AirPods Max won’t connect or reset

[AeroBar]

I have been having connection problems for several weeks. Then last week after a couple hours of use where they worked fine and when I tried to use them they would not connect to either iPhone or AppleTV.

Neither device could find them.

I tried a factory reset but after 15 seconds there is only a flashing orange light, no white light.

I left them idle and out of the case for nearly two days and they suddenly connected again. And worked.

Then the other day it all happed again - exactly the same except leaving them idle doesn’t fix it this time. I have tried leaving them idle out of the car (this work the week before) for over a day, in the case, charging, etc

Before posting the white light was blinking and the Max appeared on my list of devices but they couldn’t connect.

The warranty is expired - all problems started happening just a few days after.

Apple support just tells me to send them in but I have read that other people did that and they just received replacements as there didn’t seem to be a fix. This won’t be available to me obviously.

Can anyone suggest something else to try?

 

[residentgalah]

Did you have any luck with this? Mine are now suddenly doing much the same thing.

 

[AeroBar]

Did you have any luck with this? Mine are now suddenly doing much the same thing.

No, afraid not. Since none of the trouble shooting steps worked Apple just wanted me to send them back for them to look at.

From other forums I have read people who sent them in just got replacements which wasn’t an option for me as my AppleCare had expired.

I bought another pair of AirPods Max during Christmas as no headphone comes close and I figured I can’t be so unlucky that I’d buy two bad ones.

Been working fine except on a couple of occasions in last two weeks where I had them connected and then on the screen was the “connect nearby AirPods” option and once they disconnected themselves from my AppleTV. I had been very tired from work at those times though so I can’t say for sure what I saw.

 

[ppetrovic]

I've been having the exact same issue, started around the last batch of firmware updates, so I suppose it's something to do with that. I see Apple has issued another firmware update a few days ago, but somehow my Max won't update to that version, so right now, the culprit seems to be the second last firmware update from what I am able to derive.

Factory reset makes them connect fine first time I put them on, but they fail again on subsequent retries. I'm not sure there's a way to force a firmware update somehow, but I'm pretty sure that would resolve the issue. I'll keep digging.

 

[uczcret]

Same thing happened to my APM about a month ago. They were working just fine one night. Next day I couldn't get them to connect to my iPhone or MBP. I did a factory reset 100 times, tried all troubleshooting steps I could but nothing worked. I took them to the Apple Store to have them looked at and they ended up replacing them (apologies @AeroBar I know that's not helping much, just thought I'd share how the issue was resolved on mine).

 

[uczcret]

I'm not sure there's a way to force a firmware update somehow, but I'm pretty sure that would resolve the issue. I'll keep digging.

Apparently, Apple stores have an AirPods Firmware Updater tool: https://www.macrumors.com/2021/12/10/apple-airpods-firmware-updater-tool/

I thought the same thing- a firmware update (5E133) came out a few days after the connection issue appeared. My APM were on the previous firmware version and I thought the update would solve the issue. I took them to the Apple store and asked them to update the firmware manually. They ended up taking them in for repair and replaced the headband and both cups...

 

[ppetrovic]

That's an interesting insight, thanks. For what it's worth, the issues with my pair of Max started right after the second last firmware update.

I'd take them for replacement, but there's no Apple Store where I live, the nearest one is in a neighboring country, and my warranty has expired anyway. I'll see if an Authorized Reseller can do something if I don't manage to fix it myself.

 

[uczcret]

I'd take them for replacement, but there's no Apple Store where I live, the nearest one is in a neighboring country, and my warranty has expired anyway. I'll see if an Authorized Reseller can do something if I don't manage to fix it myself.

Do you live in the EU/UK by any chance? 2 year consumer warranty applies here, that's how I got mine repaired (lucky I took them in 2 weeks before the 2 year consumer law warranty expired!)

And yes, an Apple Authorised Premium Service Provider should be able to take them in for repair/replacement.

 

[ppetrovic]

Do you live in the EU/UK by any chance? 2 year consumer warranty applies here, that's how I got mine repaired

Not quite EU/UK but close enough - Serbia. We have 2 year consumer warranty over here as well, but it expired for my pair of headphones a couple of months ago.

I very much prefer to fix my own tech whenever I can, so taking them to an Authorized Service Provider is my last resort. I'll have some more free time over the weekend so I'll tinker with all the nitty gritty details before I make any definite conclusions.

 

[AeroBar]

I've been having the exact same issue, started around the last batch of firmware updates, so I suppose it's something to do with that. I see Apple has issued another firmware update a few days ago, but somehow my Max won't update to that version, so right now, the culprit seems to be the second last firmware update from what I am able to derive.

Factory reset makes them connect fine first time I put them on, but they fail again on subsequent retries. I'm not sure there's a way to force a firmware update somehow, but I'm pretty sure that would resolve the issue. I'll keep digging.

I think there is a way to force the firmware. I’m pretty sure that is what Apple Support had me when I started having the problems with my first AirPods Max.

I forgot about the firmware myself - I must check it.

This morning I took them out of the case and the connection notification was on the screen and the connection tone had also played but almost immediately the “connect nearby AirPods” message appeared. I tapped the remote and the tone sounded again but I can’t remember if the connection notification appeared. I probably shouldn’t have just waited to see if the nearby message would go away itself .

 

[AeroBar]

Same thing happened to my APM about a month ago. They were working just fine one night. Next day I couldn't get them to connect to my iPhone or MBP. I did a factory reset 100 times, tried all troubleshooting steps I could but nothing worked. I took them to the Apple Store to have them looked at and they ended up replacing them (apologies @AeroBar I know that's not helping much, just thought I'd share how the issue was resolved on mine).

No need to apologise. It seems to be the only actual fix and if there was an Apple Store near me I would have done it myself last year.

So yours just failed that day and didn’t work again? When it happened to me it was intermittent at first, and gradually became more frequent over two or three months and then failed altogether just before Christmas.

 

[AeroBar]

Do you live in the EU/UK by any chance? 2 year consumer warranty applies here, that's how I got mine repaired (lucky I took them in 2 weeks before the 2 year consumer law warranty expired!)

And yes, an Apple Authorised Premium Service Provider should be able to take them in for repair/replacement.

I have been meaning to investigate whether the consumer warranty here would get me a refund or replacement for my first pair.

 

[AeroBar]

Not quite EU/UK but close enough - Serbia. We have 2 year consumer warranty over here as well, but it expired for my pair of headphones a couple of months ago.

I very much prefer to fix my own tech whenever I can, so taking them to an Authorized Service Provider is my last resort. I'll have some more free time over the weekend so I'll tinker with all the nitty gritty details before I make any definite conclusions.

I’m just now remembering that early on one of the trouble shooting tips was to clean the ear detection sensors on both cups. One of them was quite dirty somehow but cleaning them did fix the connection problem for a while.

I never understood that though - was it some strange coincidence that cleaning fixed a problem while the prop Ken was also being caused by other issues.

 

[AeroBar]

Did you have any luck with this? Mine are now suddenly doing much the same thing.

See the previous post about cleaning the ear detection sensors.

I can’t believe I forgot to suggest it to you earlier.

 

[ppetrovic]

Huh, I didn’t even know ear detection sensors are a thing. Will keep that in mind from now on, thanks!

Anyway, this morning, I tried to pair them, but they were on 1% battery, which suggests something was draining it like crazy (they got a full charge a day earlier although I couldn’t use them), so I charged them to 100%, did a reset (ordinary one, not a hard reset) and they started pairing again just fine.

I’m not sure at what point firmware got updated to the latest version (5E135), but they did, so I guess they’re good now. I still can’t be 100% sure, but it looks like the 5E133 had some bugs in them, especially given that 5E135 got released so soon after 5E133, but given the complete lack of details from Apple’s side, we’ll probably never know all the background details.

Anyway, my pair is fixed and working fine again, at least for the time being, the crisis has been averted, no need to deal with Authorized Service Providers.

 

[residentgalah]

Thanks for the responses. I read your (AeroBar) initial response about having no luck and then didn’t login here again till now, but I just came back on to say that I’ve “solved” my issue - at least for the time being.

Doing a few Reddit deep dives brought me to the conclusion that it was worth popping off the headband and cleaning the contacts on it because corrosion can be a prime cause of the issue I was having (suddenly dead, not charging past 1% according to software but showing green on the headphones themselves, being unable to do a full reset - getting three amber flashes but not getting to a white light). Apparently this would void the warranty but I’ve had mine for two years and am well out of that, so I thought I’d give it a go.

You do this by taking the ear cushions off and using a SIM card removal tool to push in the little hole on each side.

With this done, I could see that there was clearly a small amount of corrosion evident on one of the contacts on the detached band. Confirmed this when I scratched at it with my fingernail and it came away with a bit of green.

I read someone on Reddit cleaned theirs with a bit of sandpaper - I would not recommend that! Instead I got some of my wife’s acetone and used a cotton bud to clean the connectors, on both sides of each end, whether corrosion was visible or not.

Then I gave it a bit of a wipe with a tissue, popped it back together again and it did a factory reset straight away. I’m using them now and they’re back from the dead. Everything is working normally.

There’s a lot of speculation online that this is related to the “condensation issue”, whereby moisture - whether overtly visible or not - can build up inside the cups with use, especially if you’re somewhere humid (I’m in one of the cooler parts of Australia, which might explain why this might be an issue but also why it might have skipped me for the just over two years I’ve had them so far).

People have suggested that a useful preventative is to place a small amount of electrical tape over the holes you use the SIM tool in to pop off the band, speculating that in time the moisture can work its way up through there and cause the corrosion. I’m not sure if that works but I’ve definitely decided to try it given recent events.

I hope this helps someone who finds themselves searching for answers when faced with the same/similar issues just outside of AppleCare warranty.

 

[AeroBar]

Thanks for the responses. I read your (AeroBar) initial response about having no luck and then didn’t login here again till now, but I just came back on to say that I’ve “solved” my issue - at least for the time being.

Doing a few Reddit deep dives brought me to the conclusion that it was worth popping off the headband and cleaning the contacts on it because corrosion can be a prime cause of the issue I was having (suddenly dead, not charging past 1% according to software but showing green on the headphones themselves, being unable to do a full reset - getting three amber flashes but not getting to a white light). Apparently this would void the warranty but I’ve had mine for two years and am well out of that, so I thought I’d give it a go.

You do this by taking the ear cushions off and using a SIM card removal tool to push in the little hole on each side.

With this done, I could see that there was clearly a small amount of corrosion evident on one of the contacts on the detached band. Confirmed this when I scratched at it with my fingernail and it came away with a bit of green.

I read someone on Reddit cleaned theirs with a bit of sandpaper - I would not recommend that! Instead I got some of my wife’s acetone and used a cotton bud to clean the connectors, on both sides of each end, whether corrosion was visible or not.

Then I gave it a bit of a wipe with a tissue, popped it back together again and it did a factory reset straight away. I’m using them now and they’re back from the dead. Everything is working normally.

There’s a lot of speculation online that this is related to the “condensation issue”, whereby moisture - whether overtly visible or not - can build up inside the cups with use, especially if you’re somewhere humid (I’m in one of the cooler parts of Australia, which might explain why this might be an issue but also why it might have skipped me for the just over two years I’ve had them so far).

People have suggested that a useful preventative is to place a small amount of electrical tape over the holes you use the SIM tool in to pop off the band, speculating that in time the moisture can work its way up through there and cause the corrosion. I’m not sure if that works but I’ve definitely decided to try it given recent events.

I hope this helps someone who finds themselves searching for answers when faced with the same/similar issues just outside of AppleCare warranty.

I will give that headband cleaning a try on my old pair of AirPods Max although maybe I have left it too long.

Does it come apart and go back together easy?

 

[residentgalah]

I will give that headband cleaning a try on my old pair of AirPods Max although maybe I have left it too long.

Does it come apart and go back together easy?

They come apart and go back together easily, but there’s a slight trick to getting them to click back in - you sort of push it in and turn it till it clicks. There’s a few videos on YouTube about taking them apart and putting them together which are probably worth looking at before you do it, but it’s easy to do.

Three weeks on and mine are still working perfectly, so I’d absolutely recommend it as worth a try. I think putting the tape over the holes was also a good idea. Good luck!

 

[AeroBar]

They come apart and go back together easily, but there’s a slight trick to getting them to click back in - you sort of push it in and turn it till it clicks. There’s a few videos on YouTube about taking them apart and putting them together which are probably worth looking at before you do it, but it’s easy to do.

Three weeks on and mine are still working perfectly, so I’d absolutely recommend it as worth a try. I think putting the tape over the holes was also a good idea. Good luck!

What holes?

 

[arw]

What holes?

The holes you insert the SIM ejector into to detach the headband.
In hope that it prevents additional moisture from getting into the interior.

 

[residentgalah]

What holes?

These:

People have suggested that a useful preventative is to place a small amount of electrical tape over the holes you use the SIM tool in to pop off the band, speculating that in time the moisture can work its way up through there and cause the corrosion. I’m not sure if that works but I’ve definitely decided to try it given recent events.

 

[ZeChild]

Just been hit with this issue no matter what I try they’re just refusing to go into pairing mode tried taking the headband off and cleaning the contacts but no joy just out a Genius Bar appointment and they even got the techs there to look at them but no joy so 2 options now I’m in the Uk so try and get the retailer I bought them from to sort it out or failing that pay Apple £270 to get them serviced they said if it was within 2 years they could look to cover the cost but they stopped working 2 years 1 month and 5 days after I bought them 😭😭😭

 

[bbednarz]

do people ever experience this happening and then clearing itself up a few hours later? a few days ago mine seemed to be having this issue (bought them just about a month ago). nothing was working, noise cancellation, music, nothing. fairly positive they had like 75% battery left. a few hours later I tried again and they were fine.

 

[AeroBar]

do people ever experience this happening and then clearing itself up a few hours later? a few days ago mine seemed to be having this issue (bought them just about a month ago). nothing was working, noise cancellation, music, nothing. fairly positive they had like 75% battery left. a few hours later I tried again and they were fine.

That sounds familiar - I think I read it on a forum like this when the issue was happening to me.

 

[Etienooo]

Just been hit with this issue no matter what I try they’re just refusing to go into pairing mode tried taking the headband off and cleaning the contacts but no joy just out a Genius Bar appointment and they even got the techs there to look at them but no joy so 2 options now I’m in the Uk so try and get the retailer I bought them from to sort it out or failing that pay Apple £270 to get them serviced they said if it was within 2 years they could look to cover the cost but they stopped working 2 years 1 month and 5 days after I bought them 😭😭😭

Exact same thing for me. First issue happened 9 days after end of warranty 🫠
Since then I managed to reconnect it once but now it has stopped working for a week.
Apple also asked for a bit above 300€.
I’m going to try the hidden defect warranty with my seller but if they are not cooperative I’d have to go to court over that which is a bit ridiculous.
Apple can’t keep getting anyway with that, this product should never have hit market.
There are hundreds of people with dead AirPods Max on Reddit.