Apple Preparing Fix for Glitch Causing Lightning EarPods Remote to Stop Working

Apple is working on a fix for an issue that can cause the new Lightning EarPods designed for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus to stop working properly, the company said in a statement given to Business Insider.

When using the EarPods, there's an occasional bug that can cause the remote portion of the accessory to become unresponsive. While audio will continue to play, the remote does not work, so there's no way to control the volume, access Siri, or answer a phone call.

lightningearpods

The glitch doesn't happen every time. It's seemingly intermittent and random. (I thought I was going crazy until I saw some people with similar issues complaining on Twitter.) If you experience the problem, you can just unplug your EarPods and plug them in again to temporarily fix it.

An Apple spokesperson told me the problem will be fixed in a future software update.

Apple plans to issue a fix in an upcoming software update, but there's no word on when it might be released. Business Insider is not sure if third-party Lightning-based headphones are affected, but there have been reports of similar bugs with the Lightning adapter. Some headphones, such as Beats headphones with a 3.5mm connector, appear to have a non-functional remote when plugged into an iPhone with the Lightning adapter.

Because the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus do not have a headphone jack, Apple shipped the devices with a set of EarPods that feature a Lightning connector instead of a 3.5mm headphone jack. The EarPods plug into the Lightning port, making it more difficult to charge and listen to music at the same time. Apple has also included a 3.5mm to Lightning adapter for customers who want to use their own headphones.

Tag: EarPods

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Top Rated Comments

WiiDSmoker Avatar
113 months ago
My 3.55mm headphones work just fine on my 6S. Shouldn't have changed it to a proprietary port.
Score: 84 Votes (Like | Disagree)
920R Avatar
113 months ago
Another example of Apple fixing something that's not broken and, in the process, breaking it.
Score: 73 Votes (Like | Disagree)
555gallardo Avatar
113 months ago
Remember how the 3.5mm jack used to "just work"?
Score: 57 Votes (Like | Disagree)
penajmz Avatar
113 months ago
My 3.55mm headphones work just fine on my 6S. Shouldn't have changed it to a proprietary port.
Get over it or don't get an iPhone 7.
Score: 56 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zhenya Avatar
113 months ago
Welcome to the age of firmware updates for your headphones. Get ready for 'this device is not authorized' warnings as your perfectly functional headphones are made obsolete.
Score: 53 Votes (Like | Disagree)
shaunp Avatar
113 months ago
Get over it or don't get an iPhone 7.
You could work for Apple's marketing department with that attitude! Customers hate it when something useful is courageously removed in the name of 'progress'.
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)