Found yourself in a situation where earphones are not working on your iPhone 14 Pro Max? Problems with the earphones on iPhones aren’t as uncommon as you may think. It happens to many users and can be extremely frustrating, especially for those who regularly listen to music and so on. In this article, I’ll explain what to do if headphones are not working on your iPhone 14 Pro Max. Without any further ado, let’s get started.
Note: information in this article apply to iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
1. Try Other Headphones
The first step when you find headphones not working on your iPhone 14 Pro Max is an obvious one. It’s quite possible that your headphones are broken. The easiest way to do this is to get another set of headphones—ones that you already know work properly—and plug them into your iPhone 14 Pro Max. If you can hear audio when using your earphones with your iPhone 14 Pro Max, you’ve found the source of the problem. Just purchased a new pair of EarPods, and you’re good to go. If they’re not working with your iPhone, something else is to blame. It’s time to try out one of the other fixes listed below.
If the problems still happen even with new headphones, confirm that the headphones work on another iOS device and then move on to the next step.
2. Check Your AirPlay Output
One reason that you might not hear audio through your headphones is that your iPhone 14 Pro Max is sending the audio to another output. The iPhone is supposed to automatically recognize when headphones are plugged in and switch audio to them, but it’s possible that hasn’t happened in your case. One potential cause is that audio is being sent to an AirPlay-compatible speaker or AirPods. To check for that:
- Swipe up from the top right of the iPhone’s screen to bring up Control Center.
- Tap the AirPlay button in the top right of Control Center to reveal all available output sources.
- Tap Headphones (or iPhone, whichever option is present).
- Tap the screen to dismiss Control Center.
With those settings changed, your iPhone’s audio is now being sent to the headphones or the iPhone’s built-in speakers. If that doesn’t solve the problem, check the next solution.
3. Check to see if your iPhone is connected to a different device via Bluetooth
If your iPhone is paired with wireless headphones, a speaker, or any other device via Bluetooth, the lighting jack may be disabled. Normally, when you plug in your earphones, the iPhone should recognize them, and everything should work as intended regardless of the existing Bluetooth connection. However, this isn’t necessarily always the case.
It’s a quick and easy fix, as all you have to do is start the settings app on your iPhone, find the Bluetooth option, and check to see if it’s on. In that case, the iPhone is likely paired with one of the other devices you have in your house. If that’s the problem, turn it off, plug in your earphones, and see if that solves it. If they still don’t work, you should move on to the next solution on this list.
4. Clean the Lighting Port
As you can imagine, dust, as well as lint, can accumulate on the lightning port over time. This might cause the problem, as the dirt can actually block the connection between the earphones and the lightning jack.
The first thing you should do if you are experiencing the problem of iPhone 14 Pro Max earphones not working is to look into the lightning port to see just how dirty it really is. A flashlight might come in handy for this. The next step is to try and clean it and hope that that solves the issue. There are a lot of different ways to do this, some of which work better than others. One option is to blow into the lightning port, which should take care of at least some of the dust and lint found inside. You can also use a can of compressed air if you have one nearby.
A great option is to use a cotton swab. Push it into the port and swirl it around a little bit to get the dust and lint out. Be very careful when you do this, as the last thing you want to do is to damage your iPhone further. You can also damp the cotton swab with rubbing alcohol but make sure you don’t use too much of it.
After you’re done, look into the lightning port again to see just how much dust and lint you were able to get out. If things look better, plug in your earphones to check if your issue is fixed.
5. Check audio settings
There’s also a chance the problem isn’t with the earphones you’re using but has to do with the iPhone’s audio settings. If this is the case, you’ll be able to sort it out in no time. Just start the settings app on your iPhone and check the volume level and any other settings that might mute the sound.
Thankfully, there aren’t many settings like these on an iPhone, so you should find the problem more or less right away. If there is one, that is.
6. Restart the iPhone
If everything seems to be in order, but you are still facing the problem of iPhone 14 Pro Max earphones not working, there’s another simple fix you can try, which is restarting your phone. This can sometimes solve a ton of different iPhone-related problems and takes less than a minute to do. Just press and hold the Side button and either of the volume buttons, wait for the device to turn off completely, and then power your iPhone back on. Now check to see if the problem persists.
7. iPhone 14 Pro Max earphones not working maybe a hardware issue?
If you find your iPhone 14 Pro Max earphones not working after trying the fixes discussed above, your lightening port is probably broken and needs to be repaired. If your iPhone is still under warranty, the best thing to do is contact the seller or Apple. Please explain the problem to the company, and send it in for repair or replacement. This can take quite some time in some cases, but at least it’s free.
In case the warranty has expired, you do have phone insurance. Just make a claim with your provider.
The third solution is definitely the worst one. You may have to get your iPhone repaired by Apple or an Apple certified technician. You’ll have to open up your wallet and pay up to get it fixed, but at least you’ll be able to use the earphones again. Otherwise, you could opt for a pair of wireless Bluetooth headphones, which will also solve the problem. Well, sort of.
These are some of the fixes that we hope will help you resolve iPhone 14 Pro Max earphones not working issue. If you think we have missed any, do let us know in the comments. Also, feel free to share which of the solutions listed above — if any — worked best for you.