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Monster headphones causing problems with iPhone, iPad and iPods [Updated]

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 6:52PM EST
BGR

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If you own a pair of Apple-friendly Monster headphones that haven’t been very Apple-friendly lately, you’re not alone. A source at Apple recently told BGR that customers are complaining en masse of “erratic behavior” associated with music playback on Apple devices. The problems affect the iPhone, iPad and Apple’s iPod range, and include random pausing, playing and skipping forward or back through songs. Apple has determined internally that these problems are being caused by a variety of Monster headphone models that make improper use of Apple’s Remote and Mic technology despite advertising compatibility with Apple products. Specifically, the problematic models “use conductive flanges, which can result in electrical shorts that cause an iPod or iPhone to pause and play erratically.” According to Apple, these headphones “do not meet Apple’s technical specifications,” and the company is afraid customers might think Apple products are responsible for the associated malfunctions. Offending Monster headphones include the Jamz, Lil Jamz, Turbine Basic, Turbine Pro and Heartbeats product lines.

UPDATE: Monster has issued the following statement to BGR:

Monster was recently made aware by Apple that some of our Jamz™, Turbine™ and Heartbeats™ headphones with ControlTalk™ may experience some irregularities under certain circumstances (it does NOT affect ControlTalk™ Universal).  This irregularity potentially affects a very small fraction of our headphones and to this date we have received no customer complaints. However, because the customer experience is our top priority, Monster immediately stopped shipment of all potentially affected products.

With the exception of the black or chrome Heartbeats with ControlTalk™, this issue does not affect any other of the Beats™ by Dr. Dre™ products.  If you think you are experiencing a problem with one of the headphones listed below, please contact Monster customer service [http://www.monstercable.com/service] to receive a replacement.

Potentially affected products include ControlTalk versions of Lil Jamz™, Jamz™, Turbine™, Turbine Pro and Heartbeats™.

Hit the jump for another screen shot showing Apple’s full list of problematic Monster headphone models

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.