The Ultimate Ways to Fix iPad Stuck in Headphone Mode

Part I: Why Is My iPad Stuck in Headphone Mode?

It is easier to understand why is iPad stuck in headphone mode when you have an iPad with a headphone port than if you have one of the newer iPads without a headphone port. If your iPad has a headphone port, there could be several issues ranging from dust and lint in the port to damaged port to software issues that could cause the iPad to get stuck in headphone mode. So much is easy to understand, but if you have one of the newer iPads without a headphone port, you might wonder why is the iPad stuck in headphone mode when there is no headphone port on the device! This is most likely caused by Bluetooth connection issues between your iPad and wireless headphones or software issues in the iPad.

Part II: How to Fix iPad Stuck in Headphone Mode?

An iPad stuck in headphone mode could be so on account of issues around the headphone port. But what about the iPads that do not feature a headphone port but are stuck in the headphone mode? To that effect, we have categorized solutions based on iPads with headphone ports and without as well as common solutions that hold for all iPads with or without the headphone port.

II.I: For Wired Headphones (iPad with headphone port)

For iPads with a headphone port where the iPad is stuck in headphone mode, there are specific solutions you can try to see if that fixes the problem. Here goes.

Fix 1: Clean The Headphone Port

The first thing to do for an iPad that is stuck in headphone mode is to examine and clean the headphone port of any dust and debris/ lint. Use a cotton Q-tip for cleaning the dust but if you see any debris or lint, use a pair of tweezers, or face the port downwards and gently tap around the port to loosen and get it out. Check your iPad to see if the issue went away.

Fix 2: Connect and Disconnect Headphones

This can sound counterintuitive, but it is easy. If there was no visible dust or debris in the port, then the next thing to do is to just plug your headphones in. The iPad should still be in headphone mode, but now take the headphones out. It might just snap out of its headphone mode and let you use the iPad speakers normally again.

II.II: For Wireless Headphones (iPad Without Headphone Port)

It can be baffling to think of an iPad stuck in headphone mode when there is no headphone port available. But, there are wireless headphones available, both from third parties and from Apple. It is possible there is an issue with the particular wireless headphone you are trying to connect or, in this case, disconnect.

Fix 3: Check Your Bluetooth Headphones: Are They On or Off?

This would sound crazy again, but sometimes, it is entirely possible that we are using a pair of third-party headphones and we took it out of our ears and forgot about it, but the fact could be that they are still ON and connected to the iPad. What will that do? You guessed it - it will make you think that your iPad is stuck in headphone mode when it is simply only connected to your own headphones. How to fix this? Third-party headphones come with a button to switch them on and off, usually. Use that button to turn the headphones off and enjoy the sound from your iPad speakers again!

Fix 4: Unpair The Headphones

Now, sometimes, things just get unnecessarily sticky, pardon the pun. So, the iPad simply refuses to unstick itself from headphone mode, right? The next thing you can do is to unpair the headphones and that should ideally get the iPad stuck in headphone mode back to using its own speakers.

Here is how to unpair your wireless headphones from the iPad:

Step 1: For good measure, use the button on your headphones to turn the headphones off

Step 2: On the iPad, go to Settings > Bluetooth and tap the circular info symbol across the name of your headphones

Step 3: Tap Forget This Device

Step 4: Tap Forget This Device once again.

II.III: Common Fixes for iPad Stuck in Headphone Mode

The below fixes are applicable regardless of whether your iPad has a headphone port. These fixes are simple such as a restart to slightly more complex and time-consuming such as resetting your iPad settings.

Fix 5: Toggle Bluetooth Off

If you are using wireless headphones, regardless of an iPad with or without a headphone port, you can toggle Bluetooth off and back on to jerk the iPad stuck in headphone mode into snapping out of it.

Step 1: Go to Settings > Bluetooth and toggle Bluetooth Off

Step 2: Wait a few seconds, see if the iPad comes out of headphone mode, then toggle Bluetooth back On.

Fix 6: Force Restart The iPad

A force restart almost always fixes things. It is the simplest potion to the most complex digital diseases our beloved hardware could get afflicted with. Here’s how to force restart your iPad stuck in headphone mode:

iPad With Home Button

Step 1: Press and hold the Power button and when the slider screen comes up, drag the slider to shut down the iPad.

Step 2: Press and hold the Power button to restart the iPad.

iPad Without Home Button

Step 1: Press and hold any one of the volume keys along with the Power button till the slider screen appears. Drag the slider and shut down the iPad.

Step 2: Press the Power button and hold until the iPad restarts.

Fix 7: Erase All Settings

Sometimes, the settings are corrupt to a point where the iPad stuck in headphone mode is unable to snap out of it. We can try erasing all settings and resetting them to factory defaults in a bid to restore iPad speaker functionality. Here’s how to erase all settings on your iPad:

Step 1: Go to Settings > General > Transfer Or Reset iPad

Step 2: Tap Reset

Step 3: Tap Reset All Settings

Step 3: Tap Reset All Settings.

This will reset all settings on your iPad and the iPad will restart. You will likely need to set some settings again.

Fix 8: Erase All Settings and Content

A more thorough reset is to reset all settings and erase content on the iPad. That will restore the iPad to factory default, without the need to connect the device to a computer. Here’s how to erase all settings and content:

Step 1: Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad

Step 2: Tap Erase All Content And Settings

Step 3: Go through the steps to erase all content and settings and restore the iPad to factory defaults.

Note that this will remove all content on the iPad but will not remove anything that was in iCloud, including iCloud Photos. Anything that you manually transferred to the iPad and that exists on the iPad storage locally, will be deleted in this process.

Bonus Tip: Repair iPadOS Quickly Using Dr.Fone - System Repair (iOS)

What if you want to repair iPadOS without deleting user data? There is a tool for that, called Wondershare Dr.Fone. This unbelievable tool is a single app consisting of several thoughtfully designed modules that serve to help you with specific issues such as unlocking your phone with Screen Unlock, backing up your phone with Phone Backup, transferring contents from one phone to another using Phone Transfer, and now, to repair iOS and iPadOS easily without deleting user data, the module called System Repair. Here is how to use Dr.Fone - System Repair (iOS) to easily repair an iPad stuck in headphone mode and fix any software issues:

Step 1: Download and install Dr.Fone

Step 2: Connect your iPad and launch Dr.Fone

Step 3: Choose the System Repair module. Once loaded, you will see two modes – Standard and Advanced. Start the Standard Mode that will fix iPadOS without deleting user data.

Pro Tip: Use Dr.Fone - Phone Backup (iOS) module and backup your user data before repairing the iPad using System Repair.

Step 4: On this screen, you will see your iPad listed along with the firmware version:

Use the dropdown menu to choose the firmware version to download and install on the iPad.

Step 5: Click Start to begin firmware download.

Step 6: When the download is complete, the firmware file will be verified and Dr.Fone will wait for your input:

Step 7: Click Fix Now.

After the process is complete, the iPad will restart to factory default settings and your issue will be resolved.