AirPods Max Update 3C39 May Address Troubling Battery Drain Issue

This week, Apple released an update for the AirPods Max that may address a troubling battery drain issue plaguing some users. This release follows update 3C19, which was released when the AirPods Max first launched last year.

The issue appeared shortly after Apple released the AirPods Max in December 2020. One of the biggest complaints among new owners was an unexpected drop in power when the AirPods were left to sit idle.

Most often, this battery drain occurred at night when the owner was not using their AirPods Max. Some people note that their AirPods were one percent in the morning even though they were fully charged the night before.

A factory reset of the AirPods Max would fix the issue at least temporarily for some people. Hopefully, this latest firmware addresses this issue, so owners don’t have to resort to a full wipe of their earbuds.

The update, 3C39, was released without any release notes, so we don’t know exactly what Apple has bundled into this release. Apple typically doesn’t provide release notes for accessory updates unless the new firmware contains a critical feature or significant security fix.

The battery drain issue is inconvenient but not necessarily a security flaw or critical issue. It’s very possible Apple may address this issue without any announcement.

How Do I Install the Update?

As it is with many Apple devices, AirPods Max owners don’t have to do anything to install this update. It will be installed automatically when the earbuds are connected to an iPhone.

Users can check the firmware version in the Settings > Bluetooth menu to see when this update has been installed.