even with the high miles. Acuras are known for their reliability. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I have everything I want with that car, and then some.

I'm also not a fan of aftermarket radios. Most of them look tacky vs the radio they came with.... older cars, like 1999's, aftermarkets are better. The stock radio I currently have fits my needs. But, everyone is different when it comes to all that.

 

[EM2013]

Older cars don't have that, unfortunately. I found a solution... I have an 05 Acura TL and added it with this nifty device.... works like a charm my car now has every luxury you see in today's vehicles. The device and the adapter behind it have blue lights, which matches my other blue lights in my car. Worked out great!

The loss of the jack frustrated me cause I couldn't play music in my car, which I use Apple Music 100% of the time. Ever since I bought this, zero complaints.

I know the feeling. Back in HS I had an old car and I had to use this fm transmitter. Quality was bad, I hated it

 

[Freakonomics101]

I know the feeling. Back in HS I had an old car and I had to use this fm transmitter. Quality was bad, I hated it

They sucked but I can honestly say they've improved. This one is great. I don't hear any static.

 

[DennisdeWit]

7S Plus with AirPods. No issues.

 

[jav6454]

I don't have Bluetooth audio in my car, so not having a headphone jack was a potential issue. However, it was solved when my employer gave me a 5SE to use... issue solved.

 

[CYKBC]

I'm usually using Waze or g maps when driving as I live in urban sprawl. These gps apps are guzzlers so I like plugging in. It's also much nicer to take longer phone calls with earbuds v car bt.

Se proves handy here. 7 stay home you pos being the heavy brick of a phone you are.

 

[clunkmess]

When i got the AirPods, i made the conscience decision to leave bluetooth on 24/7. If I'm listening to my iPhone, then it's either with the AirPods, connected to my car's bluetooth, or the rare case of my Beats Studio Wireless. There's really no point in disabling bluetooth anymore.

 

[C DM]

I'm usually using Waze or g maps when driving as I live in urban sprawl. These gps apps are guzzlers so I like plugging in. It's also much nicer to take longer phone calls with earbuds v car bt.

Se proves handy here. 7 stay home you pos being the heavy brick of a phone you are.

25 grams difference makes for a "heavy brick"?

 

[44267547]

When i got the AirPods, i made the conscience decision to leave bluetooth on 24/7. If I'm listening to my iPhone, then it's either with the AirPods, connected to my car's bluetooth, or the rare case of my Beats Studio Wireless. There's really no point in disabling bluetooth anymore.

Even leaving Bluetooth enabled, it doesn't really drain as much battery as one would think. Especially when you consider all these devices that are now Bluetooth capable with the Apple Watch, AirPods, surround sounds, etc.

 

[537635]

I miss the headphone jack exactly as much as I miss a 5.25'' floppy.

Come on, move on. It's 2017. Airpods + (optional) Apple Watch. No wires, no problems.

 

[44267547]

25 grams difference makes for a "heavy brick"?

Actually, the difference between the iPhone 7 (138 Grams) and the SE (113 Grams), which is only 22 Grams, not 25.

Unless the OP is referring to the iPhone 7 Plus, which is a 188 Grams, with a difference being 75 Grams in a weight difference over the SE, then one could consider the weight significantly heavier.

 

[iOSUser7]

I miss the headphone jack exactly as much as I miss a 5.25'' floppy.

Come on, move on. It's 2017. Airpods + (optional) Apple Watch. No wires, no problems.

The thing is, as iPhone 7 users, have we really gained anything by removing the headphone jack ? Nope, we haven't.
Previous iPhones had a lightning connector so you can have digital audio (with the proper headset) on these devices too. And don't mention waterproofing please, Apple could have sealed the headphone jack just like others manufacturers did.

What I mean is that I'm all for the progress, for example I'm really happy that Apple removed all the ports on the 2016 MacBook Pro and replaced them with USB-C because USB-C can do (and does it better) everything those old ports did and such a big decision from a big company will make the industry move forward but the fact that in the iPhone 7 they did not replaced the headphone jack with a more convenient alternative, they just got rid of it completely makes me think that this was just a decision to make more and more money. Replacing both the headphone jack and lightning connector with a single USB-C port would have made much more sense.

 

[spac3duck]

The thing is, as iPhone 7 users, have we really gained anything by removing the headphone jack ? Nope, we haven't.
Previous iPhones had a lightning connector so you can have digital audio (with the proper headset) on these devices too. And don't mention waterproofing please, Apple could have sealed the headphone jack just like others manufacturers did.

What I mean is that I'm all for the progress, for example I'm really happy that Apple removed all the ports on the 2016 MacBook Pro and replaced them with USB-C because USB-C can do (and does it better) everything those old ports did and such a big decision from a big company will make the industry move forward but the fact that in the iPhone 7 they did not replaced the headphone jack with a more convenient alternative, they just got rid of it completely makes me think that this was just a decision to make more and more money. Replacing both the headphone jack and lightning connector with a single USB-C port would have made much more sense.

iPhone 7 users gained a haptic button, certified water proofing and all the other latest tech from Apple.

I personally hate the build design of the USB-C connection and would much prefer Apple stick with the male only connection of the lightning cable given my past experience with USB-C on a mobile device. Lightning is simple, does everything that is required and unlikely to break any small male pins within the device that are present with USB-C design. Also consider that third party manufacturers pay royalties to Apple in order to be able to make products compatible with the lightning jack which would be lost to Apple if they adopted the open standard of USB. Hence there is more money for Apple in retaining their proprietary connection….for now.

We are moving towards wireless file transfers with wifi/bluetooth and potentially wireless charging. Why bother adding in a technology that is likely to be made redundant in the next 5-10 years by wireless technology?

Apple continually removes technology(Firewire/Ethernet/SD and CD/DVD drives, etc) or even avoids technology (i.e. Blu-ray) in favour of their own preferred idea of future computing and many of those have not made the user immediately "gain" something. It comes with the territory of a company intent on simplifying things and applying the logic of "Think Different".

 

[shaown]

Have not noticed the lack of jack. Bluetooth for calls once in a while the wired headset when i can't find my airpods. QC35s for other stuff
-Shaown

 

[iOSUser7]

iPhone 7 users gained a haptic button, certified water proofing and all the other latest tech from Apple.

Apple could have added all the new features without removing the headphone jack because they are all upgrades that doesn't require more space in the inside of the phone except for the bigger Taptic Engine. But I bet if you asked the majority of people what they prefer between a bigger Taptic Engine and a headphone jack, they would go for the second one.

I personally hate the build design of the USB-C connection and would much prefer Apple stick with the male only connection of the lightning cable given my past experience with USB-C on a mobile device. Lightning is simple, does everything that is required and unlikely to break any small male pins within the device that are present with USB-C design.

Fair enough. I haven't heard of those complains about USB-C before but I'm not using any USB-C capable devices so I can't speak for myself.

Also consider that third party manufacturers pay royalties to Apple in order to be able to make products compatible with the lightning jack which would be lost to Apple if they adopted the open standard of USB. Hence there is more money for Apple in retaining their proprietary connection….for now.

Exactly what I was saying, it's more a "make more money" decision than a "move towards the future" one.

We are moving towards wireless file transfers with wifi/bluetooth and potentially wireless charging. Why bother adding in a technology that is likely to be made redundant in the next 5-10 years by wireless technology?

10 years is pretty good for a standard if you ask me. HDMI have been created 14 years ago and it's already a standard nowadays (and is replaceable by USB-C).
I think we are still a long way before making everything wireless and USB-C would be the last "wired" step before achieving this wireless future.

Apple continually removes technology(Firewire/Ethernet/SD and CD/DVD drives, etc) or even avoids technology (i.e. Blu-ray) in favour of their own preferred idea of future computing and many of those have not made the user immediately "gain" something. It comes with the territory of a company intent on simplifying things and applying the logic of "Think Different".

Well the latest 2016 MacBook Pro is already an improvement over the previous one because it can use the LG UltraFine display and charge the device at the same time with a single cable which is not possible without using USB-C.
On the iPhone 7 side, I'm still looking for any improvements of removing the headphone jack except for the hassle of using adapters and/or wireless devices. Bottom line is, anything audio related the iPhone 7 can do is also achievable with the previous iPhone 6s.

 

[C DM]

Actually, the difference between the iPhone 7 (138 Grams) and the SE (113 Grams), which is only 22 Grams, not 25.

Unless the OP is referring to the iPhone 7 Plus, which is a 188 Grams, with a difference being 75 Grams in a weight difference over the SE, then one could consider the weight significantly heavier.

Petty sure that the difference between 138 and 113 is 25 (rather than 22).

As for the Plus, yes that's naturally heavier than the regular let alone than the SE, but seems like just a plain reference to the 7 was made (and seemingly more for rehetorical reasons than anything else).

 

[spac3duck]

Apple could have added all the new features without removing the headphone jack because they are all upgrades that doesn't require more space in the inside of the phone except for the bigger Taptic Engine. But I bet if you asked the majority of people what they prefer between a bigger Taptic Engine and a headphone jack, they would go for the second one.

Fair enough. I haven't heard of those complains about USB-C before but I'm not using any USB-C capable devices so I can't speak for myself.

Exactly what I was saying, it's more a "make more money" decision than a "move towards the future" one.

10 years is pretty good for a standard if you ask me. HDMI have been created 14 years ago and it's already a standard nowadays (and is replaceable by USB-C).
I think we are still a long way before making everything wireless and USB-C would be the last "wired" step before achieving this wireless future.

Well the latest 2016 MacBook Pro is already an improvement over the previous one because it can use the LG UltraFine display and charge the device at the same time with a single cable which is not possible without using USB-C.
On the iPhone 7 side, I'm still looking for any improvements of removing the headphone jack except for the hassle of using adapters and/or wireless devices. Bottom line is, anything audio related the iPhone 7 can do is also achievable with the previous iPhone 6s.

Currently, and in the short term future, I don’t think you will find any major improvements from the removal of the headphone jack other than what I listed earlier. However down the track, we may look back on the antiquated, albeit ubiquitous port, and wonder why we didn’t let it go sooner but until then, we find ourselves in a period of transition.

For example: try buying software on a disc. Sure, there are a few options however the majority of software distributed in this day and age is online. The App Store for Mac is a perfect example whereby they removed the DVD from the majority of their systems which in turn lead users to use their App Store. Can you imagine buying DVDs of apps just to load onto your iOS device and the user experience it would have entailed?

So I disagree with the notion that Apple need to give you something if they take something away. You are willingly choosing to purchase the latest and greatest which is, by their perspective, an improvement on their previous generation of technology.

 

[chriscrowlee]

Likely would have been a lot more positive response if Apple had launched AirPods and Beats X on time as they said, or even in parallel with the device. But at the end of the day, even with both Beats X and my AirPods, I find that I spend a lot of time worrying about charge levels, and before travel always having to check their charge. These were all non-issues with a headphone jack. Obviously I like the benefits of bluetooth, but the headphone jack was a 100% always-available fallback. With the 7+'s decent battery, I haven't yet run into a situation where I can't pop in the Lightning>3.5mm jack and charge simultaneously. It's just easier to have that jack. If Samsung GS8, LG, and HTC can all manage the same sleek\slim\featured devices, Apple can definitely squeeze in the jack.

 

[iOSUser7]

Currently, and in the short term future, I don’t think you will find any major improvements from the removal of the headphone jack other than what I listed earlier. However down the track, we may look back on the antiquated, albeit ubiquitous port, and wonder why we didn’t let it go sooner but until then, we find ourselves in a period of transition.

For example: try buying software on a disc. Sure, there are a few options however the majority of software distributed in this day and age is online. The App Store for Mac is a perfect example whereby they removed the DVD from the majority of their systems which in turn lead users to use their App Store. Can you imagine buying DVDs of apps just to load onto your iOS device and the user experience it would have entailed?

So I disagree with the notion that Apple need to give you something if they take something away. You are willingly choosing to purchase the latest and greatest which is, by their perspective, an improvement on their previous generation of technology.

And what you are telling me is true for the 2016 MacBook Pro and its USB-C ports but it's not for the iPhone 7.

Again, I'm all for the progress, I'm happy DVDs have been replaced by digital, I'm happy composite have been replaced by HDMI, I'm happy USB-A is being replaced with USB-C but I'm not happy when a company remove something for their interest and call it an "improvement".

And by the way, even if the headphone jack is a very old port doesn't mean it have to be replaced, it still do the job today. If it has to be replaced it's by a universal standard that would make everyone life easier not by a crazy expensive connector that nobody wants to use except Apple.

I just can't see how the removal of the headphone jack is being seen as a "move towards the future".

 

[BenTrovato]

I just can't see how the removal of the headphone jack is being seen as a "move towards the future".

That's because it's not.

The problem with polls like these is that the results are skewed. The only people who have an issue with the headphone jack removal are the people that depend on it. What is that 25% of the people? 75% don't use it, don't listen to music, use bluetooth, or have some other method that the jack isn't even a concern for them. So you have a large portion of people sticking up for the headphone removal but they don't even need it anyway.

This is like the Airline gimmick model that businesses are using albeit slightly different. Airlines make your experience horrible in order to create incentive to for customers to pay more for a better experience. Priority boarding, seat selection, baggage allowance, etc. If flying was amazing, people wouldn't pay to upgrade. So airlines created huge revenue streams that accounts for a large percentage of their profits. HUGE streams.

By Apple removing the headphone jack, it could not possibly be about moving toward the future because they created another revenue stream in the way of AirPods and whatever might be coming down the pipes for wireless. It's smart for their investors, and horrible for consumers. Corporations will always side with investors.

 

[spac3duck]

"I'm not happy when a company remove something for their interest and call it an "improvement"

"I just can't see how the removal of the headphone jack is being seen as a "move towards the future".

That's because it's not.

The very same thing was the outcry when Apple removed the DVD drive. Blu-ray was emerging at the time and it was superior in contrast to DVD and yet Apple never adopted it, in favour of pushing people towards software based downloads.