AirPods Max to Gain Lossless Audio and Low-Latency Audio in iOS 18.4

Apple will bring lossless audio and ulta-low latency audio to AirPods Max in its upcoming iOS 18.4 software update arriving in April, according to the company.

iOS 18
From Apple's press release:


With this update, AirPods Max will unlock 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio, preserving the integrity of original recordings and allowing listeners to experience music the way the artist created it in the studio. Lossless audio also extends to Personalized Spatial Audio to deliver a more sonically accurate, uncompressed, and immersive experience, and users can enjoy more than 100 million songs in lossless audio with Apple Music.

[...]

Lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio enable music creators to fully utilize AirPods Max throughout their entire professional workflow on Logic Pro and other music creation apps. Using the USB-C cable, AirPods Max will become the only headphones that enable musicians to both create and mix in Personalized Spatial Audio with head tracking.1 By delivering lossless, high-resolution digital audio with low latency, artists can seamlessly record and mix with AirPods Max without compromising fidelity.

Introduced in December 2020 and updated in September 2024, the AirPods Max have now been in Apple's product lineup for four years now, but the company does not release new AirPods models on a regular basis, so this update should be a welcome change for fans of the over-ear noise-canceling headphones.

Apple says lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio will be available in April as a free firmware update with iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4 for AirPods Max with USB-C.

Apple also said that today it is making a USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable available to buy for $39 from its online store, Apple Store app, and authorized resellers. The cable lets users connect AirPods Max to 3.5mm audio sources like airplane audio ports or connect their iPhone or iPad to speakers or car stereos with 3.5mm inputs.

Related Roundup: AirPods Max
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Max (Buy Now)
Related Forum: AirPods

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Top Rated Comments

kslingo Avatar
15 weeks ago
* Lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio will be available in April as a free firmware update with iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4 for AirPods Max with USB-C.

Really apple? It's the same thing as the lightning version, why are you limiting it????
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Koni17 Avatar
15 weeks ago
Introducing lossless audio to their $500 audiophile headphones only 4 years after launch, light-years ahead!
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
novagamer Avatar
15 weeks ago
WHAT.

Did not have this on my bingo card. Wow.



Editing this post to add the attachment: it appears that lossless requires the use of a USB-C to USB-C cable (included).

@MacRumors may want to reach out to Apple for confirmation because the way it’s worded it seems to imply the update is going to enable this wirelessly which doesn’t seem to be the case.

Attachment Image
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sarcastro Avatar
15 weeks ago
Misleading headline, it should read "Some AirPods Max models to gain lossless and low-latency audio, but only wired via USB-C cable"
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Koni17 Avatar
15 weeks ago

They've confirmed in the blogpost it's USB-C models only sadly.
Well that's a huge slap in the face for first gen owners.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mapsdotapp Avatar
15 weeks ago
As far as I can tell this does not mean wireless lossless. For some reason the USB-C APM did not launch with wired lossless and they are just rectifying that.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)