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Are you sure your AirPods Max have the latest firmware? This issue was addressed in an update right after the first version came out and people reported the iss

Are you sure your AirPods Max have the latest firmware? This issue was addressed in an update right after the first version came out and people reported the issue you're describing: If you set your AirPods Max down and leave them stationary for 5 minutes, they go into a low power mode to preserve battery charge. After 72 stationary hours out of the Smart Case, your AirPods Max go into a lower power mode that turns off Bluetooth and Find My to preserve battery charge further [Archive link, as the latest Support doc doesn't have this wording any longer] [0]https://web.archive.org/web/20210315052229/https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211886 https://web.archive.org/web/20210315052229/https://support.a...

femiagbabiaka 7mo ago
It's still extremely odd that they don't just... turn off.. ever? Even the case marketing copy notes this: > When stored in the soft, slim Smart Case, AirPods Max enter an ultra‑low‑power state.
- xxpor 7mo ago
  Perhaps for Find My/UWB support?
  - iAMkenough 7mo ago
    Funny enough, the original and the new AirPods Max don't have UWB. That won't help me find my headphones in my house. If for Find My, why stay in "low power" mode for days before moving to "ultralow power" mode? Is silly.
    - xxpor 7mo ago
      Wow, I had no idea they didn't have no UWB. Honestly that would remove half the value for me. That's crazy for Apple in 2026.
  - tombot 7mo ago
    Find my works fine on a coin cell battery on AirTag, hard to imagine they need to power up the headphones to do the same.
- Schiendelman 7mo ago
  They do, they turn off almost entirely once you leave them stationary for five minutes. This is the same as any over-ear headphones.
  - StefanKarpinski 7mo ago
    Except that they don't. Or at least many, many people report that they don't, including myself and I have tried all the remedies that supposedly help. If you don't provide an off button and you can't build a product this expensive to power itself off reliably for everyone, then you've failed at product design.
    - Schiendelman 7mo ago
      I didn't see a reply to the responses to you saying to reset them. One question I have - do you have them connected to an Android device via bluetooth? Most Android devices will keep them awake by pinging them incessantly.
  - femiagbabiaka 7mo ago
    They don't, because almost entirely is not the same as entirely.
ruszki 7mo ago
What does “down” and “stationary” mean? I put my Sony to random paces, mainly just throwing it into my backpack. Would that be considered as down and stationary? Would it be turned off if I’m on the move? In a car? On a bus?
- StefanKarpinski 7mo ago
  I mean, I regularly leave them on a shelf in my apartment and they apparently do not consider that "down" or "stationary" enough to not just drain the battery completely. Truly a bafflingly bad design from the company that is (was) known for great hardware design.
  - Schiendelman 7mo ago
    This isn't bad design, it's a bug the vast majority of us don't seem to experience. Try the suggestions people have offered to reset them, it should fix the issue.
StefanKarpinski 7mo ago
I got excited there for a second — free fix for the most annoying problem with my headphones! But no, my AirPods Max have the latest firmware and still have this issue. Any time I leave them for more than a day, the battery is drained.
- frizlab 7mo ago
  Try hard reset (long press (~15s) both buttons). I know I have had this issue and did not have it after reset. Though I do have another annoying, and seemingly unique issue: sometimes, when adjusting the position of the headphone, they do a “click” (and a loud one), and just shut down. After a few seconds, they boot up again. The farthest from the last reset, the more often it happens. I have no idea why.
  - LoganDark 7mo ago
    I noticed that behavior as well, but whenever I speak loudly with the headphones on. One remark to myself that's too loud, and suddenly pop and the noise cancellation is gone for like 10 seconds. Super annoying.
    - mh- 7mo ago
      I don't have Max, but something similar happens with the AirPods Pro. See if you have "conversation awareness" and "hearing protection" turned on (both are on by default.) They're in the AirPods settings screen accessed via the bluetooth menu. I'd suggest experimenting by disabling both and trying to repro. Then re-enabling the features one at a time. I've never triggered it on the Pro by merely speaking loudly, but they're earbuds and farther from my mouth. What does trigger it for me reliably, is sneezing.
- Hippocrates 7mo ago
  That doesn't sound right. I have them on my desk. Don't even know where the bra case is. I use and charge them only once in a blue moon, perhaps every 2 months, and the battery does not die. I don't lay them flat or anything either.
phil21 7mo ago
They must have been utterly unusable on release then. I have latest firmware and if I forget to place my Max's in their case they are at half power or less within a few days. As such they get used a lot less than I would otherwise. One of my more wasteful purchases in the past few years. That and the super annoying behavior where two floors away they decide to randomly pair with my Mac Studio when someone Slack Huddles me or whatever, then I need to fiddle with settings to get my airpods pro to connect instead. This is coming from someone who thinks the Airpods Pro are downright magical in how well they work. Could be because I also pair them with regular old Bluetooth from a PC in addition to the Apple ecosystem. The earbuds likely don't have the same issue because they inside a case and are fully turned off when not in use. Sound quality honestly isn't that great either, but I suppose that's more inherent in headphones in general vs. speakers than anything to do with them specifically.

femiagbabiaka 7mo ago

It's still extremely odd that they don't just... turn off.. ever? Even the case marketing copy notes this: > When stored in the soft, slim Smart Case, AirPods Max enter an ultra‑low‑power state.

xxpor 7mo ago
Perhaps for Find My/UWB support?
- iAMkenough 7mo ago
  Funny enough, the original and the new AirPods Max don't have UWB. That won't help me find my headphones in my house. If for Find My, why stay in "low power" mode for days before moving to "ultralow power" mode? Is silly.
  - xxpor 7mo ago
    Wow, I had no idea they didn't have no UWB. Honestly that would remove half the value for me. That's crazy for Apple in 2026.
- tombot 7mo ago
  Find my works fine on a coin cell battery on AirTag, hard to imagine they need to power up the headphones to do the same.
Schiendelman 7mo ago
They do, they turn off almost entirely once you leave them stationary for five minutes. This is the same as any over-ear headphones.
- StefanKarpinski 7mo ago
  Except that they don't. Or at least many, many people report that they don't, including myself and I have tried all the remedies that supposedly help. If you don't provide an off button and you can't build a product this expensive to power itself off reliably for everyone, then you've failed at product design.
  - Schiendelman 7mo ago
    I didn't see a reply to the responses to you saying to reset them. One question I have - do you have them connected to an Android device via bluetooth? Most Android devices will keep them awake by pinging them incessantly.
- femiagbabiaka 7mo ago
  They don't, because almost entirely is not the same as entirely.

ruszki 7mo ago

What does “down” and “stationary” mean? I put my Sony to random paces, mainly just throwing it into my backpack. Would that be considered as down and stationary? Would it be turned off if I’m on the move? In a car? On a bus?

StefanKarpinski 7mo ago
I mean, I regularly leave them on a shelf in my apartment and they apparently do not consider that "down" or "stationary" enough to not just drain the battery completely. Truly a bafflingly bad design from the company that is (was) known for great hardware design.
- Schiendelman 7mo ago
  This isn't bad design, it's a bug the vast majority of us don't seem to experience. Try the suggestions people have offered to reset them, it should fix the issue.

StefanKarpinski 7mo ago

I got excited there for a second — free fix for the most annoying problem with my headphones! But no, my AirPods Max have the latest firmware and still have this issue. Any time I leave them for more than a day, the battery is drained.

frizlab 7mo ago
Try hard reset (long press (~15s) both buttons). I know I have had this issue and did not have it after reset. Though I do have another annoying, and seemingly unique issue: sometimes, when adjusting the position of the headphone, they do a “click” (and a loud one), and just shut down. After a few seconds, they boot up again. The farthest from the last reset, the more often it happens. I have no idea why.
- LoganDark 7mo ago
  I noticed that behavior as well, but whenever I speak loudly with the headphones on. One remark to myself that's too loud, and suddenly pop and the noise cancellation is gone for like 10 seconds. Super annoying.
  - mh- 7mo ago
    I don't have Max, but something similar happens with the AirPods Pro. See if you have "conversation awareness" and "hearing protection" turned on (both are on by default.) They're in the AirPods settings screen accessed via the bluetooth menu. I'd suggest experimenting by disabling both and trying to repro. Then re-enabling the features one at a time. I've never triggered it on the Pro by merely speaking loudly, but they're earbuds and farther from my mouth. What does trigger it for me reliably, is sneezing.
Hippocrates 7mo ago
That doesn't sound right. I have them on my desk. Don't even know where the bra case is. I use and charge them only once in a blue moon, perhaps every 2 months, and the battery does not die. I don't lay them flat or anything either.

phil21 7mo ago

They must have been utterly unusable on release then. I have latest firmware and if I forget to place my Max's in their case they are at half power or less within a few days. As such they get used a lot less than I would otherwise. One of my more wasteful purchases in the past few years. That and the super annoying behavior where two floors away they decide to randomly pair with my Mac Studio when someone Slack Huddles me or whatever, then I need to fiddle with settings to get my airpods pro to connect instead. This is coming from someone who thinks the Airpods Pro are downright magical in how well they work. Could be because I also pair them with regular old Bluetooth from a PC in addition to the Apple ecosystem. The earbuds likely don't have the same issue because they inside a case and are fully turned off when not in use. Sound quality honestly isn't that great either, but I suppose that's more inherent in headphones in general vs. speakers than anything to do with them specifically.