AirPods Max with USB-C: New firmware is coming and not coming
Apple's much-heralded lossless and no-latency features for its over-ears require new firmware. But this is apparently not yet available.
AirPods Max: New features via update, but where are they?
(Image: Apple)
The unexpected often happens: Apple surprisingly announced in March that it would be releasing new firmware for the AirPods Max with USB-C along with iOS 18.4 and the like, which would usefully expand the range of functions. It should finally be possible to perform both latency-free audio connections (e.g., for video editing) and lossless transmissions via cable. In addition, a new Apple adapter cable has been specially launched on the market that can be used to establish connections to analog jack sockets. The problem: although iOS 18.4, macOS 15.4 and other new operating systems have been available since Monday evening –, –, the AirPods Max firmware is still not available.
File is not downloadable
This was first noticed by users on Reddit, who were able to verify this in log files: The update to version 7E99 could not be downloaded and therefore could not be installed. “The update file that tells your Mac or iPhone where to download the update from has not yet been released by Apple, which means you can't update to the new firmware right now.” The assumption: Someone “may have forgotten at some point that the file pointing to the latest update for the AirPods Max (USB-C) needs to be published”, according to user pdfu. This can be seen in the logs of UARPUpdaterServiceLegacyAudio and nsurlsessiond. pdfu believes that the error problem will resolve itself as soon as a new firmware has been released for the first time.
However, it remains unclear whether Apple intentionally left the as yet unreleased 7E99 firmware unreleased, meaning that there may have been showstopper bugs at the end. In fact, Apple had initially announced on its AirPods firmware website that 7E99, the latest firmware for the model series, was available. That was on Tuesday evening. However, the page has since been updated. There is now an asterisk after 7E99, which refers to “Coming soon” in the small print.
Firmware update process, a bit like voodoo
Basically, installing new AirPods firmware – is not an easy task, regardless of the model – or the audio devices from Apple subsidiary Beats. There is no way to force updates. Instead, a routine has to be performed that is somewhat reminiscent of voodoo. With AirPods Max, the devices must first be connected via Bluetooth to an iPhone, iPad, or Mac running the latest operating system version. For AirPods Max with USB-C, this must currently be iOS / iPadOS 18.4 or macOS 15.4.
The devices must also have Wi-Fi. Then you should first plug in the USB charging cable and then plug it into a USB-C power adapter (or a charging port). The AirPods Max must then be in the Bluetooth range of the iPhone, iPad, or Mac. You should then wait 30 minutes and reconnect the AirPods Max to the iOS, iPadOS or macOS device and check the firmware, which can be done via the Bluetooth settings. Some users also recommend playing a song from Apple Music for at least 30 seconds as part of the process to ensure that the firmware has been downloaded.
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(bsc)