I just got a new Ipod Touch Generation 4. When I plug in the earphones (sent with the unit) they won't stay in far enough to work unless I hold them in. I tried other earphones and got the same result.

Marclla, Check the attached links,instruction and guides to get IPOD up and running, Good luck.
I hope this helped you out, if so let me know by pressing the helpful button. Check out some of my other posts if you need more tips and info.

My iPod Touch 5th generation won turn on

If your iPhone iPad or iPod touch doesn respond or won turn on

Fix iPod won turn on problem Quick Fix

http://ccm.net/forum/affich-786664-5th-generation-ipod-won-t-turn-on

Could be something simple, like a bad cable.

Some devices such as yours have a 4 conductor jack, (used for earphones and microphone) and most earphones have a 3 conductor plug. They are not compatible. This would be my first guess. Second is earphones and earbuds get tossed around, put into pockets, etc. The cords can get damaged, and not be visible from the outside as the wires inside are very delicate. I would try a set that works in a different device.

Is there a switch on the headphones , maybe you turned it off . If not you might need to buy new ones.

The issue is that the 4th Generation iPod takes far more energy to run than your 4gb iPod. Updating the firmware has nothing to do with it. It's the amount of energy/voltage that this new 8Gig unit takes to run.
Think of it as a 4 cylinder verses an 8 cylinder engine. The 8 takes far more gas to run.
Blessings,
A/V Media Guy

the connector may have come loose from the player board, you could try opening it and replacing/resoldering the port, but it would be best if you just sent it back for repair.

As far as I know, the sound quality coming out of the ipod is not so great to begin with. I have an iPod touch, and the speaker I have right now was only $12.59 and the sound quality is great. plus I have my headphones from UxSight. They are amazing. Here is the link: iPod speakers

Add Alpine's optional "Full Speed" connection cable and you'll be able to use the CDE-9872 to control your iPod. -Crutchfields website

This is compatible with first and second generation iPods touch.
fyi- if you have a mini-stereo aux in jack on the deck you can connect a ipod touch compatible mini stereo cable to the earphone jack of your ipod.

Hello serafineb,

The Alpine Full Speed cable for the iPod supports the following versions:

Fourth generation iPod
Fifth generation iPod
iPod photo
iPod mini
iPod nano

According to their website it does not appear that Alpine currently has a cable for the iPod touch. They do, however, make a "generic" cable for most MP3 players that connects directly to the earphone jack. Although this would not allow you to control the iPod from your stereo's head unit, you should be able to connect the iPod touch via this cable to play music through your car stereo.

More information about the "generic" cable can be found here.

Best Regards,
Ken
"Go Ahead. Use Us."

Try resetting the ipod, this usually works. As follows: How to reset iPod To reset an iPod with a Click Wheel, including: iPod nano (3rd generation) iPod classic iPod (5th generation) iPod nano (2nd generation) iPod nano iPod with color display (iPod photo) iPod (Click Wheel) iPod mini iPod mini (2nd generation) Toggle the Hold switch on and off. (Slide it to Hold, then turn it off again.) Press and hold the Menu and Center (Select) buttons simultaneously until the Apple logo appears, about 6 to 8 seconds. You may need to repeat this step. Tip: If you are having difficulty resetting your iPod, set it on a flat surface. Make sure the finger pressing the Select button is not touching any part of the click wheel. Also make sure that you are pressing the Menu button toward the outside of the click wheel, and not near the center. If the above steps did not work, try connecting iPod to a power adapter and plug the power adapter into an electrical outlet, or connect iPod to your computer. Make sure the computer is turned on and isn't set to go to sleep. To reset iPod, iPod (scroll wheel), iPod (touch wheel), and iPod (dock connector) Toggle the Hold switch on and off. (Slide it to Hold, then turn it off again.) Press and hold the Play/Pause and Menu buttons simultaneously until the Apple/iPod logo appears, about 6 to 8 seconds. You may need to repeat this step. If the above steps did not work, try connecting iPod to a power adapter and plug the power adapter into an electrical outlet, or connect iPod to your computer. Make sure the computer is turned on and isn't set to go to sleep. If you are still unable to reset your iPod, use only one finger from one hand to press the Center (Select) button, and one finger from the other hand to press the Menu button. When you reset iPod all your music and files are saved, but some customized settings may be lost. Date and time is preserved (unless the iPod reset itself because it had no power and then was reconnected to power). Other customized settings, such as Bookmarks, On-The-Go Playlists, Shuffle, Backlight timer, and so forth are preserved from the last time the hard drive turned on. Good luck, and I hope this helps.