AirPods Max pair successfully but won’t play audio or actually connect
Hi everyone,
I’m having a strange issue with my first-generation AirPods Max, about 4 years old.
I hadn't used them for quite a while, and they were left with 0% battery for several months (possibly 6+ months). I recently charged them again, but since then I've been unable to get them working properly.
Here’s what happens:
- They appear normally on both my iPhone and Mac.
- The devices can see the AirPods Max and show their battery percentage.
- I can forget them and pair them again. The iPhone even goes through the normal AirPods Max setup process and says they're connected.
- However, no audio comes through the AirPods Max.
- When I select the AirPods Max as the audio output on my iPhone, it briefly tries to switch and then immediately falls back to the iPhone speaker.
- Transparency/Noise Cancellation controls don't seem to respond either.
- I don't hear the usual connection sound when putting them on.
- The exact same behavior happens with my Mac, so it doesn't seem specific to the iPhone.
I've tried resetting them by holding the Digital Crown + Noise Control button. I've seen the status light flash amber and have also managed to get it flashing white and pair them again, but the problem remains.
I initially wondered whether the battery was the issue because they had been completely discharged for so long, so I charged them all the way to 100%. Unfortunately, the behavior is exactly the same.
Has anyone experienced this before? Is there another factory reset/recovery procedure I can try, or does this behavior indicate a hardware/battery issue that requires service?
Thanks!
