Update April 3: Apple has issued new firmware 7E101 for the AirPods Max.
When iOS 18.4 arrived earlier this week, AirPods Max users were likely the quickest to update after Apple announced last week that a new AirPods Max firmware update released at the same time would bring lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio to AirPods Max for the first time via the bundled USB-C cable.
However, if you look at your AirPods Max firmware in Settings, you’ll probably still see the old firmware that doesn’t let you listen with a USB-C cable. That’s because Apple pulled the update after just 24 hours. The support document listing the firmware version (7E99) now says “coming soon.”
According to @aaron613 on X, the update is “broken.” He adds that the firmware itself is “still available” but “iOS/macOS can’t see it due to a bug.” There’s no actual way to force a firmware update on AirPods so it can be hard to tell when new firmware is installed or even available. To update your AirPods Max, you need to connect the charger and keep them in Bluetooth range of your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and wait at least 30 minutes.
The update, announced on March 24, will allow 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio and let AirPods Max users “enjoy the highest-quality audio across music, movies, and games, while music creators can experience significant enhancements to songwriting, beat making, production, and mixing.” Apple says AirPods Max will be the only headphones to support creating and mixing in Personalized Spatial Audio with head tracking.
It’s worth noting that this firmware update only applies to the newer USB-C version. The Lighting version is still on version 6F25.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor, Macworld
Michael Simon has been covering Apple for more than 20 years. He started covering rumors with Spymac when the iPod was the iWalk, and has owned nearly every iPhone Apple has ever made. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, son, and far too many gadgets.