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Several iPhone decisions that seemed hostile to users at launch later became ordinary—and sometimes genuinely useful. Removing the 3.5 mm headphone jack made room for internal hardware and water resistance; the notch evolved into Dynamic Island; swipe navigation replaced the home button; enclosure changes reduced liquid worries; and AirPods helped wireless audio become a normal part of the phone ecosystem.
“Fan favorite” is an editorial shorthand, not a measured majority opinion. No authoritative survey establishes that most owners prefer each change. The stronger evidence is practical utility, continued use across iPhone generations, and an industry that followed Apple’s direction. The trade-offs—accessibility, battery aging, waste, repairability and the need for adapters—remain real.
1. The headphone jack disappeared, but the phone gained space and water resistance
Apple removed the 3.5 mm headphone jack from the iPhone 7 in 2016. That immediately took away a cheap, universal connector that worked with existing headphones, car stereos and assistive audio equipment. Owners had to use wireless headphones or connect wired models through an adapter.
Apple said the jack occupied valuable internal volume. In a 2016 explanation, hardware executive Dan Riccio described it as “a 50-year-old connector” and “just a hole filled with air” taking up space. Marketing executive Greg Joswiak called the connector a dinosaur and said it was time to move on. Apple tied the freed room to the Taptic Engine, a larger battery, camera-system changes and the iPhone 7’s IP67 water-resistance design.
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“The audio connector is more than 100 years old… It’s a dinosaur. It’s time to move on.” — Greg Joswiak, Apple senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, quoted in 2016.
What owners actually received
- The iPhone 7 was Apple’s first water-resistant iPhone, with protection against spills, splashes and dust under laboratory conditions.
- Apple reported a camera with 50 percent more light capture from its f/1.8 aperture, stereo speakers twice as loud as those on the iPhone 6s, and an A10 Fusion chip rated at 120 times the original iPhone’s CPU performance and 240 times its graphics performance.
- The box included a Lightning-to-3.5 mm adapter, so existing wired headphones still worked without buying a new headset.
- AirPods launched alongside the iPhone 7, giving Apple a ready-made wireless alternative.
The removal therefore became normalized rather than universally loved. TechRadar’s later coverage still identifies accessibility, battery, waste and adapter concerns. A person who depends on low-latency wired audio, replaceable batteries or a specialized headset may reasonably regard the change as a permanent disadvantage.
How to use wired headphones now
- Identify the connector on your iPhone: Lightning or USB-C.
- For a Lightning-equipped model, connect a Lightning-to-3.5 mm adapter, then plug in standard headphones.
- For a USB-C-equipped model, use a USB-C-to-3.5 mm headphone adapter. Passive adapters do not work with every USB-C accessory, so use one designed for audio if the phone does not recognize the headset.
- If you need charging and wired listening at the same time, use an adapter or hub that explicitly supports both functions; basic single-port adapters provide only one connection.
Adapters preserve compatibility, but they add a part that can be lost or damaged and may block the charging port. Wireless audio removes that cable, while introducing charging, pairing and battery-lifespan decisions.
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The iPhone X introduced a display notch to house Face ID’s TrueDepth camera system, the front camera and proximity hardware. TechCrunch called the notch a “lightning rod for critique” because it interrupted content near the top of the screen. The criticism was understandable: a visible cutout replaced the uninterrupted rectangle people expected from a modern display.
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- SUPERIOR COMFORT — Unlike traditional circular ear buds, the design of EarPods is defined by the geometry of the ear. Which makes them more comfortable for more people than any other ear bud–style headphones.
- HIGH-QUALITY AUDIO — The speakers inside EarPods have been engineered to maximize sound output and minimize sound loss, which means you get high-quality audio.
- BUILT-IN REMOTE — EarPods with USB-C plug also include a built-in remote that lets you adjust the volume, control the playback of music and video, and answer or end calls with a pinch of the cord.
- COMPATIBILITY — Works with all devices that have a USB-C port.
- INTEGRATED MICROPHONE — A built-in microphone precisely captures your voice while you’re on the phone, taking a FaceTime call, or summoning Siri — so you’re always heard loud and clear.
Why the notch existed
The notch was a physical consequence of fitting face recognition and camera hardware into a narrow bezel. It was not an app feature that could simply be redesigned in software. As more iPhone generations kept the cutout, users became familiar with its location, but familiarity did not make the missing pixels useful.
Dynamic Island made the cutout interactive
On the iPhone 14 Pro, Apple reshaped the front-camera area and introduced Dynamic Island. The system blends the hardware opening with animated software so the area can show ongoing activities. Persistent, interactive examples documented by Apple include Maps directions, Music playback, timers, sports scores and ride-sharing updates.
A tap opens the related app; a tap-and-hold exposes controls without requiring a full app switch. That changes the cutout from pure obstruction into a glanceable status surface. You can check a timer or follow a route while remaining in another app, provided the app supports the relevant Live Activity or system integration.
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| Comparison | Original notch | Dynamic Island |
|---|---|---|
| Visible obstruction | A fixed cutout interrupts the top edge of the display. | The camera opening remains, but software animation visually incorporates it. |
| Glanceability | Shows no ongoing task information. | Can display timers, directions, music, scores and ride status. |
| Action from the current app | Requires opening another interface for status or controls. | Tap or tap-and-hold can reveal related information and controls. |
| Third-party support | Not applicable as an activity surface. | Depends on whether an app adopts the supported activity APIs. |
Dynamic Island did not erase the hardware compromise, and it is not available in the same form on every iPhone generation. Its success is better described as a useful reframing: Apple turned an unavoidable opening into an information surface that can earn attention instead of merely consuming screen area.
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3. Swipe navigation replaced the home button and became a stable habit
The home button was one of the most familiar controls in consumer electronics. Pressing it returned to the Home Screen; pressing twice opened the app switcher; Touch ID added authentication. When the iPhone X removed the button, Apple replaced those actions with gestures from a narrow strip at the bottom of the display.
The core gestures
- Go Home: Swipe up from the bottom edge.
- Open the app switcher: Swipe up and pause briefly in the middle of the screen.
- Switch apps quickly: Swipe left or right along the bottom edge.
- Open Control Center: Swipe down from the upper-right corner.
- Reachability: Swipe down on the bottom edge, when enabled in Settings, Accessibility, Touch, Reachability.
The initial learning curve was real. A long-established button gave a clear physical target, while a gesture required learning both its starting edge and its distance. People also had to distinguish a bottom-edge swipe from actions inside apps, and the upper-right Control Center gesture could be awkward on a large phone.
Why the gesture model held up
Once learned, the gestures use the entire lower edge rather than a small mechanical target. They work consistently across Face ID iPhones and leave more display area available for content. Fast app switching is especially direct: a short horizontal swipe along the bottom bar moves between recently used apps without opening the full switcher.
Reachability remains an important qualification. Gesture navigation can be quick with one hand, but reaching the upper corners for Control Center or other controls may still require shifting your grip. Accidental swipes are uncommon for many users but can occur in games or apps with controls near the bottom edge. Expert commentary from TechCrunch describes the redesign as improbable at first yet successful in practice; it does not establish that every owner prefers gestures to a button.
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4. Port and enclosure changes delivered practical water resistance
The iPhone 7’s enclosure redesign accompanied the removal of the headphone jack and delivered Apple’s first water-resistant iPhone. Apple described protection against spills, splashes and dust, a meaningful change for anyone who had previously treated a dropped phone near a sink or pool as an emergency.
What an IP67 rating does—and does not—mean
IP67 is a laboratory rating, not a promise that every liquid incident will be harmless. The first digit concerns dust protection; the second concerns water exposure under specified test conditions. Real-world variables include water pressure, temperature, salt or chlorine, impact damage and how long the phone has been in service.
- Water resistance can decline after drops, repairs, opened seals or normal aging.
- Liquid damage is commonly excluded from standard warranty coverage even when a phone carries a water-resistance rating.
- Do not deliberately submerge the phone, charge it while wet or use compressed air and heat to force moisture out.
- If the phone gets wet, disconnect cables, wipe the exterior, hold the connector downward and allow it to dry fully before charging.
Later iPhone releases continued to emphasize water and dust resistance and added Ceramic Shield durability. Those improvements reduce everyday anxiety, but they do not make a case unnecessary for drop protection. A case or pouch can help with impact and grip; it cannot restore factory seals or turn an iPhone into a waterproof device.
5. Wireless earbuds became the ecosystem payoff
The jackless iPhone created pressure for a convenient wireless replacement. AirPods arrived with the iPhone 7 and helped make Bluetooth earbuds ordinary rather than niche. Tom’s Guide’s retrospective highlights instant pairing, automatic pausing when an earbud is removed and a charging case that supplied up to 24 hours of additional power.
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Why the experience felt different from earlier Bluetooth headsets
Traditional Bluetooth pairing often involved menus, codes and inconsistent reconnection. AirPods’ pairing flow was designed around the iPhone, while the case kept the earbuds charged between uses. Automatic pausing addressed a small but frequent annoyance: removing one earbud could stop playback without reaching for the phone.
That convenience helped wireless earbuds spread beyond Apple’s devices. Samsung and other manufacturers later removed headphone jacks from competing phones, showing that the market had normalized wireless audio instead of treating the iPhone 7’s change as an isolated experiment.
The costs that remain
| Factor | Wireless earbuds | Wired headphones |
|---|---|---|
| Convenience | No cable; pairing and charging case add setup routines. | Plug in and listen; an adapter may be required. |
| Battery lifespan | Small sealed batteries eventually lose capacity and are difficult to replace. | No earbud battery; the phone or adapter supplies the signal. |
| Repairability and waste | Sealed designs can be costly to repair and create electronic waste when batteries age. | Usually easier to keep working or replace one cable. |
| Latency | Bluetooth processing can add delay, which matters for gaming, instruments and video monitoring. | Very low latency in ordinary use. |
| Accessibility | May not suit users of certain assistive-audio systems or those who need a direct wired connection. | Can work with specialized equipment, subject to the correct adapter. |
| Cross-device compatibility | Basic Bluetooth works across platforms, but advanced pairing features may be ecosystem-specific. | Analog headphones work broadly with the appropriate port or adapter. |
For many owners, wireless earbuds became a practical benefit of the jack removal, not proof that the original objection was wrong. The best choice depends on whether convenience outweighs charging, battery replacement, latency and accessibility requirements.
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Each change removed something familiar: a port, an uninterrupted display edge, a physical button or the assumption that a phone could be treated casually around water. Acceptance came when the replacement solved a frequent problem. Dynamic Island made status information actionable; gestures reclaimed display space; water resistance reduced the consequences of everyday splashes; and wireless earbuds simplified listening for people willing to manage batteries.
The pattern also has limits. Product continuity and market adoption show normalization, not universal approval. Wired audio remains valuable, some users still prefer a button, and a water-resistance rating cannot compensate for a cracked enclosure or liquid-damage exclusion. These features aged into everyday tools because enough people found the new trade-off worthwhile—not because every criticism disappeared.
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