With the first wave of AirPods Max orders now arriving into the hands of customers, as always there are bound to be a few hiccups encountered when trying to connect and use the over-ear headphones with different devices for the first time.

airpods max pairing
If you're experiencing issues, the first thing you should do before anything else is reset the headphones and see if that resolves the problem. If that doesn't work, or if you've decided to return the headphones, you can reset them to factory settings and unpair them from your iCloud account.

How to Reset AirPods Max

  1. Before you reset your ‌AirPods Max‌, make sure they have some charge by plugging them into a charging point via the supplied USB-C to Lightning Cable.
  2. Press and hold the Noise Control button and the Digital Crown until the LED status light at the bottom of the right-hand earcup flashes amber.

If that doesn't solve your problem, you can reset the ‌AirPods Max‌ to factory settings. If you go down that route to return the headphones to Apple, remember to unpair them from your ‌iCloud‌ account.

airpods max digital crown

How to Reset AirPods Max to Factory Settings

  1. Make sure the headphones have some charge by plugging them into a charging point via the supplied USB-C to Lightning Cable.
  2. Press and hold the Noise Control button and the Digital Crown for 15 seconds, until the LED status light at the bottom of the right-hand earcup flashes amber, then white.

If neither of these options work to resolve your particular problem, contact Apple Support.

There are a couple of other notable customization options with the ‌AirPods Max‌ that are worth knowing about. You can reverse the direction of the Digital Crown volume controls, and also customize the mode selection of the Noise Control button.

Related Roundup: AirPods Max
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Max (Buy Now)
Related Forum: AirPods

Top Rated Comments

RPhoto Avatar
57 months ago

Wait - so you can remove them from your iCloud account (removing activation lock) just by pressing the buttons on the headset, without entering your iCloud password at any point? That's not great for something that costs £550!
No, I think it's just been worded badly/confusingly.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Franjelisco Avatar
57 months ago

Wait - so you can remove them from your iCloud account (removing activation lock) just by pressing the buttons on the headset, without entering your iCloud password at any point? That's not great for something that costs £550!
There is no activation lock in Airpods. You can use stolen Airpods just fine.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mazz0 Avatar
57 months ago

No, I think it's just been worded badly/confusingly.
Yeah, looks like its been edited. Phew, that would have made them a thief magnet! Mind you, the case might
make thieves too embarrassed to be seen with them. People might think the thief's stolen somebody's bra which I think has a substantially harsher punishment.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
top stories 2025 04 19

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, CarPlay Bug Fix, and More

Saturday April 19, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
This week saw rumor updates on the iPhone 17 Pro and next-generation Vision Pro, while a minor iOS 18.4.1 update delivered not just security fixes but also a fix for some CarPlay issues. We also looked ahead at what else is in Apple's pipeline for the rest of 2025 and even the 20th-anniversary iPhone coming in 2027, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more! iPhone 17 ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...