Phone pauses song with headphones? What to do?

[AC Question]

I currently use the Z Force and the 3.5mm to USB-C adapter it came with.

When I play a song on Spotify or any other app, it randomly pauses and I have to hit play again. Sometimes the audio crackles, and it seems to get confused.

It only happens when I use headphones, not Bluetooth.

Any suggestions? I tried doing a factory reset too

 

[PowrDroid]

Sounds like you have lint in your USB port. Use a toothpick and try to remove any lint or other debris that might be lodged in the USB port. If you have a can of compressed air you might try that as well.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! If that doesn't work, it's also possible that the headphone plug isn't entirely compatible with the jack in the adapter. Have you tried other headphones?

 

[sdominator21]

I used a can of compressed air to clean it out and also tried different headsets.
It still seems to stutter.

Is it possible to solder in a new USB-C port? I got this phone less than a year back, I think I could probably exchange it for another refurbished one...

It's just annoying how it all depends on one port for both charging and headphones.

 

[doogald]

I'd think it could be a problem with the headphone adapter rather than the USB port. It could be that the wire between each end is failing and the signal is intermittently failing, making the phone think that you have unplugged the headphones.

Maybe see if you can find another adapter? Amazon sells a few for less than $10, most of which have 4 star reviews.

 

[PowrDroid]

I used a can of compressed air to clean it out and also tried different headsets.
It still seems to stutter.

I had this problem with my Droid Turbo a couple of times and it was always lint in the headphone port. Try a wooden toothpick and gently probe around in there. BE CAREFUL you don't damage the connector(s).

In order to get a fine point on the toothpick with which to dig out the lint, I've snapped several toothpicks in half until I got a shard with a very sharp point on it.

Another useful tool for this purpose are those dental floss picks with the curved plastic toothpick on the end.

 

[PowrDroid]

You should be able to isolate the problem by having the headphones on and gently wiggling the suspected component connections. That is, while listening to music with the headphones grasp and hold the type C USB connector steady where it enters the phone housing with one hand then wiggle the type C to 3.5mm adapter connection. The idea is to try to recreate the stuttering problem. Then try holding the type C to 3.5mm connection steady and gently wiggle type C to phone connection.