The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus were Apple’s first devices to ship without a headphone jack, but those who owned audio products at the time sporting the same interface could make things work with a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter, which was flimsy but it got the job done. Unfortunately, with Apple having introduced its entire iPhone 16 family with a USB-C port, it is possible that the company could be getting rid of its previous-generation accessory.
The Lightning to 3.5mm adapter is currently out of stock on Apple’s online store in the U.S., but third-party accessory makers will likely continue selling them
The adapter is out of stock is most countries, including the U.S., with the option to ‘Add to bag’ grayed out, hinting that Apple is phasing it out, possibly in favor of a Lightning to USB-C adapter. As reported by MacRumors, the accessory is currently available from Apple in a handful of countries, such as France, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, but it might only take a few days for the adapter to go out of stock in those regions too.
When the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus were first introduced in 2016, Apple packaged the Lightning to 3.5mm adapter in the box, and it followed this practice for a few generations until the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max launch. Sure, the adapter was available to purchase on Apple’s online store, but it was priced at $9, meaning that you had to fork over a small sum if you did not want to purchase the technology giant’s more expensive AirPods.
Even if the Lightning to 3.5mm adapter is discontinued worldwide, it is not like third-party accessory manufacturers are going to call it quits too. A huge downside of purchasing this device from Apple was that it was prone to breaking because of the lack of reinforced joints on both ends and no braiding, meaning that tearing the white sleeve was easy. Fortunately, other companies offer this sort of protection, and on Amazon, you can get one for as low as $14.99, along with a 15 percent discount coupon that you should tick before checking out.
