Earphones not recognized by/cause playback issues?

[ethane]

Hey guys,

So I just discovered something wrong with my new 2014 Moto X/ X2 while trying to listen to music today. The headphone jack doesn't work like it's supposed to!

When I plug my headphones into my phone, I am unable to start playing music (pressing the play button causes the track to stop immediately). I tried video playback on Google Play Movies and with the earphones plugged in, not only is there no audio but the video keeps blacking out on the screen.

I've experimented a little and found that this issue occurs with many different players. Removing my earphones causes the audio/video to play normally through the phone speakers. Strangely, plugging my headphones in halfway (ie before the click) allows normal audio/video playback. Unfortunately this is not a viable workaround as the slightest movement would dislodge the earphone in this position.

My earphones are specifically made for Android phones, and have a one-button remote on them.

The headphone plug has 3 black bands.

Anyone has this problem or knows why this happens? Anyone have experience with this? Is it a headphone issue or a defective Moto X?

 

[benhaube]

It's hard to say if it's the phone or the headphones based on the information given.

Try plugging in a different pair of headphones to see if they do the same thing. If so, the problem lies with the phone, and at that point you need to figure out if the issue is with software or hardware. To do that I would do a factory reset. If the issue still occurs than it is most likely a hardware malfunction.

 

[Green_Laser]

My earphones are specifically made for Android phones, and have a one-button remote on them.

The headphone plug has 3 black bands.

You're correct, it shouldn't be happening.
I have same kind of headphones, includes a mic and one button, never encountered. (4+ year old Bose in ear style)

Before contacting moto, try putting the same headphones in another android device (older phone?), see what happens, we want to rule out that the headphones and the button aren't causing it (maybe button is in 'pressed' position even though it looks like it's not)

And also, like mentioned above, I'd try another set of headphones in the device, this will help rule out it's not the headphones, but more a problem with the phone's hardware.

 

[Rukbat]

Re: Earphones not recognized, and cause video playback issues?

Try a plain cheap ($5 or less - maybe $1 at the dollar store) earbuds. (r, if you have a pair already, try them.) If that doesn't work, it's the phone. The earbuds will probably have terrible bass, maybe terrible overall quality, but they should work as far as this problem is concerned.