How to get the most out of your new AirPods Max

AppleInsider · December 16, 2020 5:31PM

AirPods Max is a great accessory, and has more capability than it appears on the surface. Here are a few tips and tricks to ensure you get the most out of Apple's new high-end over-ear headphones.

Here are several tips for AirPods Max

Get into those settings

While it may not be readily apparent, there are settings for AirPods Max. You can use these settings to tinker with a few of the aspects of your AirPods Max and change the noise cancelation mode, though it isn't as convenient as your other options for that.

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How to change the direction of the Digital Crown

One thing you may want to change is the orientation of the Digital Crown. To change this:

Changing the direction of the Digital Crown

Open Settings

Head to Bluetooth

Search for your AirPods Max and make sure they are connected

Tap on the encircled i

Tap on Digital Crown

Choose your preference, either back to front or front to back

Disable automatic head detection

Another feature that can be annoying for some is automatic head detection. This will pause your music or video whenever you remove the headphones from your head or even pull back an ear. If you don't like this, it is easy enough to disable.

Toggle off automatic head detection

Open Settings

Head to Bluetooth

Search for your AirPods Max and make sure they are connected

Tap on the encircled i

Toggle Automatic Head Detection off

Disable automatic switching

Change how auto switch works on AirPods Max

One of Apple's magical touches is automatic device switching. As you move from your iPhone to your iPad to your Mac and back to your iPhone, your headphones move with you. They switch devices as you need. But sometimes, you don't want them to switch. This feature too can be disabled in the AirPods Max settings.

Open Settings

Head to Bluetooth

Search for your AirPods Max and make sure they are connected

Tap on the encircled i

Tap on Connect to This iPhone

Instead of "automatically" choose "When Last Connected to This iPhone"

Instead of automatically jumping between multiple devices, it will only reconnect to your iPhone if it was the last device the AirPods Max connected to.

Share audio

Between iOS and Apple's custom H1 chip, users are able to share audio with a second set of Apple headphones. This previously applied to AirPods, AirPods Pro, and select Beats headphones but now includes AirPods Max as well.

How to share audio with a second set of AirPods Max

If you're listening to music or watching a movie on your iPad or iPhone with your AirPods Max, it takes no effort to share that audio with a second set of AirPods Max, AirPods or AirPods Pro, or newer sets of Beats.

To share audio

Swipe down from the top-right corner to access control center

Tap the audio icon in the corner of the "Now Playing" window

Below your AirPods Max, it should say "Share Audio..."

Hold the second set of AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, nearby and tap on them when they show on the screen. If you are connecting a set of Beats, you may have to hold the pairing button first

Understanding the LED

On the bottom of the right ear cup, next to the Lightning port, there is a small LED status light. It can be helpful to understand what this light means.

AirPods Max status LED

The most useful function of the LED is for battery life. If the AirPods Max are connected to power, and you press the noise control button, it will flash green if the battery is above 95 percent and flash amber if below 95 percent.

If the AirPods Max aren't connected to power, the light will flash green if there is more than 15 percent and will flash amber if it is below.

Reboot your AirPods Max

Should you have issues with your AirPods Max and need to reboot them, it is easy to do.

Press and hold the noise control button simultaneously as the Digital Crown until the aforementioned status light flashes amber.

Have Siri announce your messages

While wearing headphones, it is far too easy to miss a text message coming through. Fortunately, Apple has a feature for its own headphones dubbed Announce Messages with Siri. It is about as straightforward as it sounds. Whenever a message comes in, Siri will announce who it is from and read it to you. You're then able to instantly respond, making the experience as minimally invasive as possible.

Enable or disable Announce Messages with Siri

This can be easily toggled off, on, or even temporarily muted with a Control Center tool. Once added to Control Center, tap the icon to enable Announce Messages with Siri, mute the feature for an hour, or mute it for the rest of the day.

Listen on

Some of these tips may be a bit rudimentary, but they will undoubtedly be useful for users new to Apple's headphones. Hopefully, even experienced users will find our guide handy.

AirPods Max are available to purchase at leading Apple resellers like Amazon, Adorama and B&H Photo, with the best deals at your fingertips in the AppleInsider AirPods Price Guide.

bluefire1 · December 16, 2020 5:58PM

I wonder how these compare to Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones.

andrew_osu · December 16, 2020 6:24PM

bluefire1 said:

I wonder how these compare to Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones.

Will be answering just that very soon!

appleish · December 16, 2020 7:08PM

Changed the Digital Crown to 'Front to Back' instantly. Didn't make sense to my fingers the other way.

Off-topic, I keep seeing people complaining that the lightning port doesn't line up with the notch in the case. I think this is happening to people with, uh... big heads? The L and R driver housing rotate inward when you extend the headband way our, moving the port towards the inward part of the notch.

edited December 2020

macquadra840av · December 16, 2020 7:23PM

So people claim the best feature of all the AirPod series is the automatic switching, and here is the article stating the obvious...it is annoying because it will switch devices when you don't want them to...so here is how to disable the feature. So people are going to blow $549 to turn off that feature.

Here is how to get the most out of them...don't buy them and keep your wallet happy. Buy the Sony or Bose, both the highest rated in the industry, and save $200 (or more since the Sonys are on sale for $279).

Apple has lost their minds with their current pricing.

macquadra840av · December 16, 2020 7:28PM

bluefire1 said:

I wonder how these compare to Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones.

The $200 price premium of the Apple headphones are not enough to justify the purchase. Plus you have so much more control of the Bose and Sony headphones. Remember, Apple does not allow you to even adjust the tone quality of their products. At least you can turn off the Bose and Sony headphones to save the battery. Can't do that with the Apple headphones. All you can do is put them in the bra or purse case and go to a low power mode, still draining the battery. And that mesh headband will fall apart soon since Apple designed them for you to carry them by the headband.

inplainview · December 16, 2020 8:50PM

MacQuadra840av said:

So people claim the best feature of all the AirPod series is the automatic switching, and here is the article stating the obvious...it is annoying because it will switch devices when you don't want them to...so here is how to disable the feature. So people are going to blow $549 to turn off that feature.

Here is how to get the most out of them...don't buy them and keep your wallet happy. Buy the Sony or Bose, both the highest rated in the industry, and save $200 (or more since the Sonys are on sale for $279).

Apple has lost their minds with their current pricing.

Or spend the money on a pair of B&W PX7 Black Carbon edition and enjoy.

bestkeptsecret · December 17, 2020 9:22AM

MacQuadra840av said:

bluefire1 said:

I wonder how these compare to Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones.

The $200 price premium of the Apple headphones are not enough to justify the purchase. Plus you have so much more control of the Bose and Sony headphones. Remember, Apple does not allow you to even adjust the tone quality of their products. At least you can turn off the Bose and Sony headphones to save the battery. Can't do that with the Apple headphones. All you can do is put them in the bra or purse case and go to a low power mode, still draining the battery. And that mesh headband will fall apart soon since Apple designed them for you to carry them by the headband.

powerguru said:

Honestly you get the most of AirPods Max by returning them back to the store.

Yeesus!

outdoorappdeveloper · December 17, 2020 4:42PM

Reviews are not good. Here is one. I skipped to the summary.

randominternetperson · December 17, 2020 4:52PM

Reviews are not good? Huh.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-personal-shopper/2020/12/16/apple-airpods-max-review/

You’re also buying them for Apple’s signature finishing touch. The AirPods Max have immaculate build quality and a set-up procedure that’s easier than any other headphones I’ve ever used. Then there’s the design which, thanks to the gorgeous colors and deftly shaped ear cups, stands apart. Not everyone will like the look of the headphones or their carrying case, but I find it looks distinctive and even cool.

If all you’re interested in is sound quality, then Sony’s WH-1000XM4 or the stunning Bose Noise-Cancelling Headphones 700 are better choices for the money. But if you value the ultimate combination of great sound quality, unique advanced features and a striking design, the AirPods Max are hard to beat.

https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/apple-airpods-max

Apple's AirPods Max headphones deliver excellent audio performance, top-notch noise cancellation, and a bevy of useful features in an absolutely gorgeous design for a bit too much money.

If you don't have the disposable income to buy these without financial pain, stay away. Otherwise, sounds like a great luxury buy. And if they don't meet your expectations, send them back for a full refund. (And then come here and complain, but that goes without saying)

charlesn · December 18, 2020 4:43PM

I picked up the AirPods Max at my local NYC Apple store on 12/15 and have spent the last few days comparing them against my Sony XM4. Here's my assessment:

First: we're at or near the limit of what hardware can do to get the "best" sound from compressed Bluetooth audio. So if you're expecting a big sonic leap over Bose and Sony, that's unrealistic and you'll be disappointed. The main obstacle to better sound at this point is the source. And for anyone who thinks these are "insanely" priced--well, perhaps for you, fair enough. But the complete sell-out everywhere, a 3 month+ wait for delivery and current prices on ebay averaging $800 are clear evidence that the target market for Airpods Max disagrees about the price.

Second: if you know anything about the bleeding edge of higher end audio--and the AirPods Max are at the highest end of wireless phones--then you know that price differences never correlate directly to sound differences. Meaning: a product that is 10-20% "better" often costs 50-100% more. Whether that difference in sound is worth the difference in price is something that only you and your bank account can decide. And look: the same could be said about categories as broad as photography, wine, sports cars, etc--the "best" always costs exponentially more than what's merely "great," but the percentage of difference in price doesn't mean it's THAT much better.

Third: With all that said, I find the AirPods Max offers important but incremental improvements over the Sony XM4 in three sonic areas that are important to me (YMMV): 1) They have a more natural, musical sound--simply put, listening to the AirPods Max sounds more like people playing music as opposed to a recording of people playing music. That will totally make sense to some who are reading this and sound like total BS to others, and I'm fine with wherever that lands for you. 2) The soundstage with the AirPods Max is wider, more spacious and airy, all of which contribute to that more natural musical sound. Again, I will emphasize that this is an incremental improvement over Sony, which will matter a lot to some and not at all to others. 3) The AirPods Max recover a level of subtle details in music that I've never heard in wireless phones before. This is more than just incremental improvement over Sony--I find myself constantly surprised when listening by subtle sonic details that I didn't know were there. 4) I also think the AirPods Max ANC is just a bit better than Sony, but for some that may be outweighed by the adjustment for ANC that Sony offers, which is lacking on the AP Max.

Fourth: This is important: the AirPods Max are more substantial and heavier 'phones than Sony or Bose, and I don't imagine myself grabbing them as I'm dashing out the door to jump on the subway to work (whenever THAT happens again) or to use while working out. Also: with Apple products always a top target for thieves, I would not feel comfortable walking the streets with such a glaringly expensive Apple product on my head--and one that you can't even get right now, making them even more valuable. SO: I can't recommend the AirPods Max if they're going to be your only pair of 'phones for all-around use.

Fifth: Yes, the materials and build quality are leaps ahead of the competition--and in that regard, I'd say the improvement is commensurate with the price difference. I do find that the stainless steel rods for ear cup adjustment, while "luxurious," operate stiffly, making in harder to get positioning "just right." In terms of ergonomics, I love the physical dial and button vs touch controls on the Sony. Reviewers have claimed that the dial operates "backwards" for volume control, but you can change directionality in settings.

Sixth: About that case: no words. It's every bit as stupid as you've read. And I'll never understand how Apple, of all companies, approved this design.

Final Decision: I think I'm going to end up keeping both the AirPods Max and the XM4. I definitely prefer the sound of the AirPods Max over the Sony enough to make them worth keeping. But, as I mentioned, I don't think the AirPods Max is a headphone for all-around use, and that's important to keep in mind if you're considering a purchase.

edited December 2020

dewme · December 21, 2020 6:06PM

charlesn said:

I picked up the AirPods Max at my local NYC Apple store on 12/15 and have spent the last few days comparing them against my Sony XM4. Here's my assessment:

First: we're at or near the limit of what hardware can do to get the "best" sound from compressed Bluetooth audio. So if you're expecting a big sonic leap over Bose and Sony, that's unrealistic and you'll be disappointed. The main obstacle to better sound at this point is the source. And for anyone who thinks these are "insanely" priced--well, perhaps for you, fair enough. But the complete sell-out everywhere, a 3 month+ wait for delivery and current prices on ebay averaging $800 are clear evidence that the target market for Airpods Max disagrees about the price.

Second: if you know anything about the bleeding edge of higher end audio--and the AirPods Max are at the highest end of wireless phones--then you know that price differences never correlate directly to sound differences. Meaning: a product that is 10-20% "better" often costs 50-100% more. Whether that difference in sound is worth the difference in price is something that only you and your bank account can decide. And look: the same could be said about categories as broad as photography, wine, sports cars, etc--the "best" always costs exponentially more than what's merely "great," but the percentage of difference in price doesn't mean it's THAT much better.

Third: With all that said, I find the AirPods Max offers important but incremental improvements over the Sony XM4 in three sonic areas that are important to me (YMMV): 1) They have a more natural, musical sound--simply put, listening to the AirPods Max sounds more like people playing music as opposed to a recording of people playing music. That will totally make sense to some who are reading this and sound like total BS to others, and I'm fine with wherever that lands for you. 2) The soundstage with the AirPods Max is wider, more spacious and airy, all of which contribute to that more natural musical sound. Again, I will emphasize that this is an incremental improvement over Sony, which will matter a lot to some and not at all to others. 3) The AirPods Max recover a level of subtle details in music that I've never heard in wireless phones before. This is more than just incremental improvement over Sony--I find myself constantly surprised when listening by subtle sonic details that I didn't know were there. 4) I also think the AirPods Max ANC is just a bit better than Sony, but for some that may be outweighed by the adjustment for ANC that Sony offers, which is lacking on the AP Max.

Fourth: This is important: the AirPods Max are more substantial and heavier 'phones than Sony or Bose, and I don't imagine myself grabbing them as I'm dashing out the door to jump on the subway to work (whenever THAT happens again) or to use while working out. Also: with Apple products always a top target for thieves, I would not feel comfortable walking the streets with such a glaringly expensive Apple product on my head--and one that you can't even get right now, making them even more valuable. SO: I can't recommend the AirPods Max if they're going to be your only pair of 'phones for all-around use.

Fifth: Yes, the materials and build quality are leaps ahead of the competition--and in that regard, I'd say the improvement is commensurate with the price difference. I do find that the stainless steel rods for ear cup adjustment, while "luxurious," operate stiffly, making in harder to get positioning "just right." In terms of ergonomics, I love the physical dial and button vs touch controls on the Sony. Reviewers have claimed that the dial operates "backwards" for volume control, but you can change directionality in settings.

Sixth: About that case: no words. It's every bit as stupid as you've read. And I'll never understand how Apple, of all companies, approved this design.

Final Decision: I think I'm going to end up keeping both the AirPods Max and the XM4. I definitely prefer the sound of the AirPods Max over the Sony enough to make them worth keeping. But, as I mentioned, I don't think the AirPods Max is a headphone for all-around use, and that's important to keep in mind if you're considering a purchase.

Thanks for sharing your personal assessment with us. I definitely understand what you're saying about the law of diminishing return on price vs value and do not dispute a word of it. I wholeheartedly concur on the hesitancy to wear these in public. I am interested to hear how you'd compare the soundstage of the AP Max with a quality pair of open back headphones if you have a pair to compare them to. The only other data point that I hope we hear about is what happens when you use the AP Max outside of the Apple ecosystem or device compatibility matrix, like with an older iPod/iPad/Mac, a traditional home audio setup, connected via wire, or with a non-Apple device or PC. Same thing for the Sony phones.

canukstorm · December 22, 2020 4:53AM

This is a great in-depth review by an popular YT channel dedicated to audiophiles.

https://youtu.be/j918rWMXO2o

macgui · December 22, 2020 6:29PM

randominternetperson said:
And if they don't meet your expectations, send them back for a full refund. (And then come here and complain, but that goes without saying)

Or people could be like some of the dickheads here and skip the actual purchase and actual auditioning of the Max and come here to complain with absolutely no idea of what they're talking about.

These are not audiophile headphones and that's OK. To be able to compete in the rarified atmosphere that is far to thin for most of us to breathe in, they'd have to be corded or WiFi and not, or not just BT.

But even BT with good audio files can be very pleasurable, and let's face it, a lot of us wouldn't know the difference any. That's despite imagined expertise fully demonstrated by bashing an Apple product with zero qualifications or experience using it.

Obviously these aren't for everybody and many would probably be just as well off buying Grado 60s or 80s instead of name dropping a competitor they are equally unfamiliar with such as- B&W.

Some of that $550 reflects Apple's fit and finish, which haters call the Apple Tax. So be it. But the Max, like many products Apple or otherwise, are the sum of there parts, or in this case, features. The Max has several and most are ignored as non-existent when bashing them.

Fortunately the noise floor ("Reviews are not good") falls fairly quickly, and peace reigns. Well, until Apple releases another product. These idiots have all the credibility of the old days when there would be forum fights about who makes the best flip phone – LG or Motorola.

I look forward to given these a listen but I may have to do the buy and be ready to return, since auditioning at an Apple Store may not be possible.

Not a fan of the case, but it doesn't bother me. I'd like to know why Apple designed what they did though. Their reasoning would be interesting if not mitigating. Great post, random.

macgui · December 22, 2020 6:51PM

OutdoorAppDeveloper said:

Reviews are not good. Here is one. I skipped to the summary.

You didn't skip to the summary, as sadly this dreck starts at the beginning. You did choose to skip the many balanced, in depth favorable reviews easily found with a simple search. But on a one on one, tit for tat basis, here is one:

, you know, if you're into that sort of review.

The guy you offer up is far more drama queen then qualified reviewer. He should have spent a lot more time them before rendering an opinion. Even if it didn't change it would have spared us some of his histrionics. He's got an unreasonable expectation of what noise cancelling headphones can do, or he's just lying to his fan base. Noise like airplane engines are easy to cancel. Sounds varying in frequency, not so much.