Develop Bugs

Problem: Stuck in headphone mode after using 3.5mm audio jack

I was listening to music in my car today with my Sprint TP2 hooked up via the 3.5mm audio jack. When I disconnected the phone from the jack, the phone remained in 'headphone mode'. I knew it was in headphone mode still because it displays the little headphone icon on top and I could not hear any audio unless I reconnected the 3.5mm jack. So basically, I can't call anybody from my phone right now unless I hook it up to some speakers via the 3.5mm jack. That or use my BT headset.
Things I have tried to fix the phone;
- Unplugged and replugged in the 3.5mm stereo jack numerous times.*
- Soft reset
- Removed battery for 30 seconds and restarted
- Connected BlueTooth stereo headset and disconnected
* Extra weirdness; Gives me a voice commander error when I reconnect the jack. Voice Commander is not even enabled.
Nothing worked. So I just did a backup of my phone and I'm going to attempt a hard reset. We'll see if that fixes it.

Update: Right after I posted this thread, I tried plugging in several different devices with 3.5mm jacks and the headphone icon disappeared. However, I still did not have any audio. So I did a soft reset and surprise surprise... audio is back!!!
Anybody else encounter this bug? I'm not sure if it's a software or hardware bug, but it's definitely a bug.

guys, do you mean you have already have the 3.5mm specification tp2 ?
i didn't see it yet..

sounds like a hardware issue? especially if the soft reset did not resolve the issue...

czbenson said:
guys, do you mean you have already have the 3.5mm specification tp2 ?
i didn't see it yet..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sprint and Verizon versions of TP2 have a integrated 3.5mm jack.

I just had the same problem being stuck in headset mode
I tried a soft reset with no luck so I was pretty sure it was something physically wrong. Instead of plugging my headset all the way back in and taking it out, I used the tip of the plug (like a Q-tip, 1/4 of the way in) to see if there were any sensors or metal still depressed and after a few light sweeps, the headset mode icon disappeared. Keeping my fingers crossed, I didn't use the 3.5mm jack for the rest of the night and I was able to use my headset and removed it without a problem this morning.
Ultimately this is most likely a physical issue, but I'd rather not send my phone in for a replacement (even though this would probably qualify as a manufacturer defect). Hope this helps if anyone experiences this in the future.

sniczz said:
I tried a soft reset with no luck so I was pretty sure it was something physically wrong. Instead of plugging my headset all the way back in and taking it out, I used the tip of the plug (like a Q-tip, 1/4 of the way in) to see if there were any sensors or metal still depressed and after a few light sweeps, the headset mode icon disappeared. Keeping my fingers crossed, I didn't use the 3.5mm jack for the rest of the night and I was able to use my headset and removed it without a problem this morning.
Ultimately this is most likely a physical issue, but I'd rather not send my phone in for a replacement (even though this would probably qualify as a manufacturer defect). Hope this helps if anyone experiences this in the future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a hardware issue and is common to most 3.5mm jacks. I had also experienced this last year with my Treo Pro and since I really wanted to know the problem, I opened up my phone and voided all warranties. Inside the 3.5mm jack there's a lever type copper that bends to make contact with another copper metal, some kind of switch that's supposed to connect and disconnect the contact between these 2 metal pieces whenever a head 3.5mm plug is inserted.
What happened is when you disconnected the plug, the metal that's supposed to bend back to it's original position never did. That's why it's permanently stucked in headset mode because the phone thinks the plug is still inside. This probably happens due to age and possibly has something to do with moisture and rust, not to mention that copper is highly malleable.
Sad to say that until now this technology hasn't changed and is still being widely used. Hopefully someone will give this issue a real solution.

I had this problem recently and took a dry q tip and rubbed it back and forth across the little pin on the bottom of the headphone jack until it cleared up the problem.
Does anyone know if a USB to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter works on the CDMA tp2? I'd really like to use regular headphones but don't want to jeopardize getting my phone stuck in headphone mode.

Drache said:
I had this problem recently and took a dry q tip and rubbed it back and forth across the little pin on the bottom of the headphone jack until it cleared up the problem.
Does anyone know if a USB to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter works on the CDMA tp2? I'd really like to use regular headphones but don't want to jeopardize getting my phone stuck in headphone mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the USB headphone adapter works on the CDMA versions. If you plug in a second headphone set to the other open port, which ever one was connected lastly will be the one to have sound.

Fixed the problem!
I had to disassemble the phone, voiding the already expired warranty and solder the contacts together on the audio jack. I can't use a 3.5 mm jack anymore, but I can at least use the phone now without always using a bluetooth. I'll get a usb adapter for when I want to listen to music.
Here is a picture of the contacts I soldered. I used a 20 w soldering iron, I wouldn't use anything larger.

Drache said:
I had to disassemble the phone, voiding the already expired warranty and solder the contacts together on the audio jack. I can't use a 3.5 mm jack anymore, but I can at least use the phone now without always using a bluetooth. I'll get a usb adapter for when I want to listen to music.
Here is a picture of the contacts I soldered. I used a 20 w soldering iron, I wouldn't use anything larger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would hate to do this on my vibrant lol, media sound recently gave out on me after unplugging the headphone. this sucks. id look around for replacement parts..til then.. gotta get busy with the q tips til i get it to work.

DIY FM Antenna With 3.5mm Audio Jack

This is not something new and have been shown many times in YouTube. It is interesting to have for any phone with 3.5mm audio jack that can be easily done within a few minutes. I do not use my headset with my phone so this would be a nice hack to have around to listen with your friends on some local radio without consuming your data plan and phone battery.
Find a headset that you do not need. We only want the part with the 3.5mm audio jack. Just trim it down to about 20cm in length and fold it in half and tie a knot at the end. I tied a lasso knot at the end just so I can adjust the length of the receiver later on though it may not help much in reception quality.
Tested several length from 1 meter all the way to 20 centimetres and found not much difference in reception quality for a fact that you will be using your loudspeaker to listen to the FM radio. The same with whether to loop or not to loop the receiver but looping the receiver gives it a cleaner look while maintaining the same reception frequency.
Putting your phone too close to a human body greatly interferes with the FM signal. On the other hand, placing your phone on a metal table may enhance the FM reception.
Perhaps those who have knowledge in electronics can shed some light to optimize this simple hack further.
Have fun...

I didn't know. Works like a charm !! Thank You

Doesn't work for me. When I plug in the trimmed headset cable with the ear pieces cut off, the FM App keeps asking me to plug in a headset. Works OK when I plug in an untrimmed headset and switch to speaker in FM App menu.
Is there a further trick to getting this to work? Are you using the stock FM App?

I had the same problem myself, and it stems from the fact that smartphones will interrogate any headset you plug in to check if it is suitable. There are basic stereo headphones with three contacts on the jack plug (from the tip they are left, right and ground) and should work on any phone regardless. But there are two variants of headset (i.e. those with a microphone) that use four contacts, the difference being whether they connect the mic on the third or fourth contact.
As of 2016 most manufacturers have standardised on one system (left, right, mic then ground), but there are enough older phones and matching headsets out there that use the alternative pinout scheme. For example my old Sony Xperia used L-R-G-M (the same as say Blackberry), necessitating the use of an adapter for certain accessories. My latest Z5 however, has moved to the L-R-M-G pattern, which means I can no longer use my favourite old Sony headset anymore, not even as plain headphones, the Z5 just refused to talk to them.
That explains why a dumb wire might not work with a smartphone, because it is looking for a signal loop on all four (or three) contacts to try and figure out what's been plugged into it. The solution is to short out the wires to fool the phone into thinking there actually is something on the other end. Simply bare all of the wires at the cut end of the cable, burn off the fine lacquer or cotton that is used as an insulation, then twist the wires together to short them all to the ground. Better still, solder them together and cover with a bit of heat-shrink for a proper finish.

Found some pre-made antennas in ebay, you can try searching for 3.5mm antenna. They look pretty decent. I am also looking for compatible antenna, if any, that is compatible for steven303's new headphone jack.
Edit: did some research and found that the 3.5mm steven303 mentioned is called '3.5mm 4 conductor' or 'TRRS antenna 3.5mm', you can try searching for them in ebay or look for similar ones lying around with wires long enough to be loops around to be used as antenna for new phones with the new type of head jack.
I got two item I think can be suitable for this purpose; search with the following keyword in ebay;
1. 3.5mm 1/8'' Male To Male 4-Pole 3 Ring TRRS AV Audio Extension Cable 1.2M/4Feet
2. 4-Pole 3Ring TRRS 3.5mm (1/8'') Male To Female AV Extension Cable 3FT/1M Black

I have an additional issue. I use my phone's fm radio feature with an old pair of headphones for an antenna and listen via blue tooth headphones when I'm running or just working around the house, etc. My problem is that as the phone moves around in my pocket, the movement causes the phone to think the headphones came unplugged for a second and the radio turns off. When that happens I have to take the phone out and turn the radio back on. This happens often enough that it is a pain in the neck.
A separate but related issue. With some old, non functioning headphone cables the phone doesn't think there is anything plugged into it. I am lucky in that my phone gives me the option to "Play anyway through speaker or bluetooth". So even though it thinks there isn't anything plugged into it, I do, and I have good FM reception.
Here is what I want: I want to know what to do to my old headphone wire so that my phone doesn't think there is anything plugged into it when it is, in fact, plugged in. I hope that makes sense!

HTC earphones stops working after using them for a while!

My HTC earphones won't output audio to my left plug.
This is the third pair I've gone through as all the previous earphones had the same fault. And it's always the left plug that stops working.
Are the HTC branded earphones really that bad?! I'm going to buy myself some quality earphones than wait once again a week to get another pair of soon to be faulty earphones.
Has this happened to someone else?

I would be inclined to think that this is connector problem, not the ear plugs. I have used the original plugs for just over a year with no problems whatsoever.
Sent from the bottom of my underpants

Just tested a bunch of other earphones, all of them work.
Something is wrong with the plugs because they work sometimes if held in a special way. My father pointed out that it could be a fault that occurs while the phone is in the pocket. However I never put my phone in my pocket while listening to music.

DeniCevap said:
Just tested a bunch of other earphones, all of them work.
Something is wrong with the plugs because they work sometimes if held in a special way. My father pointed out that it could be a fault that occurs while the phone is in the pocket. However I never put my phone in my pocket while listening to music.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it will be the phones, try some pure alcohol or similar cleaning fluid on earbud jack and phone socket

Interesting, I had the exact same thing. I just ordered a new pair off amazon about 3 weeks ago. They were working perfect one day then the next time I went to use them the left one didn't make the slightest sound at all

headphone jack problem star n9800

I've had Samsung's in the past but decided to take a chance to buy the above phone due to cost saving.
The supplied earphones work perfectly though they are bigger than the bud type supplied with galaxy phones so they hurt my ears after a short period.
I've tried plugging in my old and a new set of Samsung headphones but they at first make a deep buzzing sound with low sound coming through, after moving jack around and pulling out a bit the sound works but as soon as I let go the sound goes back to buzzing again.
After inspecting the jack plugs I noticed that they are quite different, one is bigger than the other and the rubber rings are in differing points - until now I never new that jack sizes were different. I've attached a picture of them together (gold are Samsung)
my question is can I get a pair of bud type headphones with the larger plug? if so what do I look for?
I thought I'd ask hear before considering Bluetooth headsets.
thanks in advance.

same problem
I got the exact same problem and also discovered that if you remove the case, the smaller headphone jack will fit. Although this is not a solution. Sometimes i just loosen up the case a little on the area of the headphone jack so that it does fit. I'm looking foor a bigger jack now too.
rincal said:
I've had Samsung's in the past but decided to take a chance to buy the above phone due to cost saving.
The supplied earphones work perfectly though they are bigger than the bud type supplied with galaxy phones so they hurt my ears after a short period.
I've tried plugging in my old and a new set of Samsung headphones but they at first make a deep buzzing sound with low sound coming through, after moving jack around and pulling out a bit the sound works but as soon as I let go the sound goes back to buzzing again.
After inspecting the jack plugs I noticed that they are quite different, one is bigger than the other and the rubber rings are in differing points - until now I never new that jack sizes were different. I've attached a picture of them together (gold are Samsung)
my question is can I get a pair of bud type headphones with the larger plug? if so what do I look for?
I thought I'd ask hear before considering Bluetooth headsets.
thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Audio jack problems

A few weeks ago I dropped my phone about 6 inches onto a hard metal lamp. When it contacted I heard a loud squeal in the earbuds I was wearing. Now when I use the earbuds the audio files are muted, tinny and filled with static. It sounds like the headphone jack is not inserted all the way – like a hardware issue. The earbuds operate normally otherwise, and all other earbuds I have tested produce the same bad results when inserted into the phone. The files play normally through Bluetooth and speakers, but no matter what headset I use in the audio jack, all audio (music, podcasts, system tones, etc.) is garbled and filled with static.
I have researched the issue and at first thought that I damaged the metal cover around the audio jack because there was a small “chip” right next to the audio jack opening. So, I ended up buying a new metal cover, but that didn’t resolve the issue (nor did just leaving the cover off). I bought a new daughter board with audio jack, but unfortunately the one I received was (I suspect) for the ATT version of the phone since some of the antennas were slightly different. I did, however, install the new daughter board/audio jack for testing purposes, and this, too, did not solve the audio issues! So, I reinstalled the old jack and daughter board. Since then I have reinstalled the phone’s OS (rooted stock 5.0.2 with Sense 6.0) and turned off Beats to see if this would fix things – all to no avail. As far as I can tell, the only thing I haven’t done is install a new motherboard. By the way, the audio jack interfaces normally with the OS as far as sensing the insertion/removal of headsets. I am out of ideas but am posting this to see if anyone has a suggestion.