Using the RODE VideoMic Me with the iPhone 7

using the videomic me with the iphone 7
The RODE VideoMic was the perfect mic for my iPhone SE

When taking videos with the iPhone, the internal mic does a good job of recording sound.
But when you’re outside or when there’s background noise, it’s hard to maintain sound quality.
In such situations, the RODE VideoMic ME comes in handy.

It’s a directional mic so it does a decent job of keeping out the surrounding noise.
It also comes with a wind shield and so it works in windy situations too.
Most of all, it’s really small so it’s extremely convenient to carry around.
rode videomic me
Designed for the iPhone so the fitting is perfect.
rode videomic me iphone se
rode videomic me iphone se side
The headphone jack on the iPhone SE is on the opposite side of the camera so the windshield won’t get into your images or videos.

There is one problem though.
I recently changed to the iPhone 7 and it doesn’t have a headphone jack.
iphone 7 rode video mic me
RODE hasn’t released a VideoMic ME for the iPhone 7 yet, so I thought of a way to continue using the one I have!

 

Use the Lightning – 3.5 mm headphone adapter

First, I tried using the Lightning – 3.5 mm headphone adapter that came with the iPhone 7.
iphone 7 lighting adapter rode video mic me
It records sound OK.

But the length is a little short when you try to attach the Mic to the iPhone.
It works, but the cable will eventually break with continuous use so I looked for an extension cable on Amazon.

 

I got an extension cable

The cable below looked good, length wise and also from the reviews:

lovicooljp iPhone6,6 Plus compatible, smartphone headphone extension cable

This is what arrived.
headphone cable extension
Not bad.

The connection works in the following order: Mic=>Extension Cable=>Lighting adapter=>iPhone 7.
iphone 7 rode videomic me
iphone 7 rode videomic me side
It records sound OK and there’s enough slack to attach the Mic to the iPhone.

When you attach the VideoMic to the iPhone 7, it’s not as stable as when you attach it to the iPhone SE, but I can’t complain.
I can now continue using the VideoMic that I have until Rode comes out with one for the iPhone 7!

iphone7 rode videomic me

 

8 Responses to “Using the RODE VideoMic Me with the iPhone 7

  • Anonymous
    2 years ago

    I have an iphone 13 now, I was using the Videomic ME on my iPhone 6s. I have a lightning to headphone jack adapter but I cannot get any app to see the mic. Do you have to use the apple adapter or will a 3rd party one work?

    • Hi there, I don’t use the mic anymore so I can’t test it out for you. You might want to check that the adapter works with a pair of earphones with mic if you have one handy and see if you can get the that mic to work. Hope it works out for you!

  • Kristian Kostrup
    7 years ago

    …sold out. can’t find the extension cable anywhere…?

  • Casey Dashtban
    7 years ago

    Thanks man I was trying to use my iphone 7 with the mic and it wasn’t working. Now I can film with high quality audio!

    • Hey, I’m glad the article helped! Appreciate the feedback thanks!

  • This was helpful for a fixed setup on a tripod, but how does it handle filming on-the-go?

    • Very valid observation!
      If you’re just walking around with the phone in hand, it shouldn’t be a problem.
      On the other hand, if you’re running around with it, or thinking about mounting it to your bike or something, the mic will eventually fall off.
      Unfortunate indeed.

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