They take a list of features given to them by product people who have gathered the requirements from all the interested parties. They then attempt to design all the technical architecture to support those features. They typically wouldn’t decide anything not related to technical aspects. Such as “this is impossible because of x, y, z” or “this is very expensive to do so I don’t recommend it”. It’s a push and pull but if an engineer ever said “we’re doing this feature because I want it”, typically that would be strange and they would not get their way.
Why do you ask? I am quite confused by this exchange.
Those responsibilities could include designing or validating a connector if that connector falls within the engineers area. But a decision like adding or removing the headphone jack is more than just them.
Engineers figure out whether a 3.5mm jack fits, design its electrical connections, test its reliability, and recommend keeping/removing it.
But they still “build it in”.
Ill take the L on saying the word engineer and you getting nit picky then backing off when I nit picky back, then you downplay my reponses as " dude you just googled this stuff like 5 minutes ago" because you know engineers build in USB-C ports and exclude 3.5mm jacks from their plans and get exhausted defending your argument that… Well i don’t even know how to explain what you’re arguing… That engineers arent involved with decisions? Even though that Apple post clearly says that the engineers must “own” their designs?
As someone who’s been a hardware engineer at Apple and left specifically because I saw they were getting rid of the headphone jack, it is not the engineers that get to make those kinds of decisions. The decision to remove the headphone jack was so they could sell you $100+ air pods that would then also work with your Apple Watch. It was not because there was no space or that ingress protection was unachievable, or it cost to much, or people didn’t want it. Trick Dacy is right.
By the way, I rock a Linux phone now with a headphone jack, removable battery, microSD, and have an Android with a headphone jack, microSD as my backup. If the Fairphone 6 had a headphone jack, which is the #1 requested feature on every forum post I’ve seen, it would be the perfect phone, especially given it can have both Android and Linux on it.
They literally just said the answer. Which I think was obvious tbh. Apple (and Google) literally sell the most losable objects ever made for $200+. They are greedy capitalists. Of course they’re gonna try to push you into that.
The Motorola Moto G Stylus 2026 still has 3.5mm ports, the same company that is selling the phone for this GrapheneOS phone, just a different model. They also sell moto buds.
To sell wireless headphones for $100+, higher revenue per person, and provide a non dorky way to listen to stuff through your smartwatch. All of them have wireless earbuds and smart watches. You need to replace them when the non removable battery dies so it’s really a wireless headphone subscription. Apple’s practice for the watch were the two final iPod nanos. Attaching it to your wrist with a headphone cord running up your arm looked dorky. Apple doesn’t do dorky, Android OEMs didn’t want smartwatches with headphone jacks to look dorky either. And Android OEMs often copy Apple because Apple is the more stylish one
Sorry yes. The fairphone removed the headphone jack in their phones awhile ago. They now sell wireless earbuds, which goes completely against their purported philosophy.
I also noticed the Motorola Moto G Stylus 2026 has a 3.5mm port, but the GrapheneOS phone from Motorola will have removed the 3.5mm port. Motorola sells their own buds. Doesnt seem like a uniformed decision across the company to remove the jack on all models. Im curious who is making the decisions on those products.
Are you trolling? You’re now trying to explain to me that engineers don’t get to decide the features? Literally what I said from the beginning. If you’re high or something that’s cool but don’t be so confident in an argument. This was…weird
I read it. I found it increasingly confusing. I thought I was being very clear in making a singular point: engineers rarely if ever decide what features get built, unless their input on what’s cost effective or possible is properly considered. In this case meaning engineers saying they want or don’t want a headphone jack on a phone would probably not be a thing because they know if it did they would be ignored. Here’s how this actually went:
Execs at company ask some team to find a new way to make revenue. They come up with the idea to remove the headphone jack and start making and selling wireless headphones and (bonus) adapters for people who don’t want wireless. The CEO loves the idea and forces it to happen. The engineers were told to design a new phone without it. Some of them gripe about it but no one cares. Maybe even one guy quit over it. The phone gets made anyway because engineers don’t decide features. They decide the how not the what.
Almost nothing is absolute. But you again seem to forget how this started. You told someone:
Apparently the majority of those people you are referring to arent phone engineers because they’re not building them in.
Which is implying that engineers decide what features a phone has. There might be 1 in 100 that does because they were a founding member of the company or something, but you were very clearly generalizing the engineering role incorrectly. Then you doubled down several times then finally tried to play it off like you understood this the whole time and I was just being “nitpicky” so we’re even or something.
Phone manufacturing companies from the CEO level all the way to the phone designers/engineers arent putting 3.5mm jacks in those devices. They dont want them.
Answer me this, what do engineers do?
They take a list of features given to them by product people who have gathered the requirements from all the interested parties. They then attempt to design all the technical architecture to support those features. They typically wouldn’t decide anything not related to technical aspects. Such as “this is impossible because of x, y, z” or “this is very expensive to do so I don’t recommend it”. It’s a push and pull but if an engineer ever said “we’re doing this feature because I want it”, typically that would be strange and they would not get their way.
Why do you ask? I am quite confused by this exchange.
I know you’re confused, thats why Im explaining this to you.
Lets take a look at an Apple hardware engineer job posting:
https://jobs.apple.com/en-us/details/200685079/hardware-systems-design-electrical-engineer-iphone
Those responsibilities could include designing or validating a connector if that connector falls within the engineers area. But a decision like adding or removing the headphone jack is more than just them.
Engineers figure out whether a 3.5mm jack fits, design its electrical connections, test its reliability, and recommend keeping/removing it.
But they still “build it in”.
Ill take the L on saying the word engineer and you getting nit picky then backing off when I nit picky back, then you downplay my reponses as " dude you just googled this stuff like 5 minutes ago" because you know engineers build in USB-C ports and exclude 3.5mm jacks from their plans and get exhausted defending your argument that… Well i don’t even know how to explain what you’re arguing… That engineers arent involved with decisions? Even though that Apple post clearly says that the engineers must “own” their designs?
As someone who’s been a hardware engineer at Apple and left specifically because I saw they were getting rid of the headphone jack, it is not the engineers that get to make those kinds of decisions. The decision to remove the headphone jack was so they could sell you $100+ air pods that would then also work with your Apple Watch. It was not because there was no space or that ingress protection was unachievable, or it cost to much, or people didn’t want it. Trick Dacy is right.
By the way, I rock a Linux phone now with a headphone jack, removable battery, microSD, and have an Android with a headphone jack, microSD as my backup. If the Fairphone 6 had a headphone jack, which is the #1 requested feature on every forum post I’ve seen, it would be the perfect phone, especially given it can have both Android and Linux on it.
Why would Android phones remove headphone jacks then?
They literally just said the answer. Which I think was obvious tbh. Apple (and Google) literally sell the most losable objects ever made for $200+. They are greedy capitalists. Of course they’re gonna try to push you into that.
The Motorola Moto G Stylus 2026 still has 3.5mm ports, the same company that is selling the phone for this GrapheneOS phone, just a different model. They also sell moto buds.
To sell wireless headphones for $100+, higher revenue per person, and provide a non dorky way to listen to stuff through your smartwatch. All of them have wireless earbuds and smart watches. You need to replace them when the non removable battery dies so it’s really a wireless headphone subscription. Apple’s practice for the watch were the two final iPod nanos. Attaching it to your wrist with a headphone cord running up your arm looked dorky. Apple doesn’t do dorky, Android OEMs didn’t want smartwatches with headphone jacks to look dorky either. And Android OEMs often copy Apple because Apple is the more stylish one
Oop just saw your edit on the other post about the Fairphone. Why does Fairphone keep the 3.5mm jack but also sell Fairbuds?
Sorry yes. The fairphone removed the headphone jack in their phones awhile ago. They now sell wireless earbuds, which goes completely against their purported philosophy.
Yeah seems kind of odd that they would do that.
I also noticed the Motorola Moto G Stylus 2026 has a 3.5mm port, but the GrapheneOS phone from Motorola will have removed the 3.5mm port. Motorola sells their own buds. Doesnt seem like a uniformed decision across the company to remove the jack on all models. Im curious who is making the decisions on those products.
So you have options…? And because it’s still profitable either way.
Oop, sorry, Canuck corrected me saying Fairphone does not have 3.5mm jacks on Fairphones now
Are you trolling? You’re now trying to explain to me that engineers don’t get to decide the features? Literally what I said from the beginning. If you’re high or something that’s cool but don’t be so confident in an argument. This was…weird
You skipped the last couple of sentences of my post, apparently
I read it. I found it increasingly confusing. I thought I was being very clear in making a singular point: engineers rarely if ever decide what features get built, unless their input on what’s cost effective or possible is properly considered. In this case meaning engineers saying they want or don’t want a headphone jack on a phone would probably not be a thing because they know if it did they would be ignored. Here’s how this actually went:
Execs at company ask some team to find a new way to make revenue. They come up with the idea to remove the headphone jack and start making and selling wireless headphones and (bonus) adapters for people who don’t want wireless. The CEO loves the idea and forces it to happen. The engineers were told to design a new phone without it. Some of them gripe about it but no one cares. Maybe even one guy quit over it. The phone gets made anyway because engineers don’t decide features. They decide the how not the what.
Thats the generalization, but not the absolute.
Almost nothing is absolute. But you again seem to forget how this started. You told someone:
Which is implying that engineers decide what features a phone has. There might be 1 in 100 that does because they were a founding member of the company or something, but you were very clearly generalizing the engineering role incorrectly. Then you doubled down several times then finally tried to play it off like you understood this the whole time and I was just being “nitpicky” so we’re even or something.
I already said this