Broken headphone jack? No worries! We got you covered

Phew, I was disappointed when the headphone jack of my new mobile broke. Headphones with a plug (jack) are really my thing, because you don’t have to charge them. Do I have to go without music for a while, or are there other solutions?

Checking its warranty

That was the first step. I emailed, texted, and called a famous online shop in The Netherlands and they indicated that this is still perfectly covered by the warranty of my mobile. Great, I thought. Then the questions came: “Do I immediately make an appointment to have it picked up for repair?” And: “Would I like to make a backup and put it in the factory settings, because I would be without this smartphone for at least three (!) weeks”.

Three weeks? Are you kidding me? I hoped to drive by and wait for my cell phone, but now I lose it for three weeks… It is not that I constantly need it for social media, but at my workplace my mobile is my hotspot. And besides that, I felt like I just had it exactly the way I wanted. I didn’t want this! And the old cell phone was in the drawer, but I had just replaced it because it was too hot and too slow. So what was the alternative?

USB-C to adapter

And then a whole new world opened up for me. Of course I know that the jack port was already non-existent on a lot of phones, but I still had a few good headsets with jack and I didn’t want to just throw them away. Now that the port was broken, I choose to look for a solution that still allows me to use my current headphones. Then there appears to be such a thing as a “USB-C to jack adapter”.

You can buy it for a few euros and I thought it was worth a try. So this works great. The only drawback to this: you cannot charge your mobile at the same time, because that port is occupied. At least not with the one I bought. There are also those who can do both. Anyway, this was no problem for me and this adapter is now standard on my favorite earphones at home. The idea of ​​wireless suddenly isn’t such a bad idea anymore.

Bluetooth

Because I still doubted whether a Bluetooth headphone would be something for me, I ordered a new and not too expensive one from a good brand. It turned out to be one with a thread between the two ears. The well-known copycat headphones of a good brand were too expensive for me to try out. And although half the world (or more) is undoubtedly already on Bluetooth headphones, I only recently discovered how well this works. I can run, cycle, walk and work with it. I listen to music with it, participate in meetings, and switch from mobile to laptop quite easily. The Bluetooth set is certainly not a bad buy.

The Bluetooth set does of course work with a battery that needs to be charged. I wonder if it will still last 16 hours on a full battery in a year. What I also find a disadvantage is that all functionalities on a mobile phone that support wireless also consume battery. If you turn it on and off continuously for that reason, then that is also an extra action when using your headset. Headphones with a jack plug are normally just as easy from one device to another.

Conclusion

These were the best two options for me. If you have a better solution, please let me know! I am very satisfied with both solutions, but the winner for me is the adapter. Especially when it comes to price, convenience, and durability. But not wireless, so call me old fashioned, I like it this way.

See also

Techgirl International

Outsmart hackers with these tips

This article is written by AnkeV.