Chosen Solution
recently, one pair of earbuds snapped in half while plugged into my MacBook. I messed with the port for hours trying to pick out the stuck tip. When I finally managed to pull it out, I immediately plugged in a new pair. The audio did not come right away, instead I was hearing 3 moments of subtle and short crackling noises before the audio finally came through… but now the audio sounded muffled and a bit distorted. The audio sounded a bit clearer as I shifted the balancing to one ear bud but even then it still sounded off and quieter, despite trying full volume. I have a feeling that I probably permanently broke the jack. I want to be wrong, is there a solution to this or do I have to get it replaced? I also have tried compressed air.
As it turns out replacing the jack is quite easy! After removing the bottom cover we can gain access to the screws that hold it in place. Here’s an image where its being removed from the teardown
And here’s the needed part: MacBook Pro 13" Retina (Touch Bar, Late 2016-2017) Headphone Jack
I had a similar problem–out of the blue could only insert headphone jack about 1/4" before encountering a “blockage”. I decided to try a simple restart, and as the computer started shutting down apps and documents, the plug spontaneously opened up and is now fine. So try this before resorting to force or the repair shop!
