Stupid Is As Stupid Does, Don’t Drill Into That iPhone 7 Looking For A ‘Hidden’ Headphone Jack

Change is hard, we get it, we really do. It's even more difficult when said change is seemingly unnecessary or for the worse. Such is the feeling that some people have with Apple's decision to remove the standard 3.5mm audio jack from the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus handsets. Unfortunately, some jackholes on the Internet are using the change as an opportunity to trick people into drilling into and ruining their pricey new smartphones with the promise of bringing back the audio port.

Let us be very clear here—there is NO bringing back the 3.5mm audio jack, and videos purporting otherwise by drilling into the iPhone 7 or some other method of destruction are a hoax. Don't do it.

One of the videos on YouTube that encourages iPhone 7 owners to drill into their handset is labeled as a "Secret Hack to Get Headphone Jack on the iPhone 7." It's posted by Techrax, a popular YouTube channel that advertises itself as "Your #1 destination for technology mayhem." Here it is:


If the destruction of electronics is your thing, you'll find plenty to satiate your appetite on his channel, including several that feature the iPhone 7. However, most of the videos are obvious in nature, like finding out if an iPhone 7 can survive a 5-minute dip in liquid nitrogen. The problem with the above video is that less savvy users may take it serious. That appears to be the case from reading through the vast comments section, though it's difficult to discern between legitimate complaints that it didn't work versus comments that play into the gag.

The video is meant to be funny, as it should seem obvious that drilling into an electronic gadget is bad idea. But would you really be surprised if one of your less savvy friends or relatives showed up at your doorstep with a damaged iPhone 7 asking if you can fix it? This editor wouldn't be.


In case you're interested in what really sits behind the fake speaker grill that supposedly hides a headphone jack, a teardown analysis by iFixIt reveals it's a plastic barometric vent. Apple says the baffle is there to equalize the internal and atmospheric pressures in order to have an accurate altimeter. So that's what would end up being destroyed by drilling as instructed. You'd also risk ruining the Taptic Engine, and of course the device would no longer be watertight.