Charging AirPods Max, checking battery status and more: you need to know this

Not a charging box, but an old-fashioned cable. In this article we explain how to charge an AirPods Max. We also consider the controversial storage cover, which is extra economical with the battery of the headphones.

Guide: Charging AirPods Max

The AirPods Max is the proverbial odd man out. Not only its design is striking, charging is also different than you are used to. Where you supply the regular AirPods and AirPods Pro with power via the supplied case, the Apple over-ear headphones have a real charging port. You supply the AirPods Max with power via a Lightning cable.

Speaking of which: just like the iPhone 12 (and other iPhones), you don’t get a charger included. Don’t have a charging block at home yet? Then you have to purchase it separately. It is probably best to buy a powerful charger right away, because the AirPods Max can handle fast charging. Therefore buy a charger of at least 20 Watt. In that case, you can listen for 90 minutes with a 5-minute charge.

The AirPods Max has a user duration of 20 hours. It does not matter whether you are listening to music, have active noise cancellation on or completely immersed in the spatial audio function: you can always advance 20 hours on a single charge.

Check AirPods Max battery

Are you wondering how full your Apple headphones are? You can easily check this via the linked iPhone, iPad or Mac. Hold your AirPods Max close to the device and wait until the notification shows how full the headphones are.

Do you use a Mac? Then click on the bluetooth button at the top right of the screen and leave your mouse on the AirPods Max. You should now see how full the headphones are.

You can also manually check the battery percentage of the Apple headset. Is the headset charging? Then press the noise control button. When the battery percentage is above 95 percent, the light on the right earcup turns green. If the battery is less than 95 percent full, the light turns orange.

Is the AirPods Max not hanging on the charger? Then you also use the noise control button to check the battery percentage. The light glows green when it is at least 15 percent full. If the over-ear headphones are less than 15 percent full, the light turns orange.

About the storage cover

Apple and controversy go hand in hand and the AirPods Max is another hit. The cover supplied in particular is a topic of discussion. The so-called Smart Case is not made to protect the AirPods headphones, but to activate the ultra-energy-saving mode.

As soon as you place the headphones in the case, they use less power, which extends the battery life. You can ‘just’ charge the AirPods Max while it is in the storage case.

Do you not have a Smart Case with you, but do you want to activate the ultra-energy-efficient mode? Then simply put the headphones on the table. After about 15 minutes, the energy-saving mode is activated by itself. By means of ear detection, the AirPods Max knows that you are currently not wearing it.

More about the AirPods Max

The wearing comfort and quality of AirPods, but in over-ear headphones: that is the AirPods Max in a nutshell. Apple’s first headphones have excellent sound, a variety of audio functions and are available in five colors. Do you want to buy the AirPods Max? The headphones cost 629 euros.