Apple just reintroduced a missing AirPods Max feature

This morning, Apple announced a new feature for USB-C AirPods Max. Starting with iOS 18.4, they’ll now be capable of lossless audio playback, enabling ultra-low latency listening over a wired connection.

AirPods Max with USB-C are now going to be capable of wired audio playback for the first time, a feature that was initially missing when the headphones debuted last September.

Lightning model offered wired playback

A lot of people might not have known this, but Lightning AirPods Max actually supported wired audio playback from the beginning. Since the introduction in 2020, you were able to use a Lightning to 3.5mm cable (which Apple happily sold for $35) – and connect your AirPods Max to any device with a 3.5mm headphone jack.

This feature was interestingly missing from USB-C AirPods Max. If you relied on a wired connection with your old AirPods Max sometimes, you’d no longer have that flexibility with the new pair. This was disappointing for a number of USB-C AirPods Max buyers.

Outside of the new colors and the port swap, there were no feature advantages to this new pair of AirPods Max – and on top of that, you were also losing a feature compared to the Lightning model.

Wired playback returns to USB-C model

However, that’ll no longer be the case in April with iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4. With a new software update, AirPods Max will now be capable of lossless audio over USB-C – enabling wired playback on the USB-C variant for the very first time.

AirPods Max (USB-C) will be capable of wired playback with the included USB-C cable, as well as a new USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable that Apple begun selling today, enabling new workflows:

Lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio enable music creators to fully utilize AirPods Max throughout their entire professional workflow on Logic Pro and other music creation apps. Using the USB-C cable, AirPods Max will become the only headphones that enable musicians to both create and mix in Personalized Spatial Audio with head tracking. By delivering lossless, high-resolution digital audio with low latency, artists can seamlessly record and mix with AirPods Max without compromising fidelity.

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