IPhone – Audio incorrectly outputs to speaker while headphones are in

Your speakers not working after you unplug your headphone jack is a dead giveaway that your headphone jack is full of dust or some other kind of foreign substance. Get a can of compressed air (you must be 18 to purchase compressed air, also it costs about $5 per can) from Wal-Mart or Best Buy or another retailer and use it to blow the headphone jack clean and you should find that it works again.

There are a few things that could have happened to your headphone jack.

You may have a stuck headphone port switch, in which case you'll need to try to pop it out using one of these methods:

• Insert and remove your headphone plug a few times to reset the switch
• Blow compressed air into the headphone port to clean it out
• Gently insert a stick, like a cotton swab stripped of cotton or a toothpick, into the port and gently move it around to dislodge the switch

Above: The official headphone port switch diagram for a Mac computer.

Your MacBook could also have trouble detecting the sound output device. Try option-clicking the Sound icon in the menu bar and slecting your headphones in the Output dropdown, or navigating to System Preferences > Sound > Output, and then selecting your headphones from the list.

If these tips don't work, it's a good idea to bring your MacBook into the Apple Store to have somebody look at it. If you have AppleCare, this kind of thing should be covered by warranty. If not, you may have to fork over a bit of money. It's up to you to decide if that's worth it or not.

In conclusion, there isn't any built-in way to force the audio to always go to the headphone jack besides selecting them in System Preferences or from the menu bar.