Mike Peterson
Apple appears to have fixed battery drain issues in its AirPods Max with the latest firmware release for the device.
On Tuesday, Apple released firmware version 3C39. Although no release notes were available, it was speculated that the update squashed a bug causing battery drain on the high-end wireless headphones.
The bug caused significant battery drain when an AirPods Max device was placed in its case. But several forum posters indicate that most battery drain issues appear to have been resolved.
According to 9to5Mac, the firmware update causes an AirPods Max to go into its ultralow power mode after just 30 minutes. Previously, that mode was only triggered after 18 hours in a case. However, Apple has yet to update its AirPods Max support document to reflect the change in behavior.
Whether the update does mitigate the issue has yet to be confirmed, but there are anecdotal reports on the MacRumors forum and across social media that suggest it does.
While not every AppleInsider staffer has experience the rapid battery drain, the impacted have seen some improvement in the battery drain. However, the data that we have collected does not suggest as low as a 30-minute ultra-low power mode.
There's no way to manually download the new AirPods Max firmware — it should happen automatically in most cases. However, users can attempt to force an update by connect an iPhone to a power source while the AirPods Max are connected via Bluetooth.
Stay on top of all Apple news right from your HomePod. Say, "Hey, Siri, play AppleInsider," and you'll get latest AppleInsider Podcast. Or ask your HomePod mini for "AppleInsider Daily" instead and you'll hear a fast update direct from our news team. And, if you're interested in Apple-centric home automation, say "Hey, Siri, play HomeKit Insider," and you'll be listening to our newest specialized podcast in moments.
Christine McKee
Charles Martin
Oliver Haslam
William Gallagher
Sponsored Content
3 Comments
I can confirm this has fixed the issue because I left it unplugged overnight and the next day it was still at 100%.
Too bad this doesn’t fix the laws of physics/chemistry to fix the condensation issue. :neutral:
I never experienced any battery drain issues on the older firmware. And I've never experienced any condensation issues with the cups either. For me, the issue that the new firmware fixed was the temporary touch screen freeze that could occur when pairing the AirPods Max. That's disappeared on my XS.
With the news of Apple discontinuing the HomePod I would think there is a chance the same could happen for the AirPods Max.