I was looking forward to listening to the band's new albums Sloan And Taylor Swiftbut I needed to freeze something first.
I actually needed to put my AirPods Max in the freezer. If this sounds strange, that's because it is. And yet it allowed me to listen to A Dancer's Life. At least for a while.
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Three amber lights of death
I bought mine AirPods Max in 2021 and have been using them almost every day since then. After becoming increasingly frustrated with other Bluetooth headphones which required manual connections to various devices, I felt it was justified to spend $500 on headphones that, for the most part, work as intended. Plus, I find the over-ear design more comfortable over long distances than sticking the AirPods Pro into my ear canals.
However, lately my AirPods Max have been having some issues requiring a reboot to activate. To do this, you need to hold the noise canceling button and the Digital Crown for a few seconds until the indicator starts flashing yellow. (Oh my God, Apple, why don't you add a simple on/off switch?)
To restart AirPods Max, hold down the Digital Crown and the Mode button for a few seconds.
But one day this ritual of pressing buttons stopped working.
It's time for a nuclear option for headphones: a factory reset. This involves pressing the same combination of buttons, but for about 15 seconds, after which the light should flash yellow once and then white.
There was no white one. Instead, the light flashed yellow three times and went out.
An internet search revealed references to the “three amber lights of death” as well as a strange fix that made me think the AI ​​was hallucinating: put them in the freezer for 30 minutes or longer.
Cold Solution
For someone who tries to take care of his electronics, the idea of ​​throwing in $500 headphones with frozen peas seemed decidedly risky and, at the very least, unscientific. But further online research revealed reports that the fix actually worked.
So they went into the refrigerator, wrapped in the case they came with. It's unclear if the case is necessary, but built-in magnets allow the AirPods Max to sleep when not in use or charging, so it seems like a smart option.
Yes, I put my AirPods Max in the freezer.
The internet says to let them cool for at least 30 minutes, but to be safe, I left them in there for over an hour.
When they came out, I took them out of the now hard case, placed them on my ears, and sure enough, I heard a beep indicating that the Bluetooth had successfully paired with my device. Apart from wiping them down to remove condensation and running them with cool ears for a few minutes, the headphones performed as they should.
I froze my AirPods Max in an attempt to revive them.
Why will freezing AirPods Max work?
As I listened to my new tunes, I couldn't help but wonder why this low-tech solution worked. I've read the speculationnamely, a Reddit post from MuesliCrunch) suggests that the thin wires carrying power may crack over time, especially after hundreds or thousands of turns of the headphones (as they rotate 90 degrees to fit smoothly into the case). This microscopic crack can cause problems with the connection.
By freezing AirPods, the cold can cause the sheath around the wires to shrink, temporarily bridging the cracked areas.
Plan B: Cleaning Contacts
Another possible solution I tried was to remove the headband and clean the contacts, which resemble smaller versions of Apple's Lightning connector. First I had to remove the magnetic earbuds and use a tool to remove the SIM card. (This is a small oblong metal piece that might come with your smartphone, though Apple stopped including them in its models starting with iPhone 14, after replacing the SIM card tray with eSIM.)
It's also worth trying to remove the pin and clean the contacts.
I then pressed it into the small hole near the stem and pulled out the connector. I took a cotton swab (or a rag) to wipe the contacts with alcohol. The pin snapped back into place for me, although some people say you may need a slight twisting motion to get it to lock completely. I diligently cleaned the contacts, but I'm not sure how much it helped in my case.
The AirPods Max connector looks like a mini version of Apple's Lightning connector.
Is freezing AirPods Max a long-term solution?
Unfortunately, a few days after my initial excitement about the freezing method, the AirPods Max returned to their dormant state, confirming that the cooling method is only a temporary solution.
The headphones are no longer under warranty, so now I need to decide whether to buy a new pair (which use the same technology as my current pair, but with a USB-C port instead of Lightning). I might also search alternative set of headphones. Or I could continue to give my mate the cold shoulder until Apple decides finally update them to the second generation.
In the meantime, I'm leaving some free space in the freezer to try another round of resuscitation. I remember to remove the magnetic cups before putting the headphones in there. This way, I can immediately relax to the music without my ears getting cold either.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment.
