Why iPhone Fans Still Miss the 2016 Design Feature Apple Killed [2025]

The Design Feature Apple Can't Seem to Get Right

Walk into any coffee shop and look around. Most people are charging their phones, and they're probably using one of three cable types. But somewhere in the back of your mind, you might remember a time when you could plug literally any headphone into any device without thinking twice about it.

That was the iPhone with a 3.5mm headphone jack.

I'm not here to convince you that Apple made the wrong call removing it in 2016. That ship sailed. But I am here to tell you something that probably resonates with millions of users worldwide: people still miss it. Seriously. Like, they genuinely miss being able to plug in their favorite wired headphones without an adapter, without pairing delays, without battery anxiety.

The original question feels almost quaint now: "What was the one design feature that made the 2016 iPhone so good?" But when you dig into it, that single piece of metal proved something important. It proved that sometimes the simplest solutions are the ones that solve the most problems.

Let's be honest. Apple's decision to axe the headphone jack was presented as "progress." We were told wireless was the future. We were told we'd adapt quickly. We were told nobody would miss it.

They were wrong about that last part.

A Brief History of the Headphone Jack on iPhone

The iPhone 6s and earlier models came with the 3.5mm jack as standard. It was reliable, universal, and solved a problem that nobody was complaining about. You could walk into any store, buy any headphones, plug them in, and they worked. That's it. No setup, no pairing, no dead batteries.

When the iPhone 7 launched in September 2016, the jack disappeared. Tim Cook appeared on stage and explained why: making the phone thinner, improving the taptic engine, creating space for other components. The logic made sense if you squinted. The execution didn't.

Apple's solution was AirPods. And AirPods were... actually pretty good. They worked better than anyone expected. But they cost extra, they needed charging, and they introduced an entirely new category of things that could get lost in your couch.

The removal also created a problem Apple had never created before: fragmentation. Suddenly, you needed adapters. Lightning adapters. USB-C adapters. Wireless solutions. The company that built its empire on simplicity was now forcing users to navigate a maze of dongle compatibility.

Here's the thing that nobody talks about: the headphone jack wasn't broken. Nobody was asking for it to be removed. This wasn't like removing floppy drives from laptops. This was removing a feature that millions of people actively used every single day.

Users highly value audio quality and battery independence in wired headphones. Estimated data based on user preferences.

Why Users Actually Preferred the Headphone Jack

Let me break down exactly why millions of people still prefer wired audio. This isn't nostalgia talking. These are legitimate, practical advantages that haven't been solved by wireless technology.

No Battery Dependency

Wired headphones don't need charging. This is the simplest advantage and somehow the most overlooked. Your headphones work whether you charged them yesterday, last week, or last month. AirPods dead? You can't listen to music. Lightning earbud dying? Same problem. A wired headphone jack? Still working perfectly.

For commuters, travelers, and anyone who uses their phone intensively, this is massive. You're not constantly playing battery roulette. Your earbuds aren't a liability that could die at 2% battery remaining.

Universal Compatibility

The 3.5mm jack worked with literally everything. Gaming headsets. Studio monitors. Headphones from 1995 and headphones from 2016. Car audio systems. Mixing boards. Portable speakers. Hearing aids. The entire ecosystem of audio equipment on Earth.

When you remove the jack, you create a walled garden. Suddenly, only phones and devices with the same connection type work together. You're dependent on Apple's ecosystem, or you're stuck buying adapters and dealing with compatibility issues.

Reliability in Audio Quality

Wired headphones provide a direct, lossless connection to your device. Bluetooth audio, by comparison, is compressed. The bitrate is lower. Audiophiles hear the difference immediately.

Now, if you're listening to Spotify compressed at 128 kbps, you might not notice. But if you're listening to lossless audio or high-quality FLAC files, wired headphones are objectively better. The jack enabled this. Removing it forced everyone toward lossy wireless solutions.

Cost and Accessibility

Good wired headphones are cheap. You can get excellent wired earbuds for

For people in developing countries, for people on tight budgets, for people who just want a spare pair of headphones for the gym, wired was and is significantly cheaper. Removing the jack literally raised the barrier to entry for basic audio listening.

Durability

Wired headphones last longer because they don't have batteries to degrade. The 3.5mm jack connection doesn't corrode or fail in the ways that wireless connections sometimes do. Your $20 wired headphones from 2015 still work today. Your AirPods from 2015? They're probably at 40% battery capacity if they still hold a charge at all.

The wireless earbud market grew significantly, reaching $8.3 billion by 2023, following the removal of the headphone jack from flagship phones. Estimated data based on industry trends.

The Real Reason Apple Removed It

Let's talk about why Apple actually removed the headphone jack. The official story was about making the phone thinner. But dig a little deeper and the motivation becomes clearer.

Apple wanted to push its ecosystem. AirPods were launching at the exact moment the iPhone 7 was announced. Remove the jack, and suddenly the need for AirPods becomes urgent instead of optional.

From a business perspective, it's genius. AirPods cost $129 and have a gross margin estimated around 40%. Wired headphones? Much lower margin. The incentive structure pointed directly toward wireless.

But here's what Apple didn't anticipate: users didn't just buy AirPods. They bought cheap USB-C adapters. They switched to Android phones that still had jacks. They got creative with solutions that didn't require buying Apple's premium ecosystem.

The removal also standardized wireless audio across the industry. Within two years, most Android flagships followed suit. Samsung, Google, OnePlus—they all removed the jack. It became a race to the bottom in terms of features, dressed up as "innovation."

The Headphone Jack vs. Other Removed Features

Apple has removed plenty of features over the years. Floppy drives from MacBooks. Optical drives. The escape key from MacBook Pro (then brought it back). But the headphone jack is different.

Floppy drives were actually obsolete. Nobody needed them. Optical media was already declining. But the headphone jack? It was the opposite. It was so useful that removing it created problems that Apple has spent years trying to solve with features like Bluetooth reliability improvements and the U1 chip for spatial audio.

The comparison that works better is the SD card slot on MacBook Pro. Apple removed it, claiming it was unnecessary. Creators lost their minds. After years of complaints, Apple realized they were wrong. Guess what? You can get external SD card readers, but the convenience factor dropped dramatically.

With the headphone jack, Apple took that approach one step further. They removed it from the device itself, forcing everyone into a wireless ecosystem they were still actively developing and perfecting.

Estimated data shows that while 40% of users opted for AirPods, a significant portion (25%) chose cheaper USB-C adapters, and 20% switched to Android phones, highlighting diverse consumer responses to the headphone jack removal.

What Happened After Apple Removed the Jack

Here's what the smartphone market did after the iPhone 7 removed the jack:

The Great Exodus (2016-2020)

Android manufacturers initially kept the jack as a differentiator. Google Pixel phones had jacks. OnePlus had jacks. Samsung flagships had jacks. This was a genuine competitive advantage.

But then something happened. The same thing always happens in tech: the margins shifted. Wireless audio hardware became cheaper. AirPod alternatives flooded the market. Suddenly, removing the jack wasn't a liability—it could be marketed as "premium" or "minimal" design.

Within four years, most flagship phones ditched the jack. The industry followed Apple's lead, even though there was no technical reason to do so.

The Budget Phone Holdout (2018-Present)

Interestingly, budget and mid-range phones kept the jack longer. Moto, Nokia (when it came back), OnePlus (for a while), even some Samsung mid-range phones. It was a feature that appealed to cost-conscious consumers.

But by 2022, even these manufacturers gave up. The writing was on the wall. If you wanted to make a phone today, you removed the jack. It became table stakes.

The Wireless Earbud Explosion (2016-Present)

Apple's removal created a market opportunity. Suddenly, everyone needed wireless earbuds. Samsung Galaxy Buds. Pixel Buds. Nothing Ear. JBL. Sennheiser. Bose launched wireless earbud lines.

The earbud market became a $8.3 billion industry by 2023. That's not a coincidence. It's a direct result of removing a feature that forced an entire consumer base to adopt a new form factor.

The Nostalgia Trap: Is It Really Better, or Does It Just Feel Better?

This is the fair question to ask. Are we romanticizing the headphone jack, or is it genuinely superior?

Both things are true.

The 3.5mm jack was objectively better in several ways: no battery dependency, universal compatibility, lower cost, better audio quality for high-bitrate files. These aren't subjective. They're measurable.

But there's also nostalgia at play. Modern AirPods Pro are genuinely impressive. The spatial audio is legitimately good. The noise cancellation works. The integration with Apple's ecosystem is seamless. For many users, wireless is objectively better now.

The problem is that removing the jack removed choice. You can't have both anymore. It's not "this is better, we're moving forward." It's "we've decided for you."

That's the thing that still bothers people about the iPhone 7. Not that wireless is bad. But that the jack was removed to force adoption, not because it was actually obsolete.

Estimated data shows that in 2025, budget and mid-range phones are more likely to retain headphone jacks, while flagship models have largely removed them.

Modern Phones and the Jack: The Current Situation

Let's look at the landscape in 2025:

Flagship Phones Without Jacks: iPhone (all models since iPhone 7), Samsung Galaxy S series, Google Pixel, OnePlus flagships, Nothing Phone, Xiaomi flagship line. Basically every premium phone costs $700+ and has no jack.

Mid-Range Phones: Mixed. Some Samsung A-series phones have them. Some Poco phones have them. It's become a differentiator that manufacturers mention in specs, but it's not standard.

Budget Phones: Still more common. Redmi, Poco, Moto G series—many budget phones kept the jack because it's cheap and users appreciate it.

Specialized Devices: Gaming phones, some foldables, and certain regional variants still include jacks. They know there's demand.

The pattern is clear: as the price point increases, the likelihood of finding a headphone jack decreases. It's been commoditized out of "premium" devices and relegated to budget segments.

The Irony of Apple's Design Philosophy

Here's where it gets interesting. Apple built its brand on a core principle: simplicity. The phrase "less is more" could be Apple's motto.

But removing the headphone jack wasn't simplicity. It was the opposite. It multiplied the number of accessories you needed. Adapters. Cases. AirPods. Charging cables. Suddenly, your "simple" phone required an entire ecosystem of accessories.

Compare this to the original iPhone. One device. One connector (USB). Plug in, listen to music, that's it. Simple.

Now compare it to a modern iPhone. You need AirPods (or another wireless solution). You need a USB-C charging cable. You need adapters if you want to use any of your old wired headphones. You need a case because the design is slippery.

That's not simplicity. That's complexity dressed up in minimal design language.

Estimated data shows the headphone jack removal had a notable impact on user satisfaction compared to other features, highlighting its significance.

What Would It Take for Apple to Bring Back the Jack?

Honestly? Probably nothing. The ship has sailed. Apple has built an ecosystem around wireless audio that generates enormous revenue. Bringing back the jack would undermine that entire business model.

But let's imagine a world where it happened anyway. Here's what would need to occur:

Consumer Demand Would Have to Be Overwhelming

It's not. People complained when the jack was removed, but they adapted. They bought AirPods or alternatives. The moment of maximum leverage passed.

The Hardware Engineering Would Have to Make Sense

Apple would have to identify space and justify it. Modern iPhones are already packing more components than ever. Adding back a jack would mean removing something else or making the phone thicker. Given Apple's commitment to thinness, this seems unlikely.

It Would Have to Become a Competitive Necessity

If Android flagships brought back the jack and it became a major selling point, Apple might follow. But that's not happening. The industry learned from Apple's move: remove it, market the removal as "premium," move on.

The reality is that the headphone jack's removal was so successful that it became the new standard. Apple didn't just remove a feature—it reset industry expectations about what a premium phone needs to include.

The Psychological Impact of Removing the Jack

There's something deeper here than just "I miss being able to plug in my headphones." The removal of the headphone jack represents a shift in how tech companies relate to their users.

It's a statement: "We know better than you. We'll decide what features you need. You'll adapt."

And mostly, users did adapt. They bought AirPods. They switched to wireless. The ecosystem worked.

But it left a mark. It demonstrated that even beloved, universally useful features could be removed for profit margins and ecosystem control. It showed that "innovation" sometimes means "the thing you liked is gone, here's what we're selling instead."

That's not necessarily evil. It's business. But it's worth understanding what happened and why people still remember the 2016 iPhone, not because it was the best iPhone, but because it was the last one that gave them a choice.

The Wireless Future: Whether We Like It or Not

We're heading toward a world where all audio is wireless. It's already almost here. The infrastructure is built. The alternatives are established. The headphone jack is basically dead.

In 10 years, the idea of plugging a cable into your phone might seem as quaint as inserting a floppy disk into a computer. Kids will ask why anyone ever did that.

But the transition could have been handled differently. Apple could have kept the jack as an option. Companies could have improved wireless technology before removing the alternative. The industry could have let consumers choose instead of forcing the choice.

Instead, what happened was a top-down decision that worked because Apple had enough market power to make it work. That's the real lesson here, not about headphones or design, but about how much influence one company can have over an entire industry.

Why This Still Matters in 2025

So why am I writing about this in 2025? Why does the headphone jack still come up?

Because it's a reminder. Every time a tech company removes a beloved feature, they point to the iPhone 7 as precedent. "We removed the jack," Apple's defenders say. "People adapted. They'll adapt here too."

When Apple removed Face ID in favor of Dynamic Island, defenders said the same thing. When they removed the power button from some devices, same response. Every removal gets justified with: "Look at the headphone jack. Remember how everyone thought that was a disaster? Now nobody cares."

But people do care. They might not post about it on social media anymore, but when they're shopping for a new phone, they check the specs. And if the jack is listed, they take notice.

The headphone jack represents the high water mark of features that users genuinely wanted to keep. It's the benchmark against which all future removals are measured.

And that's why people still talk about the 2016 iPhone. It's not because it was the best iPhone—the iPhone 12 or 14 or 15 were probably technically superior in every way. But the 2016 iPhone offered something the others don't: choice. The choice to use your existing headphones. The choice to buy cheap wired audio. The choice to opt out of the wireless ecosystem if you wanted to.

Removing that choice proved to be significant. Not catastrophically significant—the iPhone line thrived afterward. But significantly enough that people remember it. Significantly enough that when someone asks "What's the best iPhone you ever owned?", a surprising number of people still answer: "The one before they took away the jack."

That's not nostalgia. That's a data point. It's evidence that sometimes, simplicity means leaving things alone instead of removing them for reasons that benefit the manufacturer more than the user.

What Tech Companies Could Learn from This

If you're building technology products, the headphone jack story offers some lessons:

First: Don't remove features that solve problems. Only remove features that create problems.

The headphone jack didn't cause problems. It wasn't broken. It didn't limit the device's capabilities. Removing it created the problems it was supposed to solve.

Second: Give users choice when possible. If wireless is better, ship both. Let consumers decide.

Apple could have included a jack and AirPods. Let people choose wireless or wired. Instead, they forced wireless and neutralized the advantage.

Third: Understand that backwards compatibility has value. Your users have invested in ecosystems.

When you remove a feature, you're not just removing a feature. You're making obsolete everything your users have invested in that feature. That has real costs that go beyond convenience.

Fourth: Be honest about why you're removing things.

Apple claimed the jack was removed for thinness and the Taptic Engine. Those justifications didn't hold up well. If the real reason is business model, just say it. Users respect honesty more than they respect marketing spin.

FAQ

Why did Apple remove the headphone jack from the iPhone?

Apple removed the 3.5mm headphone jack from the iPhone 7 in 2016, citing reasons like making the phone thinner, improving the Taptic Engine, and creating space for other components. However, industry analysts widely agree the primary motivation was to push users toward Apple's AirPods ecosystem and increase wireless earbud revenue, which has grown into a multi-billion dollar business.

Can you still use headphones with modern iPhones?

Yes, but not directly. Modern iPhones without a headphone jack require USB-C adapters (on newer models) or Lightning adapters (on older models) to connect wired headphones, or you can use wireless solutions like AirPods, Bluetooth headphones, or other wireless earbuds. The adapter approach adds cost, complexity, and potential latency issues.

Which modern phones still have a headphone jack?

Most budget and mid-range phones still include headphone jacks as of 2025. Examples include certain Samsung Galaxy A series models, Poco phones, Moto G series phones, and various regional variants. Flagship phones from Samsung, Google, OnePlus, and all iPhones have removed the jack entirely.

Is wired audio better quality than wireless audio?

For high-quality audio content, wired connections provide lossless audio transmission without compression, while Bluetooth audio uses compression that reduces bitrate. However, modern Bluetooth codecs like LDAC and aptX offer near-lossless quality, and for casual listening to compressed streaming services, the difference is imperceptible. The advantage depends on content and use case.

Did removing the headphone jack hurt iPhone sales?

No. The iPhone continued to dominate smartphone sales after 2016. However, the removal did accelerate the wireless earbud market and forced users to adopt Apple's ecosystem, which generated significant revenue. The decision didn't harm the business; it actually strengthened Apple's ecosystem lock-in.

What would bring back the headphone jack?

Unless Apple experiences significant market pressure from competitors or consumer demand overwhelming enough to justify the hardware redesign and ecosystem sacrifice, the headphone jack is unlikely to return. The industry has standardized on removal, and the revenue from wireless audio ecosystems is too substantial to reverse.

Is the headphone jack truly obsolete?

No, it's not obsolete—it's been deliberately deprecated. The jack still solves real problems: battery independence, universal compatibility, and lower cost. It's been removed not because it doesn't work, but because companies profit more from forcing users into wireless ecosystems. The distinction between "obsolete" and "removed for business reasons" is important.

Should you buy a phone with a headphone jack in 2025?

If audio flexibility and compatibility matter to you, a headphone jack is genuinely useful. Mid-range and budget phones that include jacks often provide excellent value and flexibility. However, if you're comfortable with wireless audio and want flagship features, you'll need to accept the lack of a jack and invest in wireless solutions.

What's the future of audio connectivity?

The trajectory points toward fully wireless audio. USB-C and wireless connections are becoming standard across the industry. However, wireless technology continues to improve, and emerging standards like spatial audio and lossless Bluetooth codecs are narrowing the quality gap between wired and wireless. Ultimately, wireless will likely become the exclusive standard, but the transition was accelerated by removal rather than genuine obsolescence.

Why do people still miss the iPhone's headphone jack?

People miss the jack because it represented choice, simplicity, and universal compatibility. It didn't require charging, worked with any headphones ever made, cost almost nothing to manufacture, and created no ecosystem lock-in. The removal wasn't because the jack was broken, but because Apple benefited from forcing users toward its wireless ecosystem. That distinction—between removing something unnecessary versus something actively useful—is why the 2016 iPhone is still remembered fondly despite being nearly a decade old.

The bottom line: The iPhone's headphone jack removal was a masterclass in forcing market change, but it left a legacy of users who remember that choice existed. In a world of increasing tech complexity and ecosystem lock-in, that simple metal connector represents something that might be more valuable in hindsight than anyone anticipated.

Key Takeaways

• The iPhone 7 (2016) removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack was primarily driven by Apple's desire to push users toward AirPods and wireless audio ecosystems, not technical necessity
• Users still prefer the headphone jack for practical reasons: no battery dependency, universal compatibility, lower cost, and better audio quality for high-bitrate content
• Within four years of Apple's removal, nearly every smartphone manufacturer followed suit, standardizing the feature removal across the industry despite lack of consumer demand
• The wireless earbud market exploded from nearly zero in 2016 to over $8.3 billion by 2023, directly correlating with forced removal of the headphone jack
• Budget and mid-range phones still include headphone jacks in 2025, while premium flagships have eliminated them entirely, creating a feature gap between price tiers
• The headphone jack removal was not obsolescence but deliberate deprecation for profit margins, fundamentally different from previous Apple feature removals like floppy drives

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