How To Fix If Your Earphones Don’t Recognize iPhone/iPad

Even if you try to connect earphones or headphones to your iPhone / iPad, there are cases where there is no sound, and it is not recognized properly.

If the above problem occurs, the earphones or headphones may be out of order, but it is often solved by reviewing the settings or taking simple measures.

This article will explain what to do when the earphones (headphones) connected to the iPhone / iPad do not recognize/respond. The countermeasures assume both wired and wireless types of earphones.

Method 1: Clean the earphone connection port and reconnect.

There may be a case where the iPhone / iPad does not recognize properly, and you cannot hear the sound due to a problem with the earphone/headphone connection.

Therefore, make sure that the earphones’ port is not clogged with dust or other debris. If you see dust, use a toothpick or an air duster to remove it.

When the connection port is clean, reconnect the earphones and check if they are recognized normally. If there is no problem with the connection port, proceed to the next action.

Method 2: Reboot the device

The earphones or headphones may not be recognized due to a temporary problem with the iPhone or iPad system.

Temporary system problems can often be resolved by restarting the device.

Therefore, restart your iPhone / iPad and see if the problem goes away. To restart your iPhone / iPad, follow the steps below.

• iPhone X and above: Press and hold the Side Button and Volume Control Button simultaneously and drag the power off slider. When the power is turned off, press and hold the “side button” to start it.
• iPhone 8 and earlier: Press and hold the “Side Button” and drag the power off slider. When the power is turned off, press and hold the “side button” to start it.
• iPad (without home button): Press and hold the “side button” and “volume control button” at the same time and drag the power off slider. When the power is turned off, press and hold the “side button” to start it.
• iPad (with home button): Press and hold the “top button” and drag the power off slider. When the power is turned off, press and hold the “top button” to start it.

After restarting your device, try reconnecting your earphones or headphones to see if they are recognized. If it is not recognized even after restarting, proceed to the next solution.

Method 3: Adjust the earphone volume setting

There may be cases where there is no sound due to the earphones being turned down or muted. You can adjust the volume of the iPhone / iPad earphones with the earphones connected.

Therefore, try increasing the volume by pressing the “Volume Up” button on the iPhone / iPad several times with the earphones connected.

Alternatively, open the Control Center and drag the gauge on the volume icon to adjust it up. You can open the Control Center by swiping down the top right corner of the screen (or swiping up from the bottom if your model doesn’t have a home button).

Method 4: Check the volume setting of the app

Depending on the app you are using, there may be volume settings in the app.

Therefore, if you cannot hear the sound from the earphones only for a specific app, check the following items to see if there is a problem with the volume setting in the app.

• Is the sound playback function turned off?
• Is mute enabled?
• Is the volume setting on the application side small?

If you can’t hear and recognize all the sounds from your earphones, not just a specific app, proceed to the next solution.

Method 5: Change the device to which the sound is output.

There may be cases where no sound is output even if the earphones are connected to the iPhone / iPad because the output destination of the sound is another audio device such as Bluetooth or AirPlay.

Therefore, check the device to which the sound is output, and if it is not an earphone, change it. To change the output destination of the sound, follow the procedure below.

1. Swipe down in the upper right corner of the screen to open the Control Center.
2. When the Control Center opens, tap the “Destination Icon (Triple Circle and Triangle)” in the upper right corner of the “Music Playback Controller Panel” in the upper right corner.
3. When the list of connectable audio devices is displayed, tap “Earphone / Headphone Device” to select it. The currently connected device is checked.

In addition to the Control Center, you can also tap the destination icon from the Music app to select an audio device.

If you can change the output destination of the sound to earphones, check if you can hear the sound normally.

Method 6: Disconnect the Bluetooth device

If a Bluetooth device is connected to the iPhone / iPad, the sound may be played back to the Bluetooth device instead of the earphones.

Therefore, disconnecting the Bluetooth device and reconnecting the earphones may resolve the issue.

Follow the steps below to disconnect the Bluetooth device.

1. From the home screen, open “Settings“.
2. Tap “Bluetooth“.
3. From the list of “My Devices“, check the device name displayed as “Connected”.
4. Tap the “i” icon next to the “Connected” device.
5. Tap “Disconnect” to disconnect.
6. If multiple Bluetooth devices are connected, repeat the same operation to disconnect.

If you can disconnect the Bluetooth device, reconnect the earphones and check if it is recognized normally and the sound is output.

Method 7: Unpair the earphones

Using Bluetooth earphones/headphones may not be recognized because they are already connected to another smartphone or computer.

Bluetooth devices can basically be connected to only one device simultaneously, so if you want to connect to another device, you need to cancel the pairing once.

Therefore, if the Bluetooth earphone is connected to another smartphone or computer, disconnect it and try pairing with the iPhone / iPad again.

Method 8: Quit the background app

If a particular app is running in the background, it is possible that other apps will not be able to play the sound, and you will not be able to hear the sound through the earphones.

So, open the multitasking screen and try task-killing all the apps running in the background. The specific procedure is as follows.

• For iPhone X and above: Swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen and hold your finger in the center of the screen. Swipe up on the app to exit.
• For iPhone 8 and above: Press the Home button twice quickly. Swipe up on the app to exit.
• For iPad: Swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen and hold your finger in the center of the screen. Swipe up on the app to exit.

Once you’ve closed all the background apps, play music in the app and see if you can hear the sound.

Method 9: Perform a software update

There may be cases where the earphones or headphones are not recognized since the iOS, or iPad OS version is old, and there is a problem.

Therefore, try running a software update to update your system to the latest version. To perform a software update, follow the steps below.

1. Open the “Settings” app.
2. Tap “General” >> “Software Update” to proceed.
3. When you see the available updates, tap Download and Install.

If the message “Your software is up to date” is displayed, you have already updated to the latest version.

After performing the update, follow the on-screen instructions to download and install.

After updating your system to the latest version, reconnect your earphones to see if they are recognized properly.

Method 10: Charge / initialize the earphones

If the earphones or headphones are of the wireless type, they may not be recognized properly due to insufficient battery power.

Therefore, fully charge the earphones and check if the iPhone / iPad recognizes them.

Also, depending on the model of the earphone you are using, you may be able to reset the settings on the earphone side.

If you can reset the settings on the earphone side, try resetting and then setting the connection with the iPhone / iPad again.

Method 11: Replace earphones / headphones

If the problem is not solved by the above method, it is possible that the earphone or headphone cable is broken and physically damaged.

Therefore, if possible, connect another earphone to your iPhone / iPad and check if it is recognized.

If another earphone is recognized, it can be determined that the earphone you were using is defective. If you suspect that your earphones are defective, consider replacing them with new ones.

Method 12: Reset iPhone / iPad settings

There are quite a few cases where earphones and headphones cannot be recognized properly due to some problem with the settings of the iPhone or iPad.

Therefore, resetting the iPhone / iPad settings may resolve the issue. However, resetting the settings will not erase the data, but all settings will return to their initial state.

Follow the steps below to reset the iPhone / iPad settings.

1. Launch the “Settings” app.
2. Tap “General“.
3. Tap “Reset“.
4. Tap “Reset all settings“.
5. Enter your iPhone / iPad passcode.
6. When the confirmation pop-up appears, tap Reset All Settings.
7. Wait for the iPhone / iPad to restart.

After resetting the iPhone / iPad settings, reconnect the earphones and check if they are recognized normally.