Apple Removes the Headphone Jack from the iPhone

Apple removed the 3.5 mm headphone jack from the iPhone 7 in September 2016. The decision was controversial because the analog connector had been a universal audio standard for decades.

Removing it freed a small amount of internal space and simplified waterproofing around one opening, but it also pushed audio toward Lightning and Bluetooth. Apple introduced AirPods at the same event, making wireless audio part of the strategic shift rather than an unrelated accessory.

Technically, digital audio moved more responsibility into the headphones. A Lightning or Bluetooth device needs its own digital-to-analog conversion and often its own amplification, while Bluetooth adds compression, latency, pairing, and battery constraints. The change accelerated an industry-wide move toward wireless earbuds and away from universal passive headphones.