Some AirPods Max units have a major bug making them very hard to use
According to complaints posted on the Apple Support Forums (via 9to5Mac), the over-ear AirPods Max has a nasty bug that rapidly drains the battery. For example, check out this post written by an AirPods Max user with the handle of MrFling. He wrote, "Can anyone explain why when I put my AirPods Max back in their case at 60% battery life and the next morning they we're at 1% battery life? This has happened to me multiple times with the magnetic flap closed. So I know I'm putting them in the case correctly. Feels like this needs to be a software fix. Apple please give us the ability to turn these headphones off."
Apple AirPods Max suffers from battery drain
A Community Specialist responded by saying how the charging case should work. He said, "It sounds like when you put your AirPods Max in to the case at night the battery is drained by morning. When your AirPods Max are in the case, they should be going in to a low power mode and not draining much battery." He also included two links from Apple's website; one explained the process of charging the batteries while the other explained how to get in touch with Apple.
AirPods Max carrying case is supposed to charge the wearable's battery, not drain them
The original complaints were posted in December and they continue through January. One AirPods Max owner has been putting the headphones to bed at 90% each night; after a night in the charging case they are down to 0% each morning. Many of the posters are asking Apple to push out a software update and others point out that at $549 such a bug should never have existed in the first place. At least one Community Post mentioned both in one missive: "Yup, same exact problem here. I fully charge my Airpods Max, place them carefully in the Apple case (which is supposed to put them in "low power mode"), and then when I go to use them a few hours later or the next day, they make the "death sound" indicating the battery is low and I see the battery has dropped down to 1%. Not the behavior I expect in a $549 pair of headphones...Apple, you have a serious bug here, exacerbated by the fact that you refused to include a simple physical on/off button on a $549 pair of headphones. I see dozens of other customers complaining about the same exact issue on the MacRumors forums, so this seems to be a common problem. Hopefully it can be fixed in a firmware update."
The AirPods Max includes some of the features found on the AirPods Pro in-ear wireless Bluetooth ear buds. These features include Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and the Transparency mode. The former blocks ambient or outside noises from being heard by the user. However, there are times when it is important for the user to be able to hear what is going on around him. For example, a user sitting in the airport waiting to hear that his flight is boarding might want Transparency mode enabled; this feature allows ambient and background noises to be heard by the AirPods Max wearer.
Some are stating that the bug isn't a problem if the AirPods Max is used only with an iPhone. The battery draining problem appears to take place if the wearable is connected to an Apple TV or a non-Apple device. It should be noted that the headphones do not have a power switch and users are supposed to place the accessory into the carrying case to initiate low-power mode.
Those experiencing the battery draining problem can try one of the following workarounds which have worked for some:
- Force restart the AirPods Max. To do this, press the Digital Crown along with the noise control button until you see an orange status light appear.
- Perform a factory reset by doing the above action until the status light turns white.
- Using the Bluetooth settings on your device, disconnect the AirPods Max connection.
- Disable automatic switching using the settings on your device.
- Use the AirPods Max with only one device.
Hopefully, Apple will soon release a software update to exterminate this bug.
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