Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Headset / Headphones Not Working [How To Fix]

There were reports from owners suggesting some Samsung Galaxy Note 2 headsets are defective upon delivery. We cannot concur with this but we are not shoving the possibility that it could happen to anybody. The fact is, after almost a year since we opened our mailbox to our readers, I have read countless emails complaining about this problem. There is one thing I’m sure about; if it’s not the phone that has a problem, it’s the headset…unless, an app is interfering with the normal operation.

Before we go any further, here is an email from our reader:

Hey TDG, 

It’s nice to know someone online is taking a serious job in finding solutions to our problems. So, here’s my problem… 

I just got my Galaxy Note 2 a month ago. I’m not really a music lover and I haven’t used the original headset that came with the device. Just last week, I plugged it in but it didn’t work. I set it aside thinking it might just be a temporary device problem, well, it wasn’t. I plugged it in today and it still doesn’t work. Can you help me with this? 

Murray

Troubleshooting Galaxy Note 2 Headset Problem

There are a few things you can do to troubleshoot this problem and you don’t have to do some crazy stuff to fix it. But just so it’s clear, troubleshooting means finding the problem and possible solutions and that’s what we’re going to do in this post.

Check the headset’s general physical condition. The first thing to do is conduct a general physical checkup of the headset. This is necessary to see if the accessory has damages such as cable and earpiece breakage, and connector corrosion or damage.

Test the headset. Using a different device with 3.5mm headphone jack (may it be an MP3 player or a laptop, etc.), plug the headset / headphone and see if the audio is streamed through it. If you can hear sound with good quality, your phone may have the problem. Otherwise, consider buying new headset.

Test the phone’s speakers. Launch any multimedia app you have installed on your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and play a video or a music track. Check if the phone’s speaker emits audio. There were reports of some units with defective circuitry and audio was the first handicap. If the speaker plays a sound, plug the headset in and see if the phone detects it.

Test a different headset. If you have another headset with 3.5mm connector, plug it into your phone and see if it sounds off. If it does, it is another confirmation that the other set is defective. Otherwise, it is also and confirmation that your phone has a problem.

Clean the phone’s connectors. Using a paper clip, take a piece of a soft cloth, apply a small amount of alcohol and insert it into the receptacle to clean the connectors. Alcohol would soon dry out so don’t worry about liquid damage. After doing so, plug a working headset, set the volume up and see if the sound plays.

Try the recorders. If multimedia apps don’t sound off when the headset is plugged it, try a different approach; launch your voice recorder or camcorder and record a short track or clip and make there’s an audio in it. Playback the track or clip and check if you can hear a sound. If you can, there is a possibility that your music or video player has problems. Try clearing its cache and data or use a different one. I personally encountered this problem before and I wasn’t able to fix it until I came up with a decision to do a factory reset.

Factory reset. Backup all your data and bring the phone back to its original settings. There’s no guarantee the problem would be fixed by doing this but it’s worth a try.

Send phone for repair. If all else fails, don’t hesitate to have your phone be checked by an authorized technician. For those under contract, bring the phone in for inspection and you might even receive a replacement unit.

Having problems with your phone?

Tell us about them by emailing us at [email protected]. Make sure to include as much details as possible so that we could understand the problem well and find the best solutions for you. If you can share a screenshot or two, that would be better.

We may not be able to respond to every email we receive but rest assured we do read them… yes, all of them even if some do look like spams.