How to reset AirPods Max to factory settings

Fix connection and performance problems with AirPods Max by rebooting or returning them to factory settings. Martyn Casserly reports

Apple’s new AirPods Max have arrived, bringing a wealth of audio splendour to your ears, so long as you have the copious funds required to buy them. But what if you have trouble connecting them to your iPhone or other device?

Here’s the quick and easy way to reboot them or even return the AirPods Max to factory settings if things go awry.

HOW TO REBOOT AIRPODS MAX

If you find you’re having problems with audio or the connection to your device, then a good idea is to quickly reboot the AirPods Max to see if that clears the issue. Yes, it’s the old ‘have you tried

turning it off and on again?’ solution. To do this, look for the two buttons on the upper edge of the right enclosure. One is the noise control button, while the other is the Digital Crown. To reboot the AirPods Max, press and hold both buttons until you see the status light at the bottom of the enclosure flashing with an amber colour. Release the buttons, reconnect the AirPods Max and see if that’s fixed the problem.

HOW TO RESET AIRPODS MAX TO FACTORY SETTINGS

Should rebooting your AirPods Max not clear the issue, then you might want to try a little more drastic action. Returning the headphones to their factory settings will give you a clean start, plus it will also unpair them from your iCloud account, allowing you to set them up from scratch once more.

To perform a factory reset, press and hold both the noise control button and Digital Crown for around 15 seconds. You’ll see the status light on the bottom of the enclosure flash amber and then go white. This means that the reset is complete.

Release the buttons and try setting up the AirPods Max once more. Hopefully, you’ll now have uninterrupted audio to enjoy.