Apple: AirPods Max go into ‘low-power mode’ five minutes after being switched off

Apple has specified how the AirPods Max conserve battery with low-power modes. Those modes are important because users cannot turn off the headphones themselves. A teardown also shows that the headphones do not seem to be easily repairable.

The AirPods Max have a low-power mode in which the headphones disconnect the active Bluetooth connection, but Bluetooth and the Find My function to find lost headphones will remain on. The ultra low-power mode ensures that bluetooth and Find My turn off completely. That happens faster when using the included Smart Case than without, says Apple.

The low-power modes are necessary because the headphones don’t have a Power button to turn them off completely. For control, there is a rotary knob on the housing that Apple refers to as a ‘digital crown’, just like with its Watch. The other button is for noise canceling control.

In the meantime, iFixit has started to teardown the headphones. This shows that the ear cups are not as easy to open as the screws suggest: the cover over the components is also glued.

Apple announced the headphones, which cost 629 euros, a week and a half ago. The manufacturer wants to distinguish its headphones by using aluminum for the ear cups and the use of algorithms for adapting the sound to users. There is also support for Spatial Audio, which can adjust where the sound appears to be coming from thanks to head movement detection.