Help Problem using headphone jack as aux

[AaronBBrown]

Just don't get a cheapo cable and everything will work fine. Simple as that...

False. Demonstrably false.

 

[trankster]

FWIW this has been my experience, and might be helpful to others. I posted his also on the HTC forum:
I suggest you contact Verizon tech support. There seems to be a number of people reporting problems with plugging in headphones or cable to external speaker, car etc. I have one of the early Incredibles received the same day as the release and have no problems with several standard headphones with common everyday stereo plugs, earbud with microphone, external speaker and car via a cassette device with really basic cheapo cable that enables the car speakers via the cassette player (remember those?). All plug in fully and music, audio books and video play as you would expect (in stereo with no hum, no phone voice dialer pop up, etc.). Also, it doesn't matter whether I am connected to charger or not. Just a guess, but it could be a hardware problem with a defective jack. (I had issues with my old Palm Treos and Centros where the jack was weak and cracked easily. Once cracked it seemed to short out and problems happened from loss of one channel, humming, phone voice dialer etc.) Maybe there is a batch of HTC Incs released with defective jacks. Good luck and don't give up.

 

[jfunk]

Yes, I'm sure. Also, it doesn't always happen. Sometimes it will take a half hour of listening to music before the icon flips to headset or it starts bringing up the voice dialer, or randomly skipping tracks, etc, etc.

Read the forums here...this problem is fairly common and given that every other device ever manufactured does not have this issue, it seems like there is either a software bug or a hardware issue with the device itself.

I read a bunch of those threads. I don't see anything to indicate that the problem may not indeed be that the cables aren't fully seated in virtually every instance.

It's certainly possible that there is a completely unrelated problem that produces the exact same symptoms, but the fact that simply not having the cable plugged all the way in produces these exact results in a 100% reproducible manner is pretty good evidence that this is at least most people's problem.

Now, maybe their jack is a little tight and this could be corrected in future production runs. However, these jacks tend to wear out and loosen up over time after many plug/unplugs so I'd probably rather start out with it a little more tight than not. I've had some old cheapo walkmen eventually not work unless you held the headphone cable with pressure on it to once side because the jack got too loose.

Your case of it not happening for a while then starting when using doesn't necessarily mean it's not the plug not being seated either. If it's a super tight fit, or you have a case that just barely lets it fit and has pressure on it, it could just work it's way loose over time. When this happens to you, does pushing it back in again make it stop?

 

[androy]

Just don't get a cheapo cable and everything will work fine. Simple as that...

I have a monoprice cable hooked up to my car stereo L/R inputs. It works most of the time. Once in a while it decides to flip out and the mic icon appears but then a minute or so later it fixes itself. I dont understand it. I dont think its the wire because either it would work or it wont. It never happened to me once using my blackberry with the same setup and same wires.

It definitely seems like a hardware issue and not a wire issue. It should work with cheap cables regardless.

 

[MTC]

Just don't get a cheapo cable and everything will work fine. Simple as that...

I use a 1.99 aux cable from my work. No name brand. Works perfect in my car.
I haven't had any problems with it making my phone go crazy either.

 

[trankster]

I had issues with my old Palm Treos and Centros where the jack was weak and cracked easily. Once cracked it seemed to short out and problems happened from loss of one channel, humming, phone voice dialer etc.

I also suggest taking extra care inserting and pulling the plug from the jack; gently straight in and straight out.

 

[AaronBBrown]

I read a bunch of those threads. I don't see anything to indicate that the problem may not indeed be that the cables aren't fully seated in virtually every instance.

Oh, come on now. You really believe that all of us are just morons who can't plug in a 1/8" headphone jack?! Or that I have 4 sets of headphones that are all defective yet work fine on 3 iPods, my computer, etc, etc, etc, etc? When do you start acknowledging that the device is the exception, and thus the issue? Be real.

When this happens to you, does pushing it back in again make it stop?

Sometimes, sometimes not. Also, I have used a TRS-TRRS adapter which I purchased thinking it might resolve the issue. When the problem is happening (which seems to be after long periods of use...30 mins into my commute or so, when the phone starts getting warm), I end up hearing static thru the adapter.

The problem is, I can't just walk into a Verizon store and "show them" as was suggested by the tech. Stop blaming cables for something that is so blatantly an issue with the device.

 

[AaronBBrown]

I have a monoprice cable hooked up to my car stereo L/R inputs. It works most of the time. Once in a while it decides to flip out and the mic icon appears but then a minute or so later it fixes itself. I dont understand it. I dont think its the wire because either it would work or it wont. It never happened to me once using my blackberry with the same setup and same wires.

This is an exact description of my issue when using headphones....

It definitely seems like a hardware issue and not a wire issue. It should work with cheap cables regardless.

Yep....this is obvious to anyone who has experienced this problem.

 

[IveFancySSN]

I had the same issue before and all of a sudden it doesn't seem to happen... well, I am still using the "cheap" cables... anybody here had the issue solved automatically?

 

[Fantasma]

Mine works well, I use a tape auxillary to connect to my tape player and hear pandora or my music.

Sounds good.

 

[jfunk]

Oh, come on now. You really believe that all of us are just morons who can't plug in a 1/8" headphone jack?! Or that I have 4 sets of headphones that are all defective yet work fine on 3 iPods, my computer, etc, etc, etc, etc? When do you start acknowledging that the device is the exception, and thus the issue? Be real.

Certainly not everybody is a "moron", there is no doubt that the jack is if nothing else very picky. However, you'll see plenty of people in those threads that acknowledged that their problem was indeed that their case was interfering with the cable seating all the way. I don't think they're morons, but I also know from troubleshooting enough problems on the internet that there are almost certainly a bunch of other people out there with the exact same problem who simply refuse to even consider it a possibility because they don't want to believe it is.

Now, you also mentioned your "commute". Do you have the phone mounted? I ask because there certainly seems to be a grounding issue with some people's phones causing touch screen problems under certain conditions (some car mounts, sitting on Styrofoam, etc).

My only real point here, is unless you at least take the steps to confirm it's not the grounding issue or a seating issue (say by using it without a case and not mounting in anything), then it's too early to be calling it a batch of phones with defective 1/8th inch jacks. It may very well be that there are some phones out there with bad jacks, but when people scoff at the suggestion of looking for other sources, it does nothing to help narrow the problem down. Maybe you've done these things, I don't know. You haven't mentioned any of it here, all you've done is get angry at the suggestion that improperly seated cables may be the problem, even though several people have confirmed that this very thing did indeed correct the issue for them.

One thing I can tell you is that if it is a defective jack, it's not all of them. I haven't used my jack enough to say an issue won't crop up (probably only 2 hours total), but I can say that following my initial instance of this happening when I first hooked my wife's up, she hasn't had the issue at all. I showed her to look at the phone when she plugs it in and make sure she doesn't see the picture of the mic headset and push it in further if she does and she hasn't had a single instance. She uses it in her car for a very short (15 minute) commute twice a day and two weeks ago we visited friends a little over two hours away. It worked the entire trip there while plugged into a Griffin USB power adapter and the entire way back not plugged into the power adapter without issue. She is using the VZW hard case. We listened to Pandora the whole time.

 

[AaronBBrown]

I had the same issue before and all of a sudden it doesn't seem to happen... well, I am still using the "cheap" cables... anybody here had the issue solved automatically?

My issue has definitely gone from "always happening" to "sometimes" over the past month which indicates that perhaps something is breaking in.

 

[AaronBBrown]

Certainly not everybody is a "moron", there is no doubt that the jack is if nothing else very picky. However, you'll see plenty of people in those threads that acknowledged that their problem was indeed that their case was interfering with the cable seating all the way. I don't think they're morons, but I also know from troubleshooting enough problems on the internet that there are almost certainly a bunch of other people out there with the exact same problem who simply refuse to even consider it a possibility because they don't want to believe it is.

I don't have a case and the jack goes all the way in.

Now, you also mentioned your "commute". Do you have the phone mounted? I ask because there certainly seems to be a grounding issue with some people's phones causing touch screen problems under certain conditions (some car mounts, sitting on Styrofoam, etc).

I ride a train to work with my phone in my pocket. When I have the phone in my front shirt pocket, usually I don't see this happen, but when I have it in a jacket or pants pocket, it does more often. Perhaps it is related to a combination between static buildup, motion of the cable, heat buildup, and a poorly designed jack. I have no idea. It's not my headphones, it's not a case, it's not a dock, so it must be the phone...especially when so many others are having the *identical* (as in exact, word for word) problem.

 

[jfunk]

I don't have a case and the jack goes all the way in.



I ride a train to work with my phone in my pocket. When I have the phone in my front shirt pocket, usually I don't see this happen, but when I have it in a jacket or pants pocket, it does more often. Perhaps it is related to a combination between static buildup, motion of the cable, heat buildup, and a poorly designed jack. I have no idea. It's not my headphones, it's not a case, it's not a dock, so it must be the phone...especially when so many others are having the *identical* (as in exact, word for word) problem.

Indeed a tough one. Only happening when it's in a non-shirt pocket is interesting. My first thought would be the "grounding" issue (which is probably the same thing as "static buildup"). Have you done any of the other tests some have to see if you can make the screen unresponsive like putting it on Styrofoam or a couch cushion, etc?

The heat build up is also a good possibility. If the jack is poorly connected to the circuit board, heat build up could cause the solder points to become more lose and intermittent (you see this kind of thing on old monitors a lot...after years of heating/cooling, the solder points start to separate). That's also something that could vary from unit to unit coming off the assembly line and not show up in standard QC tests. They'd probably consider it "outside normal use" if it's directly caused by high heat, but unless the thing is burning your leg kind of hot, it really should be able to handle that.

You also mentioned that the problem has become less frequent over time. This could point to it simply being a "tight" jack (which "squeezes" the plug out) that is loosening up a bit after significant use. Obviously that would be the best possible scenario, if it just went away entirely. I wouldn't wait too long to see if that's the case though. If the problem doesn't go away relatively quickly, I'd get the phone replaced. The "grounding/static" issue is definitely not all phones, so if you can get a pretty good idea that that is your problem, I'd seek a replacement too.

 

[Asterdroid]

The issue is with both the phone AND the cable. From what I can tell, the problem is that the phone is picky about whether or not your cable is shielded. I had issues with a non-shielded aux cable, but haven't had any problems since I switched to a shielded, gold-plated gigaware cable.

 

[AaronBBrown]

I spoke with both HTC and Verizon tech support today and the end result is they are sending me a new phone under warranty. I am only mildly optimistic that it will resolve my issue, but here's hoping. HTC had several other identical cases in their database without any real resolution so it is clearly a real issue beyond user error or using bad cables.

 

[jasonb1985]

it's gotta just be an issue with certain phones. something has to be just slightly out of spec on some peoples phones.

i have plugged probably a dozen or so different things into my Incredible and have not had one single issue.

-2 different pairs of headphones, sony, and Sennheiser
-an aux cable to hook it to my car stereo, i use it almost every single time i am in my car
-an aux cable to hook it to my stereo at home
-an aux cable to hook it to my dads stereo at his house
-a cheap set of self powered giga-ware speakers at work
-a serius radio boombox at work
-a 3.5 to 3.5 mm patch cable from my phone to my laptop's mic in
-i have also tested a few sets of powered speakers at my job with it

i have never once had any issues plugging it into any of the above. some peoples phones must just be defective.

 

[pmh118]

Hey guys. I am also experiencing this problem while hooking my Incredible up to my car's auxilary input. It sounds like some people have had success with the Griffin cable, but I am not. I haven't tried another cable, however, I am guessing it won't matter. I did try my phone with earbud headphones and it's not as bad as it is with the Griffin, but it's still acting a little funny and occasionally invoking the voice dialer.

 

[rfclee]

i am also having this problem with my month old desire,music will skip,starts outgoing phone calls.The display shows a n earpiece with built in mic!!!

 

[androy]

Do a search for, "headset blocker" in the market. The app is supposed to disable the headphone controls so the phone stops changing tracks, stops the voice dialer, etc.

 

[gsd0519]

Wife and I have exact phone, exact silicone case.

Using the exact same car (honda pilot), and exact same cable (generic).
1. Pandora
Me - works perfectly
Wife - skips after 10-15 seconds into a song until the Pandora skip ability runs out, and she can finally hear a full song.

2. Calls
Me - No static incoming. Phone mutes and if you unmute ends the call.
Wife - Incoming heavy static. Outgoing muted.

This makes me think that its a phone hardware issue.

Still to do:
I have to try taking the silicone cases off and make sure the cable is seated in the jack properly.
Also need to try a new cable.

 

[AaronBBrown]

Verizon sent me a replacement phone and it solved the whole problem. Seems like a large batch of phones have a manufacturing defect.

Until I replaced the phone, Headset blocker mostly worked for me, though. So, that might be a workaround.