Apple AirPods Max in Sky Blue finish – has the latest firmware update overcome a previous battery … [+] issue?
David Phelan
Apples gorgeous over-ear headphones, AirPods Max, have been a sell-out success ever since they went on sale last year. A new software update may have fixed the battery drain that has dogged the headphones in the last few months.
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But its the battery life which has been the most divisive aspect of the headphones. Although this started out strong, it seemed to suffer soon after a firmware update to version 3C16 was delivered. Users would go to bed with headphones fully charged and wake to find them empty even if they were placed in the smart case which turns the headphones into ultra low power mode automatically.
Apple has now released new firmware for the headphones and theres a chance it will fix the issue.
Its hard to be more emphatic than that because Apple hasnt revealed the purpose of the new update, which is numbered 3C39.
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Still, theres a decent probability, since Apple knew about the battery issues, that it will have addressed this now. Certainly, and of course this is only one persons experience, battery life has been strong and consistent since I updated the firmware.
Apple AirPods Max in silver finish.
Apple
So, how to do this? Its not like updating iOS, Im afraid.
To check if you have the latest firmware, connect your AirPods Max to your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings, then About and AirPods Max. Itll then show the firmware thats currently on board.
Then, leave your AirPods Max connected to the iPhone and check again later. Thats really all you can do, though some say if the iPhone is connected to power, that can speed things up. My headphones updated within an hour of connecting them to the iPhone, for what its worth.
If there are further issues or more details arrive from Apple, Ill report back.
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