Macbook issue when connecting to wired headphones

robinchen46 wrote:

I’ve been dealing with a recurring issue for about six months, ever since I got my MacBook Pro M4. Every time I plug in my wired earphones and let the Mac go into sleep mode, the earphones stop working properly when I wake it up. The system no longer recognizes the headphones, and the only way to restore sound output is to reboot the computer.

This happens consistently even if the Mac has only been asleep for a few minutes, which makes the issue EXTREMELY frustrating for daily use.

When I searched online a few months ago, I found reports suggesting this is a macOS software problem affecting Apple Silicon models. Has there been any update or fix released for this issue yet?

Hmmm....

You can look at the Audio MIDI Setup.app and see if allows you to select your "wired headphones" without rebooting.

verify your software is up to date—

The current stable release of Tahoe including bug fixes, security updates is macOS 26.0.1

Keep your Mac up to date - Apple Support

Keep your Mac up to date - Apple Support

To be proactive you can file a bug report / submit your Apple Feedback here: Product Feedback - Apple

Audio MIDI setup is pre-installed in the /Applications/Utilities folder: