In-ear earphones not working with music but do work on calls?

[Android Central Question]

My earphones for my mobile phone stopped working when I play music or listen to the radio on my phone.

I tried to resolve this doing the following 5 things:

1. I tried to to make a call with the same phone. They worked fine, and also, the mic worked, which makes me think it's a software problem, not a hardware issue
2. I tried them with Whatsapp calls. They worked fine.
3. They also worked on the radio app, but purely as antennas, so via the phones speaker.
4. I tried the earphones on my previous older phone, they also worked fine there.
5. I tried the earphones on two laptops. They worked fine, still.

Details:

Earphones: JBL T290 IN EAR (silver)
Mobile phone: Honor 6X (Android 7.0)
Previous older phone: Samsung GT-S7390 (Android 4.1.2)
Laptop 1: Lenovo running Win 7 Pro
Laptop 2: Lenovo running Win 10 Home

Question: How do I get them to work again on my present mobile phone, like they did before...?

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Try blowing out the headphone jack using a can of compressed air, and a toothpick to root around in the jack, in case there's some debris causing problems.

Please register on this forum, which will allow you to engage in discussion more easily, as well as post images. https://forums.androidcentral.com/ask-question/409154-join-android-central-community.html

 

[GwenKillerby]

How can there be stuff in the headphone jack when the earbuds are working perfectly with Whatsapp and normal calling?

and that link doesn't work, please provide a direct link.

 

[B. Diddy]

There are multiple contacts in the jack, so I was suggesting it in case there was something in there that might be causing intermittent interference with one of the contacts. When you're on a call, can you hear audio in both channels or only one?

The link works for me when on the desktop forum site. But you're registered already, so it's no longer applicable anyway.

 

[belodion]

The link works for me in the AC Forums app.

 

[methodman89]

Open Bluetooth settings and make sure calls and media are toggled on for the Bluetooth device. Good luck

 

[B. Diddy]

Open Bluetooth settings and make sure calls and media are toggled on for the Bluetooth device. Good luck

It's a wired headphone, unless the OP typed the wrong model number.

 

[methodman89]

Thanks, I missed the antenna /wired reference.
In this instance, make sure Bluetooth media is off for any other paired device.

 

[B. Diddy]

Thanks, I missed the antenna /wired reference.
In this instance, make sure Bluetooth media is off for any other paired device.

Ah, good point, I didn't think of that.

 

[Rukbat]

That only matters if the Bluetooth device is connected, not if it's paired.

 

[B. Diddy]

True, but it's a good point to make. If, for example, the OP has a pair of Bluetooth headphones lying around nearby that automatically connects to the phone, then the media audio might be routing through those headphones without the OP's knowledge.

 

[GwenKillerby]

Thanks for reacting, all.

when i'm on a call, both normally and with Whatsapp, I hear audio in both ears.

I don't use blu toot, don't have devices that connect to anything whatsoever. The blu toot icon is permanently greyed out. i think i disabled it in the settings, years ago.

Against my better instincts, I DID poke the jack with a tooth pick. Nothing whatsoever came out.

 

[B. Diddy]

Do you have another pair of earphones to test on your phone? This can help narrow the problem down to the JBLs vs the phone.

 

[GwenKillerby]

i bought a Sony earphone, same sort of quality, but the same problem: no media, no radio, yes whatsapp calls and normal calls. What's especially bad is that with crappy $5 earphones, everything works!!!!

 

[B. Diddy]

Do the $5 earphones also have a mic?