Audio for headphones, via Apple lightning adaptor, stopped working on IPhone 13 and 13 Pro after updating to 26.1 and 26.2.

I personally don’t have this issue, but from what I’ve seen this looks like an iOS 26 bug related to Lightning audio.

Several users report that iOS sometimes fails to properly recognize the Lightning adapter and forces audio to the speaker only.

It seems software-related rather than a hardware problem, so a future iOS update should fix it.

It's not always the iOS update's fault!  Many things can cause phone problems.  If you tell people you think it's an iOS update, it might make it harder to fix or find a solution for the real issue.

Remember, the right question often leads to the solution!

Was/Is your device Jailbroken? If that's the situation, please be informed that attributing the issues to iOS updates may not be accurate.

iOS updates aim to enhance user experience, boost security, and fix bugs rather than disrupt core features. The majority of the issues after updates might stem from underlying, unmentioned factors. Updates won't typically alter personal data but may refine settings or features. Backup before major updates for safety. Review Apple's update details and backup advice for a smooth process.

Kindly consider checking your settings and addressing any device issues before attributing the issue to external factors. This could be a pure coincidence that the iOS update affected the iPhone functions.

Before initiating a standard iOS update, it's advisable to create a backup. Have you completed this step? If yes, proceed with the restoration from the backup.

See what each update does: OS — iOS 26, About iOS 18 Updates, About iOS 17 Updates, About iOS 16 Updates, About iOS 15 Updates, About iOS 14 Updates, About iOS 13 Updates, About iOS 12 Updates, and so on...

Search for accessories that have completed MFi certification. Once an accessory has completed MFi certification requirements and is reported to Apple as sold/distributed, it will be searchable in our public database of authorized Lightning, headset, charging, iAP-enabled, and Find My network-enabled accessories.

hiveredtech wrote:

This has to be a sofware problem from Apple. How in the world does such a massive mistake slip through Apple QA? What is the time line on a fix for this?

It is unlikely that it is a software problem. It's more likely that there is a problem with the adapters or the headphones. Those adapters, especially if they are inexpensive ones, tend to go bad. Personally, I'd recommend that you buy headphones that are intended to plug into the Lightning port. Or Bluetooth headphones.

hiveredtech wrote:

I am a tech savvy person….and I work in tech space….this is 100% a problem with IOS 26.1 and 26.2. Poor QA procedures by Apple lead to these things.

If you believe you already know the answer, I'm not sure why you're posting here. This is a tech support forum. If what you want to do is complain to Apple, you're wasting your time because Apple doesn't read here for feedback or suggestions.

You can let them know your thoughts here:

Product Feedback - Apple