I'm not sure this is the problem because in my original case the butterfly is higher than in the replacement case. Both exhibited problems but the original case (in which the butterfly was higher) was the reason I contacted Gary in the first place.
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APM not waking after stored in Waterfield case
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See my message above. I'm not convinced that the positioning of the magnets is the problem. My original case--the one that initially caused me to contact Gary--has the magnets in a higher position than the replacement case Gary sent me. Both cause the same problem--the APMs intermittently failing to connect until re-plugged into power. I'm hoping that the latest firmware update has fixed the problem... time will tell.
I haven't been bothered enough by the issue to seek a replacement pair of APMs from Apple. Push come to shove, I will just store the APMs on the plush of the top half of the case far away from magnets while I am at home and then, on the rare occasions when I travel, will store them in the case with butterfly up knowing that I might have to plug them back into power briefly if I encounter a problem. Not a biggie for me but I'm not carrying my APMs outside of the house very often.
I, too, really appreciate everyone's posts with their experiences. My conclusion is that the only consistency in this whole mess is the inconsistency. And, yup, a simple power button that obviates the need for the stupid magnets in the first place is the obvious answer. C'mon AAPL, you can do it!
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So is this why the cases are backordered? Waterfield is fixing/redesigning their case?
Not likely. Gary hasn't been able to identify a cause for the issue and neither have those of us who have been working with him. Without a specific cause, how can you fix the problem? The backorders are the result of the volume of orders coming in and the fact that AFIK all of WaterField’s products are handmade, not mass-produced.
An aside: FWIW the problem just resurfaced for me, so the recent APM update didn't fix it.
Well once I get my case I guess I do the same. Mpetrides, have you stored them this way with no power plugged in, and did it work normally that way too?
So... I recently got a new bag for traveling that's smaller and won't fit my Waterfield AirPods Max case. So this week I went back to using the "bra" case that came with the headphones. I used them yesterday at my desk and at the end of the day I stuck them back into the bra case and tucked them into my new bag at about 80% charge.
Today I went to take my headphones out again (hadn't used them since yesterday) from the OEM case and I had the exact same issue that I had using the Waterfield case. My Mac saw the headphones for a moment and displayed their 78% charge. But I never heard a chime letting me know they were connected. I started pressing buttons, nothing. Only when I connected them to the power source did I see them come to life again. 78% charge as it said originally.
So weird. But it appears the case isn't the issue. Seems like the issue is actually with the AirPods Max themselves? Just thought I'd report my findings here. Super annoying. Always make sure you have a battery bank and lightning cable with you, I guess? :/
Today I went to take my headphones out again (hadn't used them since yesterday) from the OEM case and I had the exact same issue that I had using the Waterfield case. My Mac saw the headphones for a moment and displayed their 78% charge. But I never heard a chime letting me know they were connected. I started pressing buttons, nothing. Only when I connected them to the power source did I see them come to life again. 78% charge as it said originally.
So weird. But it appears the case isn't the issue. Seems like the issue is actually with the AirPods Max themselves? Just thought I'd report my findings here. Super annoying. Always make sure you have a battery bank and lightning cable with you, I guess? :/
sorry, one month late reply.
it hasn’t, though i feel my new Waterfield case have fixed the problem for me almost, I still occasionally still need to connect the charger to wake the APM
Hmmm. I just got my case a few days ago, and I haven't tried it out. I'd kind of like to ditch the "bikini case" when using the Waterfield case while on the road. Getting in and out of the Waterfield case, and the Apple case seems a bit cumbersome.
Oh my god I had no idea the Waterfield case was the main source of this problem. I've been back and forth with Apple about this and I'm so glad to see others have had the issue. Knowing its the Waterfield case is the problem makes it easier to diagnose. So I guess I just won't have the magnets facing upwards?
I’ve not had this problem for a while— any chance it was resolved with a firmware update?
Are you still seeing this recently and with updated firmware?
Yep, has happened to me for many weeks and months. I'm on the latest firmware. I also seem to have the "updated" case design, with the butterfly magnets positioned high. I bought mine on 24th of February.
Whats weird to me, is that Apple support specifically told me that after 72 hours they go into a low power state anyway and the bra case isn't necessary. 72 hours sounds like the amount of time it takes for my APM to not be able to be turned on in the Waterfield case.
So I'm not sure what the point of the magnets are. From what I remember, this wasn't an issue at launch though. Didn't Apple add the 72 hours sleep mode with a firmware update? Maybe not using the magnets doesn't even matter anymore after that update? I don't find that my APM have any sort of battery drain, and I use them once every few days.
Yep, just happened to me again, so confirmed not fixed on my side. They were idle for more than 72 hours.