When Apple removed the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 in 2016, the internet erupted. The company's marketing chief, Phil Schiller, famously said it took "courage" to move on from a 100-year-old technology. But was that the whole story?
Surely not. As the trend spread across the smartphone industry, the real reasons turned out to be a complex mix of engineering ambition, design philosophy, and corporate strategy.
From an engineering perspective, the 3.5mm jack was a bottleneck. It took up valuable internal space, prevented phones from being thinner, and made it harder to achieve water resistance. By removing it, Apple claimed it could fit a larger battery, a better camera, and a new Taptic Engine into the iPhone 7. These improvements made the phone better for most users, even if it meant ditching a universal port.
Samsung, Google, and others eventually followed suit, echoing similar benefits. The consensus was clear: the headphone jack was holding back smartphone design. Removing it allowed displays to stretch closer to the edge and paved the way for sleeker, more durable devices.
But let's be honest: the biggest reason was wireless audio. Apple saw an opportunity to do for headphones what it had done for music players. Within months of removing the jack, it launched AirPods—a product that went from mockery to cultural phenomenon. By 2020, AirPods alone were generating more revenue than many entire tech companies.
This was a masterstroke in ecosystem lock-in. Once you bought AirPods, you were far less likely to switch to Android. And once you experienced the convenience of truly wireless earbuds, you probably wouldn't go back to a tangled cord.
Of course, there was a darker motive. Removing the headphone jack forced millions of people to buy new headphones or a $9 dongle. It also gave Apple full control over the audio experience—right down to the Lightning connector (and later USB-C). Some argued it was a form of planned obsolescence, a way to sell more accessories and lock users into a proprietary system.
Apple removed the headphone jack to sell more accessories and it worked.
The truth is that depending to who you ask, there wasn't just one reason. This is the storm of factors:
For me, the main reason was money, the other just were residual reasons.
Today, the headphone jack is all but gone from flagship phones—though a few holdouts remain for audiophiles and budget devices. Whether you miss it or not, its removal marked a turning point in tech history: the moment when convenience and control trumped universality.
But, What do you think? Was the switch to wireless audio worth it, or do you still hold a grudge against the dongle? Let me know in the comments.
Image generated with Rafiki
