How to Reset AirPods Max to Factory Settings - MacRumors
Skip to Content

How to Reset AirPods Max to Factory Settings

by

With the first wave of AirPods Max orders now arriving into the hands of customers, as always there are bound to be a few hiccups encountered when trying to connect and use the over-ear headphones with different devices for the first time.

airpods max pairing
If you're experiencing issues, the first thing you should do before anything else is reset the headphones and see if that resolves the problem. If that doesn't work, or if you've decided to return the headphones, you can reset them to factory settings and unpair them from your iCloud account.

How to Reset AirPods Max

  1. Before you reset your AirPods Max, make sure they have some charge by plugging them into a charging point via the supplied USB-C to Lightning Cable.
  2. Press and hold the Noise Control button and the Digital Crown until the LED status light at the bottom of the right-hand earcup flashes amber.

If that doesn't solve your problem, you can reset the AirPods Max to factory settings. If you go down that route to return the headphones to Apple, remember to unpair them from your ‌iCloud‌ account.

airpods max digital crown

How to Reset AirPods Max to Factory Settings

  1. Make sure the headphones have some charge by plugging them into a charging point via the supplied USB-C to Lightning Cable.
  2. Press and hold the Noise Control button and the Digital Crown for 15 seconds, until the LED status light at the bottom of the right-hand earcup flashes amber, then white.

If neither of these options work to resolve your particular problem, contact Apple Support.

There are a couple of other notable customization options with the AirPods Max that are worth knowing about. You can reverse the direction of the Digital Crown volume controls, and also customize the mode selection of the Noise Control button.

Related Roundup: AirPods Max 2
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Max (Buy Now)
Related Forum: AirPods

Top Rated Comments

RPhoto Avatar
71 months ago

Wait - so you can remove them from your iCloud account (removing activation lock) just by pressing the buttons on the headset, without entering your iCloud password at any point? That's not great for something that costs £550!
No, I think it's just been worded badly/confusingly.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
71 months ago

Wait - so you can remove them from your iCloud account (removing activation lock) just by pressing the buttons on the headset, without entering your iCloud password at any point? That's not great for something that costs £550!
There is no activation lock in Airpods. You can use stolen Airpods just fine.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mazz0 Avatar
71 months ago

No, I think it's just been worded badly/confusingly.
Yeah, looks like its been edited. Phew, that would have made them a thief magnet! Mind you, the case might
make thieves too embarrassed to be seen with them. People might think the thief's stolen somebody's bra which I think has a substantially harsher punishment.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

AirPods Max 2 Design

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Max 2

Tuesday May 5, 2026 11:16 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Max 2. The firmware is version 8E258, up from the prior 8E251 firmware that was released just ahead of when the AirPods Max 2 launched. It's not clear what's included in the firmware update, but Apple provides limited details in its AirPods firmware support document. Most updates focus on bug fixes and improvements. The AirPods Max 2 have...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

11 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 18 Pro

Monday May 11, 2026 9:01 am PDT by
We're only four months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a sea change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a...
iOS 26

iOS 26.5 Features: Everything New in iOS 26.5

Monday May 11, 2026 5:09 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 26.5 after a few months of beta testing, and while it doesn't have the Siri features we were hoping for since those are being held until iOS 27, there are a handful of useful changes worth knowing about. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. End-to-End Encryption for RCS Support for end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and...