Recently, my iPhone 4's headphones won't stay seated in the jack. I'll push them in firmly, and then a few seconds later (without touching the phone, the headphones, or anything else), they'll pop back out – just enough to no longer make contact, pausing audio playback.
I first I thought it was the headphones themselves, but I've tried an older pair of iPod headphones (without the clicker), and the same thing happens, although not as badly.
If I fiddle enough with either pair, I can eventually get them to stay seated, but I can't tell what it is that makes them stay in on one particular attempt vs. another.
Is there anything I can do? The jack appears to be free of any dust/lint – should I try blowing it with some compressed air? I can't imagine that it's physically damaged on the inside, but I don't know why else the plug would pop out.
Best Answer
@Gerry was right: there was dust or lint in the jack that was preventing the headphones from fully seating. I couldn't see it, but I used the end of a floss pick to clean it out and that fixed it. The headphones stay in so snugly now that I can actually lift the phone by pulling on them (not that I would do that normally; I just wanted to confirm it really worked!).
Amazing that just a little bit of dust could make all the difference. I'm just relieved that the phone itself wasn't damaged somehow since it's out of warranty.