A few AirPods Max users report condensation forming inside the earcups

A peculiar moisture problem seems to be affecting some AirPod Max units.

A Twitter user named Donald Filimon tweeted a picture of the inside of his earphones, showing off water droplets accumulating on the metal behind the earcups. He also reports the issue is breaking the auto-play/pause feature.

This seems like a pretty isolated incident so far, but a few people who also own the ‘Space Grey’ version of the AirPods Max have tweeted back at Filimon, stating that they’ve experienced similar issues.

So, uhh… my AirPods Max form condensation after extended use. They’ve never been used in any humid environment. The water gets inside the drivers and has caused ear detection problems. I’ve been wearing them inside sitting at a desk mainly, nothing crazy. Super concerning issue pic.twitter.com/0pWicvxLv9

— Donald Filimon (@donaldfilimon) December 27, 2020

Some people suggest that since the AirPods Max feature a metal design, condensation can form more easily given metal retains its temperature as you move from one environment to another. If you combine this with the wearer’s ears’ warmth, there’s potential for water to form.

That said, it remains to be seen if the moisture issue negatively impacts the headphones. Filimon says he’s having problems with the automatic play/pause feature due to the amount of condensation in the headphones, but other users seem to be getting along just fine. There’s also another tweet where Filimon replies to a deleted tweet saying he was wearing the headphones for “roughly 12 hours of constant use,” which is likely longer than the length most people will use them for.

However, other users who have this problem report wearing the units for a lot less time. You can check out the full Twitter thread here.

Source: Donald Filimon (@donaldfilimon)