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Not a "little known" feature, it is the feature that lets you plug your head phones into any of the 6 jacks that it looks like it fits in on the back of your computer and the little pop up says "Are those headphones you just plugged in?" you say yes and that jack is retasked as as headphone jack even though it was the subwoofer output according to the legend on the computer plate.

Its a "feature" that they have sold to a lot of manufacturers as an ease of use thing for people who are frustrated because they plugged in their headphones but get no sound.



Do you get a corresponding "Is that a speaker you just plugged in?" popup if you plug a speaker into the microphone port?

How does the computer know whether you've plugged a speaker or a mic into the port?


Microphones have a higher impedance than speakers. A moderately clever circuit can differentiate the two.


Mics have lower impedance than active speakers, which is the kind you plug into those jacks.




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