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While working on mobile phones, I've found a number of problems with the TRS style jack. One is they trap lint internally, which can often result in the intern
by jeffbush 10y ago
While working on mobile phones, I've found a number of problems with the TRS style jack.
One is they trap lint internally, which can often result in the internal switch that detects insertion permanently thinking there is a headphone in it (Google "phone thinks headphones are in"). The external speaker is usually muted when a jack is inserted, so when this happens, the phone doesn't make any sounds. Lint is very difficult to remove from the outside the connector.
The other problem--which the original inventors couldn't have anticipated--involves the hook switch (hangup button) on wired phone earbuds. The switch usually works by shorting the microphone to ground. The problem is that, because of the geometry of the plug, the microphone is also shorted to ground while the plug is inserted or removed. To avoid erroneously interpreting insertion/removal as a hangup, the software must wait for the button to be held for around a second. This precludes doing other interesting things with the button, like having double clicks, or clicks with different durations perform other functions. It also feels a bit awkward to have to hold it for so long.
- deathanatos 10y ago> One is they trap lint internally, I've owned my current phone for ~4 years, and the first port to stop working — due to lint — was the USB port, not the audio port. > Lint is very difficult to remove from the outside the connector. Removing lint from a 3.5mm audio port is going to be vastly easier than removing it from a USB port (which is completely possible). The entrance is much wider, and you don't have to worry about damaging the connector thing that USB has in the middle, as it doesn't exist. I've even removed a silica gel ball (which are apparently about 3.5mm wide …) from an audio port (and needed a paper clip to crush it first). I'd not want to try the same thing on a digital USB or lightning port …
- stouset 10y agoLightning wouldn't be any more difficult than an audio jack — I'm not sure why you think it would be. Agreed that USB would be a nightmare, but thankfully that's not really a plausible scenario for an iPhone.
- jeffbush 10y agoThe lightning port is fairly shallow and the pins are flush with the perimeter. I've found it pretty easy to clean out in my experience.
- lmm 10y agoThe inline remote on on my galaxy's wired headphones lets me double tap to skip forward, triple tap to skip back.
- drunken-serval 10y agoThe iPhone also has this capability. The Overcast app optionally supports it. (It's off by default.)
- jeffbush 10y agoIt's mainly a problem with phone calls: user is on a call, decides to unplug headset, call ends (if you didn't have delay). An edge case, to be sure.
- drunken-serval 10y ago> Lint is very difficult to remove from the outside the connector. All one needs is a toothpick and a little patience.