Apple’s iPhone 7 began the trend of cell phones that only have Lightning ports instead of the normal headphone jacks. So what do you do if you prefer to use headphones that end with a normal 1/8th inch headphone adapter instead of the Lightning connector? Luckily there are a number of Lightning to headphone jack adapters for you to choose from that allow you to use your old regular headphones with a iPhone’s Lightning port.
The Best Lightning to Headphone Jack Adapters and Converters:
1. Apple Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter
Nothing is more reliable than Apple’s own products. This is their official lightning to 3.5 mm headphone jack adapter, so you know it will work with all your gear including iPhones, iPods, and iPads. Listen to music, make phone calls, and do anything else you like with your phone and favorite headphones.
This adapter is short and compact, easy to toss in a purse or bad or even stick in your pocket.
2. Amazon Basics Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter
Another reliable brand, Amazon makes its own version of the classic lightning to headphone convertor, and it comes in black! MFI certified, it provides lossless audio transmission and is compatible with all Apple products with iOS 10 or later, including iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPads.
3. Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Adapter for iPhone
Here’s a pretty straightforward Lightning to headphone adapter that allows you to use your old headphones with 1/8th inch stereo TRS jack with a new iPhone or iPad’s Lightning port. It works with iPhone version 5 and up as well as other iOS devices like iPads and iPad Minis and iPod Touch with Lightning ports.
Note that this adapter plays music and allows you to use in-line remote to control your music (if your headphones have one) however if you get a phone call you will need to disconnect the headphones to use your phone normally instead of using the headphones as a headset. Comes in white in a 2 pack.
4. Belkin Lightning to Headphone Jack Splitter
Here’s another style of iPhone Lightning to headphone adapter which allows you to charge your phone while listening to music. Instead of providing a two-pronged splitter like some other 2 in one Music + Charging Lightning adapter cables, this model provides a single mini-adapter box. It works with regular headphone jacks and a standard Lighting cable to charge your iPhone while listening to music with. One benefit of this particular converter is that it provides a full 2 amps of charging power meaning that it won’t slow your charging process to a lower speed. As a result, this Lightning to headphone charging adapter may charge your iPhone faster than some other adapters.
Check out more lightning headphone splitters.
5. Lightning to 3.5m Jack Adapter for Car & Home Stereo
This item is a little different from the rest, it provides you with a Lightning audio jack on one end and a 3.5mm male audio jack on the other. Basically, it allows you to plug in your iPhone with Lightning port to a speaker system that accepts headphone jack inputs. This might be useful if you want to convert Lightning to headphone jack to listen to your iPhone on your car stereo with an aux port. It also will allow you to connect your iPhone with a Lightning port to a set of speakers that accepts a headphone jack input.
Frequently asked questions about Lightning to headphone jack adapters
Can I use these adapters with my old headphones that have a play/pause button or a microphone in them to answer calls and change volume?
At the time of writing this article, there appears to be an iOS software bug that’s causing problems for some users who want to use these functions. This may be fixable through an iOS software update or it may already be fixed by the time you read this. Read more about this issue in an Apple support thread.
Do these Lightning to headphone jack adapters come in different colors or am I stuck with white?
Several of these headphone jack adapters are available in other colors. Click through each one to view the different colors they’re available in.
Related: USB-C to Headphone Jack Adapters for Cell Phones, Laptops & More