Used hairdryer on iPhone 14 Pro Max after hot shower to avoid steam damage. Speaker volume is okay, but slight audio distortion/crackling exists. Unsure if there's actual damage or just paranoia. How to confirm? Feeling crazy.

iPhone is water resistant and should be left to air dry in the event it gets wet. After being wet, in some cases you may notice temporary poor audio quality until the water evaporates. Hot air can damage the components depending on the situation. I would have the device looked at to see if damage was done. iPhone Repair & Service - Apple Support

Have your iPhone checked by starting here.

iPhone Repair & Service - Apple Support

Water in speakers can cause a rattling sound, this is caused by the vibration of the speakers. Also, a muted sound can be caused by water being denser than air, causing the sound to not be as loud.

I would recommend deeply cleaning your iPhone or letting it dry in normal air. It is proven that letting your phone naturally cool is better than alternative methods like rice, fanning it, or towels.

Also, the iPhone 14 is water resistant up to 6 meters for 30 minutes, I highly doubt the steam would be causing issues to the internal components. If water does manage to seep into the speakers and the sound distorted for a while after, I would recommend seeing an Apple repair specialist.

iPhone Repair & Service - Apple Support

About splash, water, and dust resistance of iPhone 7 and later - Apple Support

Splash, water, and dust resistance are not permanent conditions and resistance might decrease as a result of normal wear. Liquid damage is not covered under warranty

To prevent liquid damage, avoid these:

• Swimming or bathing with your iPhone
• Exposing your iPhone to pressurized water or high velocity water, such as when showering, water skiing, wake boarding, surfing, jet skiing, and so on
• Using your iPhone in a sauna or steam room
• Intentionally submerging your iPhone in water
• Operating your iPhone outside the suggested temperature ranges or in extremely humid conditions
• Dropping your iPhone or subjecting it to other impacts
• Disassembling your iPhone, including removing screws

To dry your iPhone, tap it gently against your hand with the Lightning connector facing down to remove excess liquid. Leave your iPhone in a dry area with some airflow. Placing your iPhone in front of a fan blowing cool air directly into the Lightning connector might help the drying process.

Don't dry your iPhone using an external heat source or insert a foreign object, such as a cotton swab or a paper towel, into the Lightning connector.