iPhone Headphone Adapter  

An iPhone headphone adapter is a connection that has a 3.5mm male jack on one side that plugs to the iPhone or iPhone 4 headphone port, and another side of a 3.5mm female port that allows regular headphones to be plugged in.

Some iPhone adapters come with a clip to allow for clipping to your shirt to avoid slack in wire. Some of them come with a microphone and some buttons. There are two types of those headphone adapters for the iPhone.

One type is designed for the first generation iPhone which is just a simple extension with no other features. The other type is designed to take full advantage of the iPhone audio output jack which can transmit audio out and audio in from a microphone. Visit the iPhone cables page to learn more about the iPhone audio port.

Those two types of adapters look similar except for the addition of at least one button and an optional microphone.

The iPhone Headphone Port:

The Apple iPhone headphones port is capable of pausing and playing music. It is also capable of skipping and rewinding a song. Moreover, the iPhone audio port has the ability to answer and end phone calls.

You can answer and end phone calls through the iPhone headphone jack with some special iPhone headphones, or by the use of an iPhone headphone adapter. Therefore, an iPhone headphone or an iPhone adapter for the iPhone is a good iPhone accessory to add to your collection.

This makes the Apple iPhone jack a little different than regular headphone jacks. You will notice that the iPhone jack has three rings compared to two rings that come normally with other regular headphone jacks.

There are different types headphone adapters for the iPhone that do different tasks. The main purpose of an iPhone headphone adapter is to allow you to listen to and control your iPhone music. Others allow you to answer phone calls.

This of course is possible with any Apple headphone, but you have to pull your iPhone from your pocket and tap the answer button manually.

All iPhone headphones with those control features can be easily connected to any old iPhone 2G with the use of an adapter .

Usually iPhone headphones are either in-ear type or clip-on type. However, there is no iPhone headphone with other styles like the on-ear or around ear.

This could be because they are too expensive to make specially just for the iPhone. If you have such an expensive headphone, then the solution is to use an iPhone headphone adapter.

iPhone Headphone Adapter:- Extension

This type of iPhone adapter has some history. Due to the design of the initial iPhone 2G with recessed headphone jack, many existing headphones would not work with the new iPhone at that time. They wouldn't fully seat or fit in the iPhone recessed plug.

In the picture below, the bottom iPhone is an iPhone 2G with the recessed headphone jack. Apple fixed this design in the iPhone 3G shown above it.

So if you have an iPhone 3G or iPhone 4, you won't have this problem, and you won't need this type of headphone adapter.

After this problem, companies started to make headphones that are compatible with the recessed iPhone jack. However, most existing headphones were not possible to plug to the iPhone headphone jack without some modification.

This adapter is a simple cable that has a mail 3.5mm jack on one side, and a female 3.5mm line in jack. It is a simple headphone extension cable.

Some of those headphone adapters are one simple connections or converter.

Other types of headphones adapters provide a splitter that allows two headphones to be connected.

iPhone Headphone Adapter with Mic:

This type of iPhone headphone adapter add more features to your existing headphone. It will allow you to plug your existing headphone to the adapter and take full advantage of the iPhone music and audio capabilities.

With a built in microphone headphone adapter, you can answer phone calls with a press of a button. You can answer or end a phone call, and make an iPhone hands free phone conversation.

This feature is very convenient when you are walking or jogging and listening to your iPhone music. When you get a phone call, you don't have to pull your iPhone from your pocket, bag or purse. Simply, press a button on your headphone adapter to answer the call and start the phone conversation.

This also applies to iPhone music play back . For example, you can play, pause, skip and rewind an iPhone song from the headphone adapter itself by pressing a button. There is no need to touch your iPhone screen. Therefore, you can do all of this while enjoying your existing favorite iPhone headphone.

The additional microphone is a really neat feature. You can use the microphone to record a memo with some iPhone applications for example.

Conclusion:

An iPhone headphone adapter is good iPhone accessory for both owners of the older iPhone 2G and newer iPhones. It allows you to use you existing favorite headphone and add some cool features to it.

If you are looking to buy a new iPhone headphone then consider one with the built in microphone to take full advantage of the iPhone headphone jack. However, if you already have a good expensive headphone, then you should consider an iPhone headphone adapter.

Either ways, you will be able to answer phone calls, play, pause, skip and control your iPhone music without touching your iPhone. This iPhone accessory is a must have for people who already already invested in an expensive headphone for their iPhones.

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