Many external microphones that are used with DSLR or mirrorless cameras connect with a TRS cable. One end goes into the microphone and the other end goes into the camera’s microphone jack.

However, smartphones do not have a separate microphone jack. The external mic usually connects to the headphone jack. Because of this, if you plug the same TRS cable you use with your camera into a phone, you won’t get audio.

Instead, you will need a TRS to TRRS cable. The TRS side — which has two rings on the plug — plugs into the microphone jack like normal. The TRRS side features a third ring on the plug for the microphone channel. When you plug this into your phone, you will see audio showing up.

Using a compact external mic for smartphones can provide superior audio recording quality, so I recommend choosing this option over AirPods or the phone’s built-in microphone. Be aware that you may have to unplug the TRRS cable to hear audio playback from your phone since the phone assumes headphones are plugged into the headphone jack.

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Andy Ford is a Florida-based digital strategist and video producer with over 20 years of experience. His career has spanned the sports, news, corporate, and healthcare environments. He is an Adobe Certified Professional in Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Video Design. Andy enjoys creating tutorials on industry software, is an author for CreativeCOW, and also instructs on digital marketing strategy. In his spare time, Andy enjoys traveling, cooking, and nature photography.

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