To connect AirPods Max, take them out of the Smart Case, hold them near your iPhone or iPad on its Home Screen, then tap Connect when the setup animation appears. If it doesn’t, put the headphones in pairing mode and select them under Settings > Bluetooth. The minimum iOS or iPadOS version depends on which AirPods Max model you have.
Pair AirPods Max using the setup animation
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Update your iPhone or iPad to the latest iOS or iPadOS version available for it.
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Go to the device’s Home Screen.
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Remove AirPods Max from the Smart Case and hold them near the device. Apple says the setup animation should appear within 60 seconds.
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Tap Connect and follow any prompts, including those for Siri.
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Apple AirPods Max 2 Wireless Over-Ear Headphones – Midnight | Active Noise Cancellation, Adaptive Audio, Personalized Spatial Audio, Live Translation, Bluetooth Headphones for iPhone- ULTIMATE OVER-EAR LISTENING EXPERIENCE—Powered by the H2 chip, AirPods Max 2 delivers improved high-fidelity audio with deep bass, expansive mids, and crisp highs for an unparalleled listening experience.
- TUNE OUT THE NOISE—Up to 1.5x more Active Noise Cancellation than the previous generation, fully immersing you in every sound.*
- HEAR THE WORLD AROUND YOU—Adaptive Audio automatically adjusts noise cancellation levels to suit your environment. Conversation Awareness lowers the volume of what’s playing to make it easy to talk to those around you.* And Transparency lets outside sounds in so you can interact with your surroundings.
- PERSONALIZED SPATIAL AUDIO—With sound tuned to your unique ear shape and dynamic head tracking, AirPods Max 2 delivers an immersive listening experience that surrounds you with theater-like sound.
- COMMUNICATE ACROSS LANGUAGES—Simply press and hold the listening mode button to activate Live Translation powered by Apple Intelligence,* which automatically translates the language someone is speaking into your preferred language.
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Tap Done. If you’re signed in to iCloud, supported devices using the same Apple Account are set up automatically. Apple’s AirPods Max setup guidance explains the process.
If the setup animation does not appear
Pair the headphones manually:
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Press and hold the listening mode button for about five seconds, or until the status light flashes white.
Rank #2
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Apple AirPods Max 2 Wireless Over-Ear Headphones – Starlight | Active Noise Cancellation, Adaptive Audio, Personalized Spatial Audio, Live Translation, Bluetooth Headphones for iPhone- ULTIMATE OVER-EAR LISTENING EXPERIENCE—Powered by the H2 chip, AirPods Max 2 delivers improved high-fidelity audio with deep bass, expansive mids, and crisp highs for an unparalleled listening experience.
- TUNE OUT THE NOISE—Up to 1.5x more Active Noise Cancellation than the previous generation, fully immersing you in every sound.*
- HEAR THE WORLD AROUND YOU—Adaptive Audio automatically adjusts noise cancellation levels to suit your environment. Conversation Awareness lowers the volume of what’s playing to make it easy to talk to those around you.* And Transparency lets outside sounds in so you can interact with your surroundings.
- PERSONALIZED SPATIAL AUDIO—With sound tuned to your unique ear shape and dynamic head tracking, AirPods Max 2 delivers an immersive listening experience that surrounds you with theater-like sound.
- COMMUNICATE ACROSS LANGUAGES—Simply press and hold the listening mode button to activate Live Translation powered by Apple Intelligence,* which automatically translates the language someone is speaking into your preferred language.
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On your iPhone or iPad, open Settings > Bluetooth.
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Select AirPods Max when they appear in the device list. Apple’s manual pairing instructions cover this fallback.
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Check your model’s minimum software version
AirPods Max models have different minimum requirements for pairing. Identify your model before troubleshooting; Apple recommends using the latest iOS or iPadOS version your device supports for full functionality.
Rank #3
- ULTIMATE OVER-EAR LISTENING EXPERIENCE—Powered by the H2 chip, AirPods Max 2 delivers improved high-fidelity audio with deep bass, expansive mids, and crisp highs for an unparalleled listening experience.
- TUNE OUT THE NOISE—Up to 1.5x more Active Noise Cancellation than the previous generation, fully immersing you in every sound.*
- HEAR THE WORLD AROUND YOU—Adaptive Audio automatically adjusts noise cancellation levels to suit your environment. Conversation Awareness lowers the volume of what’s playing to make it easy to talk to those around you.* And Transparency lets outside sounds in so you can interact with your surroundings.
- PERSONALIZED SPATIAL AUDIO—With sound tuned to your unique ear shape and dynamic head tracking, AirPods Max 2 delivers an immersive listening experience that surrounds you with theater-like sound.
- COMMUNICATE ACROSS LANGUAGES—Simply press and hold the listening mode button to activate Live Translation powered by Apple Intelligence,* which automatically translates the language someone is speaking into your preferred language.
| AirPods Max model | Minimum iOS or iPadOS |
|---|---|
| AirPods Max 1 (Lightning) | 14.3 or later |
| AirPods Max 1 (USB-C) | 18 or later |
| AirPods Max 2 | 26.4 or later |
These are model-specific minimums, not a single requirement that applies to every AirPods Max. Apple lists the requirements in its current support guidance.
When a previous owner’s Apple Account is involved
AirPods Max can be associated with one Apple Account for features such as automatic device switching and Find My. If the headphones belonged to someone else, that person needs to remove them from their account before you can use those account-linked features. Once set up, supported devices signed in to the same Apple Account can be configured automatically.
Rank #4
- ULTIMATE OVER-EAR LISTENING EXPERIENCE—Powered by the H2 chip, AirPods Max 2 delivers improved high-fidelity audio with deep bass, expansive mids, and crisp highs for an unparalleled listening experience.
- TUNE OUT THE NOISE—Up to 1.5x more Active Noise Cancellation than the previous generation, fully immersing you in every sound.*
- HEAR THE WORLD AROUND YOU—Adaptive Audio automatically adjusts noise cancellation levels to suit your environment. Conversation Awareness lowers the volume of what’s playing to make it easy to talk to those around you.* And Transparency lets outside sounds in so you can interact with your surroundings.
- PERSONALIZED SPATIAL AUDIO—With sound tuned to your unique ear shape and dynamic head tracking, AirPods Max 2 delivers an immersive listening experience that surrounds you with theater-like sound.
- COMMUNICATE ACROSS LANGUAGES—Simply press and hold the listening mode button to activate Live Translation powered by Apple Intelligence,* which automatically translates the language someone is speaking into your preferred language.
Wired audio is optional
You do not need a cable for ordinary Bluetooth pairing. If you want a wired connection, the compatible option depends on the model and device ports:
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AirPods Max 1 (Lightning): Apple documents a Lightning-to-3.5-mm audio cable.
Best Value
Apple AirPods Max - Midnight (Renewed)- ULTIMATE OVER-EAR LISTENING EXPERIENCE - Apple-designed dynamic driver provides high-fidelity audio. Computational audio combines custom acoustic design with the Apple H1 chip and software for breakthrough listening experiences.
- FIVE FRESH COLORS - AirPods Max come in five fresh colors: Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Purple, and Orange. A color-matched Smart Case is also included.
- FOCUS ON WHAT’S PLAYING - Pro-level Active Noise Cancellation removes up to 2x more background noise, so you can immerse yourself in music.*
- HEAR THE WORLD AROUND YOU - Transparency mode lets you comfortably hear and interact with the world around you.
- PERSONALIZED SPATIAL AUDIO - With sound that suits your unique ear shape along with dynamic head tracking, AirPods Max deliver an immersive listening experience that places sound all around you.* You can also listen to select songs, shows, and movies in Dolby Atmos.
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AirPods Max 1 (USB-C) or AirPods Max 2: Apple documents a USB-C-to-3.5-mm audio cable.
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Supported USB-C devices: Apple also documents a USB-C-to-USB-C connection.
For lossless and ultra-low-latency audio over USB-C, Apple says to update the device software and headphone firmware. Keep Bluetooth on for features such as Siri and Spatial Audio. See Apple’s AirPods Max connection details and cable connection guidance for the documented options.
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