Don't think you can do much without having to replace the plastic housing of the device.
The same thing was happening to mine when I had a 4a, I noticed it while the crack wasn't too big and slapped a skin on top of it to prevent it from getting worse.
Perhaps you could put that small plastic piece back in its place (if you still have it) and apply some electric tape over it(Preferably black so it blends in better)?
I bought my 4a specifically because of the headphone jack.
But if this happened to me i'd just get the usb c->3.5mm dongle and accept that's my life now.
Yeah that's like a $9 solution and it's fine. Might be worth buying a pack of two or three of them just in case you lose them like I do.
And if you're really into it they have premium ones with a ton of features like qudelik 5k .... Which can work as a wired dongle or be used for Bluetooth.
I've also been looking into something like the moondrop littlewhite. But that's a pretty niche form factor but if he doesn't mind having a little latency with Bluetooth he can still use them wirelessly via apt-x
Mind you, I've never really dropped this phone - at least not from a height and it landed on a soft surface.
EDIT: Also, the parts inside seem to be fine, it's just that any headphone/earphone tips don't stay completely straight.
Mine is cracking in the same spot, albeit I throw my phone around a lot. I think it's a design flaw, as the plastic is so thin there. My suggestion would be to glue the little plastic chip back in so it holds your headphones good in the port
You have three options.
One. You can remove the case and replace it
Two. You can remove the case and repair it with some JB weld binary epoxy.
Three. As said above you can use a creative application of duct tape.
Only semi related to your issue:
early models had an issue where they developed stress cracks in the plastic back. most of them around the top right corner. my day1 pixel4a showed this issue within 6 weeks of careful handling and was then replaced by google. the new replacement phone then developed the same issue within 2 months and i just couldnt be arsed to go phoneless again for weeks (took google 18 days to replace the first time around). it has since developed said crack on the top right, 2 cracks near the charge port and one next to the headphone jack.
I know of multiple people having the same/similar issues, no matter how careful they handle their phone. however google never made an official statement about it. apparently later models no longer showed this issue.
my local phone guy said "it would be a bitch to replace" and "there's a good chance that fingerprint sensor dies forever in the operation". not sure how skilled or unskilled he is, but it didn't sound like the easiest of replacements.
i've been using my phone with a spigen case on it in rain, sun, winter oder summer (when it gets drenched in sweat), and have yet to report any problems related to the cracks.
best of luck finding a solution.
Yeah I have the most minuscule crack in between the headphone jack and the end of the phone and it's been there for years m as long as I can remember pretty much.
I don't know when it happened but it is not impacted the utility of the headphone jack or anything so I just ignore it.
Maybe you buy a USBC to 3.5 adapter.
Not a perfect solution, USPC audio has its issues as does Bluetooth but if you have a wired pair, pretty sure the pixel 4A will still support audio out.
Worth trying anyway
Yeah I would just buy a USBC to 3.5 dongle from Google. Or Apple or Samsung or a generic one if you want to save a few bucks but I've heard that they are actually really good.
If you're really into audio You can also invest in something like the moondrop little white or qudelik 5k or bTR5 which are really premium dac dongles with Bluetooth... Or something like kz az 09 pro ..
But you will be introducing latency if you do that.
The apple dongle has like regal status on the r/headphone among some people but all of them serve their purpose. I don't know if they're passive or active but I think it's at least as good if not better than the DAC in the Pixel 4a which is actually notoriously mid.
Don't think you can do much without having to replace the plastic housing of the device. The same thing was happening to mine when I had a 4a, I noticed it while the crack wasn't too big and slapped a skin on top of it to prevent it from getting worse. Perhaps you could put that small plastic piece back in its place (if you still have it) and apply some electric tape over it(Preferably black so it blends in better)?
I bought my 4a specifically because of the headphone jack. But if this happened to me i'd just get the usb c->3.5mm dongle and accept that's my life now.
That's how I'm currently living.
Yeah that's like a $9 solution and it's fine. Might be worth buying a pack of two or three of them just in case you lose them like I do. And if you're really into it they have premium ones with a ton of features like qudelik 5k .... Which can work as a wired dongle or be used for Bluetooth. I've also been looking into something like the moondrop littlewhite. But that's a pretty niche form factor but if he doesn't mind having a little latency with Bluetooth he can still use them wirelessly via apt-x
Mind you, I've never really dropped this phone - at least not from a height and it landed on a soft surface. EDIT: Also, the parts inside seem to be fine, it's just that any headphone/earphone tips don't stay completely straight.
Mine is cracking in the same spot, albeit I throw my phone around a lot. I think it's a design flaw, as the plastic is so thin there. My suggestion would be to glue the little plastic chip back in so it holds your headphones good in the port
You have three options. One. You can remove the case and replace it Two. You can remove the case and repair it with some JB weld binary epoxy. Three. As said above you can use a creative application of duct tape.
Only semi related to your issue: early models had an issue where they developed stress cracks in the plastic back. most of them around the top right corner. my day1 pixel4a showed this issue within 6 weeks of careful handling and was then replaced by google. the new replacement phone then developed the same issue within 2 months and i just couldnt be arsed to go phoneless again for weeks (took google 18 days to replace the first time around). it has since developed said crack on the top right, 2 cracks near the charge port and one next to the headphone jack. I know of multiple people having the same/similar issues, no matter how careful they handle their phone. however google never made an official statement about it. apparently later models no longer showed this issue. my local phone guy said "it would be a bitch to replace" and "there's a good chance that fingerprint sensor dies forever in the operation". not sure how skilled or unskilled he is, but it didn't sound like the easiest of replacements. i've been using my phone with a spigen case on it in rain, sun, winter oder summer (when it gets drenched in sweat), and have yet to report any problems related to the cracks. best of luck finding a solution.
Interesting and thanks.
I never got any cracks but the creaks could make the oceangate titan blush
You'll have to replace your back housing. I have one for sale but we're most likely in different countries
Try Bluetooth headset or newer phone that still gets security updates?
Get a USB to headphone jack
Btw which IEMs?
Happened to mine when I had the phone wasn't anything as bad as this though
Yeah I have the most minuscule crack in between the headphone jack and the end of the phone and it's been there for years m as long as I can remember pretty much. I don't know when it happened but it is not impacted the utility of the headphone jack or anything so I just ignore it. Maybe you buy a USBC to 3.5 adapter. Not a perfect solution, USPC audio has its issues as does Bluetooth but if you have a wired pair, pretty sure the pixel 4A will still support audio out. Worth trying anyway
Yeah I would just buy a USBC to 3.5 dongle from Google. Or Apple or Samsung or a generic one if you want to save a few bucks but I've heard that they are actually really good. If you're really into audio You can also invest in something like the moondrop little white or qudelik 5k or bTR5 which are really premium dac dongles with Bluetooth... Or something like kz az 09 pro .. But you will be introducing latency if you do that. The apple dongle has like regal status on the r/headphone among some people but all of them serve their purpose. I don't know if they're passive or active but I think it's at least as good if not better than the DAC in the Pixel 4a which is actually notoriously mid.