One of Apple’s most useful accessories might soon be discontinued

Users are advised to buy an extra adapter while it's still in stock in some stores.

It’s been reported that Apple may discontinue its Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter, which allows iPhone 7 and later users to connect their wired headphones.

The company hasn’t officially announced the discontinuation of the accessory, but its online store in the US already shows it as sold out.

MacRumors reports that the adapter is still for sale in some countries, including France, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.

News about the future of the $9 headphone jack adapter sparked a discussion online.

Some people online were concerned about whether it would affect users of AirPods Max.

“I hope the wire for the AirPods max (Lightning) isn’t next. Might need to buy an extra just to have it in case, wrote one Reddit user.

“This is going to be a problem for people with AirPods Max that uses Lightning and want to connect with a cable (use case: I use mine with my PS5 controller),” noted another.

Apple has added the adapter to some of its iPhone models, including the iPhone 7, iPhone 8, and iPhone X. However, it's not included with models that came after the iPhone XS.

The iPhone models with Lightning ports are the iPhone 14 lineup and iPhone SE. However, these devices may be discontinued next year. Apple’s latest devices, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 lineup, now come equipped with USB-C ports.

Apple's Lightning to 3.5 mm headphone jack adapter was first released in 2016 together with the iPhone 7.

This is when the trend of removing 3.5mm jacks from the latest smartphones started, making other phone manufacturers follow.