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Apple’s AirPods Max are expensive, but very stylish.
David Carnoy / CNET
Apple surprised everyone and released the AirPods Max, the company’s first on-ear headphones, as last announced at the end of the year. the The $ 550 headphones aren’t just expensive, but they are also downright impressive. David Carnoy, editor of CNET says they sound “like high-end headphones, with tight bass, natural mids, crisp highs, and a wide soundstage for closed-back headphones.”
From 20-hour battery life, active noise cancellation, a dedicated transparency mode, and a super-stylish surround sound mode called Spatial Audio, there’s a lot to learn about Apple’s newest headphones.
But that’s what we are here for. Below, we’ll walk you through 14 different features, tips, and tricks to help you get the most out of your brilliant headphones.
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AirPods Max practice: new king of noise cancellation
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Bluetooth pairing with AirPods Max is really fast
Seriously, pairing the AirPods Max is an extremely simple process. You will need your iPhone or iPad and the headphones. Take the headphones out of the smart case and unlock your device.
A second or two later, you will see an alert on your phone asking if you want to connect to the AirPods Max. Tap Connect and technically that’s it. However, Apple has added a short tutorial that walks you through some of the basic controls and asks if you want to enable Spatial Audio after playing a short demo (more on that in a minute).
Once your AirPods Max are paired, the earbuds will automatically work with the rest of your Apple devices that use your Apple ID. You will not have to repeat this process for each device.
If you are setting up your headphones with a Mac and not an iPhone or iPad, you will need to follow the steps in our next tip.
The AirPods Max only has two buttons, neither of which is a power button and there are no touch controls.
David Carnoy / CNET
Connect AirPods Max to Mac or Non-Apple Device
In essence, the AirPods Max are still Bluetooth headphones. That means you can connect them to other Bluetooth devices, like the new Chromecast, an Android phone, or a Windows PC.
However, pairing with a non-Apple device or Mac requires some additional steps. That is, you will need to put the headphones into pairing mode by holding down the noise control button until the indicator light starts to flash white. The button is located on the top of the right earbud, while the indicator light is on the bottom of the same side.
With the headphones in pairing mode, open Bluetooth settings on the device you want to pair with, select AirPods Max from nearby devices, and follow the instructions.
Learn the controls
AirPods Max lack touch controls and instead rely on a digital crown, like the one you’ll find on an Apple Watch, and a separate noise control button. Both buttons are on the top of the right earbud and serve multiple purposes.
Let’s start with the digital crown, which offers many controls and functions.
- Control the volume level by turning the crown in either direction.
- Press once to play or pause.
- Press crown twice to advance.
- Press three times to return.
- Hold to activate Siri.
The digital crown is also the way you answer or end a phone call.
- Press once to answer or end a call.
- Press twice to reject a call.
- During a call, press once to answer a second incoming call and put the first call on hold.
- With two calls active, press twice to hang up the current call and switch to the other call.
- Press and hold to reject a second incoming call.
- Press twice to stop listening through your headphones and send the call to your phone.
The controversial case.
David Carnoy / CNET
Use your iPhone, iPad or Mac to control AirPods Max
If you find it easier to switch between active noise cancellation and transparency mode or toggle spatial audio on and off with an iPhone, iPad or Mac, you can do that too.
With your AirPods Max connected to an iPhone or iPad, swipe down from the top right corner of your screen to access the Control Center. Press and hold the volume slider, and then adjust the settings as desired.
On a Mac, click the AirPods Max icon in the menu bar, and then select the mode you want to use. At this time, spatial audio on Mac is not possible.
How to turn AirPods Max on or off
The short answer? You can not. The AirPods Max are on your head and in active use, or in some form of low-power state to conserve battery life.
When not in use, put the earbuds in the smart case to instantly put them to sleep effectively. If you forget to put them in the case and just place them on a desk or table, they will eventually go into the same state, but it will take longer to get there.
Auto play and auto pause still exist
If you remove your headphones or just take a headset off your head, everything you listen to will automatically stop. When you put the headphones back on, they should reconnect and automatically start playing what was last playing.
There are many settings you can change, you just have to know where to look.
Screenshots by Jason Cipriani / CNET
Siri is always available
If you have “Hey Siri” enabled on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, your AirPods Max will do the same. Whenever you’re wearing the headphones and you need to do something like change albums, send a message, or make a call, use the opening phrase “Hey Siri” followed by your command or question.
This is where you can adjust AirPods Max settings
There is a settings page for your AirPods Max, but unlike the Apple Watch, which has its own dedicated app, it’s buried in your iPhone’s Bluetooth settings page. Specifically, you should go to Settings > Bluetooth > Touch the “i” next to your AirPods Max.
On this page you will find options to change the name of your AirPods, adjust the direction in which you turn the digital crown to adjust the volume, deactivate the automatic change, among other settings.
I highly recommend that you review this page and familiarize yourself with what you can and cannot control.
Try spatial audio
During the initial pairing process, you were given the opportunity to listen to a demo of Spatial Audio and decide whether to activate it. The demo is short and does a good job of showing what the function can do; which is to create a surround sound-like environment within your headphones, adjusting in real time as you move your head.
But to get a good idea of what spatial audio does, I suggest watching any content that supports Dolby Atmos 5.1 or 7.1 audio. Apple TV Plus subscribers can use Tom Hanks’ Greyhound movie or, if you have Disney Plus, any of The Mandalorian episodes are fantastic examples.
While watching a show on your iPhone or iPad, turn your head to hear the sound move around you. It’s a crazy experience, no doubt.
That cable over there? Will cost.
David Carnoy / CNET
How to view the battery level
As long as the AirPods Max is in use, you can see the current battery level by looking at the top right corner of your iPhone or iPad screen. If you’re using them with a Mac, you can click the AirPods Max icon on the menu bar to see the battery level.
Another option to check battery status is to use the battery widget on your iPhone or iPad, or simply place your AirPods Max next to your iPhone or iPad and wait for the battery life alert to appear.
Do you need a wired connection?
You can use the AirPods Max as wired headphones, but you will need to purchase a cable separately. It’s a $ 35 3.5mm Lightning cable that you can buy direct from Apple.
Mesh canopy.
David Carnoy / CNET
The headphones detach for cleaning.
Each earbud is magnetically attached to the earbuds, allowing you to remove and clean it. Or if one is irreparably damaged, you can buy replacement parts for $ 69 a pair.
Having problems? Try a soft restart
If you’re having trouble with the AirPods Max, you can soft reset them, which is similar to restarting your computer, by holding down the noise control button and the digital crown until the status light turns amber.
How to factory reset AirPods Max
If you return the AirPods Max, sell them, or need a factory reset for another reason, you can do so by holding down the noise control button and the digital crown until the indicator light turns amber and then white.
After mastering your AirPods Max, make sure to read our guide to Apple audio sharing feature that allows you to share what you are listening to with a friend without sharing headphones. If you are bothered by the new auto switch feature in iOS 14, you can turn it off with a few taps. If you are looking for tips and tricks for iOS 14, we also have many of those.
