Raspberry Pi audio jack not working? Try these fixes

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Key notes

  • Raspberry Pi has two different audio output modes: HDMI and headphone jack. You may switch between them at any time.
  • However, it’s frustrating if the audio jack is not working. Firstly, try out some other jack plugs.
  • To find more Raspberry Pi tips, check out our extensive Raspberry Pi Troubleshooting Hub.
  • Feel free to bookmark our Developer Tools Hub for more quick fixes as the ones detailed below.
Fix Raspberry Pi audio jack

Raspberry Pi users all over the world complain about the same problem. They cannot get the sound to come out of their device.

To be more precise, the Raspberry Pi audio jack is simply not working. Some of them run Ubuntu MATE and tried to listen to online radio stations.

The proper sound items are installed, but no sound ever comes out of the phone jack. Others have upgraded their Raspberry Pi and they can no longer play audio either.

One case or another, we’ll show you how to bypass this issue in no time.


What can I do if Raspberry Pi audio jack is not working?

1. Try out some other jack plugs

try out other jack plugs

First of all, don’t hesitate to try enjoying Raspberry Pi audio with some other jack plugs. Many users describe theirs as being a bit shorter.

Therefore, the contact isn’t always closed perfectly at the right point. After a couple of tries, they’ve managed to find one that works with no issues.


2. Run a helpful test code

Raspberry Pi audio jack is not working test code

You’ll definitely like this part if you’re tech-savvy. Plenty of Raspberry Pi users claim that they were able to solve the problem by running this quick test code:

$ cd /opt/vc/src/hello_pi/
$ ./rebuild.sh 
$ cd hello_audio
$ ./hello_audio.bin

There’s though a major downside to consider. This helps you get audio out of the 3.5mm jack, but you cannot play any WAV files from your Raspberry Pi.


3. Overwrite dtoverlay

try to overwrite dtoverlay

The Raspberry Pi audio driver most likely changed when upgrading to a different OS and that prevents playing audio through the headphone jack.

However, if you use the resin dashboard, there’s a quick tip you may apply. For that, go to the section called Device Configuration.

While there, modify the existing RESIN_HOST_CONFIG_dtoverlay variable to vc4-fkms-v3d. This should make the audio work again.


4. Update your Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pi

Chances are the software you are running on your device contains more bugs that affect the desired functionality.

That’s why you shouldn’t postpone the inevitable. Upgrade all your Raspberry Pi installed packages to their latest versions and correct the audio jack error with ease.

Have you successfully applied the above solutions for the Raspberry Pi audio jack not working? Let us know which one worked for you in the comments area below.

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