After the rumor of the end of EarPods, Apple seems to have stopped production of the Lightning to 3.5 mm jack adapter, introduced in 2016 with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The end of an era, notably dictated by European Union standards which forced Apple to switch to USB-C.
USB-C EarPods with lossless audio?
According to Aaron Perris, contributor to MacRumorsthe adapter is now listed as “out of stock” on Apple’s online store in the United States and many other countries. It remains available in only a few countries, such as France, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, but probably only while stocks last. This scenario is reminiscent of Apple’s USB SuperDrive this summer, which first sold out in the United States before disappearing completely globally.
This adapter originally came free with the iPhone 7, iPhone 8, and iPhone X, but it was removed from the box starting with the iPhone XS. Apple continued to sell it separately for €10.
This adapter allowed you to connect wired headphones with a 3.5mm jack to iPhones without a headphone jack via the Lightning port. However, the only iPhone models still equipped with a Lightning port — the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone SE — are expected to be removed from the market next year. Furthermore, all iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models have adopted the USB-C port, for which Apple still offers a USB-C to 3.5 mm jack adapter, at the same price of €10.
Despite the gradual disappearance of the Lightning adapter, Apple continues to market a variety of headphones, including its wireless AirPods line as well as wired EarPods in USB-C, Lightning and 3.5mm jack versions. For now.
