I’m experiencing a persistent issue with the new USB-C lossless audio feature on AirPods Max (firmware 7E101). I’m using original Apple USB-C to USB-C cable and have tested this setup across multiple Apple devices, including:
• iPhone (running iOS 18.5 beta)
• iPad Pro with USB-C
• MacBook Pro (15.5 Beta)
❗️Problem:
Despite Apple’s announcement that AirPods Max now support wired lossless audio over USB-C, I’m unable to get any audio output via USB-C on any device.
• On iPhone: I disabled Bluetooth, connected via USB-C — no sound.
• On MacBook: The device is shown as “AirPods Max USB Audio” in System Information > USB, but it does not appear in Sound settings or Audio MIDI Setup as an available output.
• On iPad Pro: Same behavior — no audio output.
Other details:
• I performed a factory reset of the headphones, but the LED flashes red instead of the expected amber → white sequence.
(Apple’s documentation does not mention red flash behavior during reset — might indicate an error state.)
• The issue is not isolated to the iOS 18.5 beta — since the same behavior occurs on macOS and iPadOS.
What works:
• Bluetooth audio still works fine.
• The cable and USB-C ports function with other audio devices.
⸻
Summary:
It looks like:
• USB audio is being detected on a hardware level (at least on Mac),
• but software support for output (especially on macOS/iPadOS) is either not implemented, disabled, or bugged — possibly connected to iOS 18.5 beta or broader OS-level limitations.
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Drivers