AirPods Max with a USB-C port are getting three new features next month, at no extra cost.
Apple today announced that iOS 18.4 will add support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio to the AirPods Max when they are connected to an iPhone. An accompanying AirPods Max firmware update will also be required.
As noted by 9to5Mac's Michael Burkhardt, this means the AirPods Max with a USB-C port will also support wired audio playback for the first time. This is something that the USB-C version of the headphones lacked until now, even with third-party adapters. The older AirPods Max with a Lightning port already supported wired playback.
iPadOS 18.4 and macOS Sequoia 15.4 will also add support for these features when using AirPods Max with an iPad or Mac.
Audio files are typically compressed, to keep file sizes smaller, and this can cause some data loss. Lossless audio uses a type of compression with no data loss, and this allows for songs to be virtually indistinguishable from their original studio recordings. There are more than 100 million songs available with lossless audio on Apple Music.
In a support document, Apple acknowledges that it can be hard to notice the difference between songs that use Apple Music's standard compression format, and 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio, but some audiophiles swear by lossless audio.
While we are talking about merely milliseconds, ultra-low latency audio further reduces the amount of time it takes for audio from a source to be transmitted to the AirPods Max. Low-latency audio is especially beneficial for gaming.
Lossless audio with ultra-low latency will require a wired connection to an audio source. You will be able to use the USB-C to USB-C cable that comes in the AirPods Max box, or purchase Apple's new USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable.
Apple's announcement did not mention lossless audio and ultra‑low latency audio support for the AirPods Max with a Lightning port.
iOS 18.4 will be released to the public in April, according to Apple, so the new AirPods Max features will be available next month.
