How to restart AirPods Max

How-to
By Christine Chan
published

Airpods Max Side
Airpods Max Side (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)
Jump to:

When Apple launched the AirPods Max, they quickly became one of the best pairs of noise-canceling headphones that money can buy, even with that steep price tag. The headphones offer amazing sound quality, incredible ANC and transparency, and are quite comfortable to wear, even if a bit heavy. But unlike a lot of other headphones, the AirPods Max don't have a power button, so they're kind of always on, unless you put them to sleep in the (hideous) Smart Case.

But what happens if you encounter a problem with your AirPods Max? Like any other Apple product, including the best iPhone, you're going to want to restart your headphones every now and then to alleviate any issues you're having. Fret not, we're here to help! Here's how to restart AirPods Max.

How to restart AirPods Max

When you experience weird audio issues or connectivity problems with your AirPods Max, sometimes just trying to restart it is your best bet. Since there is no power button on the AirPods Max, it can be a little trickier to figure out how to reboot them. Thankfully, all it involves is the Digital Crown and the Noise Control button.

  1. Press and hold the Digital Crown and Noise Control buttons on the right headphone at the same time.

Restart AirPods Max by showing: Press the Digital Crown and Noise Control buttons at the same time (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)
  1. Hold these buttons for about 12 seconds until the status light next to the charging port flashes amber.
  2. Immediately release the buttons — otherwise, you'll be doing a factory reset instead of a restart.

This is the easiest way to give your AirPods Max a reboot, and hopefully, it fixes any issues you were having. But if it doesn't, then you may want to consider returning your AirPods Max to the factory settings, just as they were when you bought them.

How to return AirPods Max to factory settings

While restarting your AirPods Max should fix most issues, sometimes they will continue to persist. If that's the case, then you should try returning the AirPods Max to factory settings, which is the state that they were in when you purchased them. Doing this means you will need to pair the AirPods Max up with your devices again, but it should resolve any lingering issues you may have experienced.

  1. Press and hold the Digital Crown and Noise Control buttons on the right headphone at the same time.

Restart AirPods Max by showing: Press the Digital Crown and Noise Control buttons at the same time (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)
  1. Hold these buttons for about 15 seconds, until the status light next to the charging port changes from flashing amber to flashing white.

Tune it out with AirPods Max

As you can see, restarting the AirPods Max is pretty easy and involves pressing down the two buttons for a while. Of course, a restart should fix most issues, but if the problem you have continues, then a factory restore may be needed, and that's still the same process. Regardless, the AirPods Max are still some of our favorite noise-canceling headphones, and definitely worth the price if you can afford them.

Christine Chan
Christine Chan

Christine Romero-Chan was formerly a Senior Editor for iMore. She has been writing about technology, specifically Apple, for over a decade at a variety of websites. She is currently part of the Digital Trends team, and has been using Apple’s smartphone since the original iPhone back in 2007. While her main speciality is the iPhone, she also covers Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac when needed.

When she isn’t writing about Apple, Christine can often be found at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, as she is a passholder and obsessed with all things Disney, especially Star Wars. Christine also enjoys coffee, food, photography, mechanical keyboards, and spending as much time with her new daughter as possible.