Okay, the AirPods Max USB-C lossless audio update is now available, for real this time – here's how to check you've got it

(Image credit: Apple)

A bug in iOS 18.4 stopped AirPods Max promised lossless update from working
Apple has fixed the issue with firmware 7E101
You'll need your iPhone, iPad or Mac and your charging cable

What do you call an Apple update that doesn't work? A Tim Cook-up! I made that joke up myself and I'm very proud of it, but it's time to get serious now: Apple's AirPods Max lossless audio update was about to launch, didn't work properly, was delayed, and is now working and ready for you to install it.

The problem was with iOS 18.4, the newest version of iOS, which contained the necessary code to update your AirPods Max. Unfortunately that code didn't work properly, and the update wasn't downloading. Apple has fixed the problem and also provided helpful instructions on how to update your headphones.

A man looks disgruntled at his phone screen — "Update my AirPods! I said UPDATE MY AIRPODS!" (Image credit: Shutterstock / fizkes)

How to install the lossless audio update on your AirPods Max

Here are the instructions, directly from Apple.

Make sure that your iPhone, iPad, or Mac is updated to the latest version of iOS, iPadOS, or macOS, and that Bluetooth is on
Make sure that your AirPods Max are connected via Bluetooth to your iPhone, iPad, or Mac
Connect your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to Wi-Fi
Plug the charging cable into the bottom-right earphone, then plug the other end of the cable into a USB charger or port
Keep your AirPods Max in Bluetooth range of your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and wait at least 30 minutes for the firmware to update
Reconnect your AirPods Max to your iPhone, iPad, or Mac
Check the firmware version again and make sure it lists “7E101"

I'm glad this update has been fixed, because it's a welcome one for owners of the USB-C AirPods Max: once installed, you'll be able to get lossless audio over USB-C to make your AirPods sound even better, and to finally be able to use them with airplane entertainment systems.

We're going to test the feature to see if it sounds as good as it, er, sounds. For now, we can tell you that (after quite a bit longer than half an hour) our AirPods Max are definitely now on the new 7E101 firmware version, so that part's good.

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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.