How do I get my 3 button controller on Wired Headphones to work/get enabled in Android 12?

I have just acquired a **Lenovo M9 tablet** running **Android 12**. It has a **3.5 mm** port for audio output. All my **wired headphones** of various brands that have worked on all my previous Android devices, do not work with this tablet. I can get Audio out but I **cannot use the volume+/-, PLAY/PAUSE hard buttons** on my headphones. They don't work at all. Bluetooth headphones work OK. My main reason for using wired headphones is so I can doze off and my ears don't have something sealing them, and I have a hand disability so find it hard enough to find my ear let alone trying to tap a sequence out. I can operate a controller though. Lenovo couldn't help me but somewhere in the Android O/S **there must be an option to enable external device to take over controls using wired 'phones?** Or, does it require the port to be of a particular type? My workaround has been to use the Accessibility Shortcut to have a menu at side of screen to tap on, then I can use volume up/down but I still have to go to the notification shade to play/pause media. And that is still delayed with my awful dexterity. I also searched for both the Headset Droid and Headset Controller Button apps which were both recommended on this forum 3 yrs ago but neither of those apps appear in Google's Play Store. I do feel this could be remedied with correct drivers, but not a clue how to do that. I would be most grateful if someone could give me a fix to enable a hard controller. Or even a way to get play/pause/volume in an accessible but discrete floating button on-screen would help. I've tried loads of apps that just weren't that easy to use. Sorry, I can't remember which I used, they were all called volume control with no play or pause . Thanks :)