It was once an essential device for iPhone users.
But now, Apple appears to have finally discontinued a popular piece of tech.
Shoppers around the world have been concerned to find that the 3.5mm Lightning To Headphone Jack Adapter is sold out online.
As Apple moves away from the Lightning cable and towards USB-C, the once-popular product could finally be gone for good.
Die-hard fans rushed to social media to vent their frustrations, calling the change ‘the end of an era’.
MailOnline has confirmed that the cable is no longer available on the UK or US Apple websites.
The adaptor is reportedly still available in some countries, such as France, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
However, this is likely to be the case only in these countries where stores still have limited stock.
Apple appears to have discontinued the Lightning To 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter as shoppers around the world find that the popular piece of tech is now out of stock
On X (formerly Twitter), commenters rushed to share their frustration with the decision being called ‘the end of an era’
The Lightning headphone adaptor first arrived in 2016 alongside the release of the iPhone 7.
This was the first iPhone release to ditch the 35mm aux jack in favour of the new Lightning cable.
The problem for many iPhone customers was that this decision rendered wired headphones, including all of Apple’s previous EarPods, unusable.
The Lightning To 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter allowed users to keep connecting their older headphones to the newer iPhone models.
These small but vital cables were included in the box with every new iPhone from the iPhone 7 up, until the release of the iPhone XS in 2018.
By that time, many customers had moved on to Apple’s Lightning EarPods or the newer Bluetooth AirPods.
But the adaptor still remained available for purchase separately for £9 at Apple stores.
However, Apple finally got rid of the Lightning cable in favour of the USB-C, with the release of the iPhone 15 in 2023.
The Lightning To Headphone Jack Adapter was released in 2016 to allow iPhone users to connect their wired headphones to the new iPhone’s Lightning port
In 2016, Apple released the iPhone 7 (pictured), which was the first flagship smartphone to ditch the headphone jack in favour of a lightning cable. This meant iPhone users needed an adaptor to connect their older headphones
As Apple moves towards the USB-C, it is phasing out its remaining Lightning cable products. MailOnline found that the Lighting to USB Cable (pictured) and the Lightning to VGA Adapter are also out of stock
This has led to Apple slowly phasing out its Lightning cable products, including the Lightning to headphone adaptor.
In UK and US Apple stores, the Lightning to USB-C Cable and Lightning to VGA Adapter are also sold out, suggesting that these three older cables may all be discontinued.
On social media, a few die-hard fans of the product have expressed their disappointment that this key piece of tech will no longer be available.
One commenter wrote on X: ‘I use mine all the time for my B&W 5 wired-on-ear headphones. Silly move to discontinue it.’
Another added: ‘I still use mine to connect to my aux chord in my car even though I have Bluetooth.’
One commenter simply added: ‘RIP’.
However, not everyone was so sad to see the headphone adaptor fade into obscurity.
On X, one commenter wrote: ‘It was trash anyway. Third-party variants are much more reliable.’
On X, one commenter called the move to ditch the adaptor ‘silly’, adding that they still use theirs to connect wired headphones
Another commenter said that they used the adaptor to connect to their car’s audio even though they also had the option to use Bluetooth
One commenter simply added ‘RIP’ (Rest in Peace)
‘Makes sense as lightning ports are getting phased out’, an Apple fan added.
While another commenter joked: ‘If you didn’t have one by now, I guess it wasn’t meant to be.’
This is not the first time this year that Apple has discontinued a once-popular device.
In September, the company announced that it would discontinue three iPhone models to make way for the iPhone 16, as they revealed that the iPhone 13, iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models would no longer be manufactured.
Likewise, this month Apple began a tactical retreat from augmented and virtual reality amid poor sales of the £3,499 Vision Pro headset.
With only 370,000 headsets sold in the first three quarters of 2024, Apple has quietly scaled back production of the much-hyped headset.
One Chinese manufacturer of the Apple Vision Pro said it had already cut assembly rates in half, down to just 1,000 units per day.
Apple has been contacted for comment.
