If you experience an issue with your AirPods Max and want to send them to Apple for replacement, do not include your ear cushions and Smart Case as the warranty does not cover the components.
When Apple released its AirPods Max in December of last year, thousands of people immediately ordered the accessory despite its steep price. Apple officials even admit their over-ear headphones are already on backorder status, meaning there is a lack of available supply. Perhaps this very circumstance caused some defective AirPods Max to slip out of the watchful eyes of quality controllers and landed on the lap of customers. Fortunately, Apple has an efficient warranty replacement system in place, though you might not want to include your ear cushions and Smart Case if ever you received a defective AirPods Max and send them back for replacement. This is because Apple's warranty replacement does not cover these components.
Ear cushions not included with #AirPodsMax warranty replacements https://t.co/Y11ayq0xrT pic.twitter.com/YJuzKgTtrZ — AppleInsider (@appleinsider) January 12, 2021
Tech news outlet 9to5Mac revealed this fact when one of its readers reported experiencing the situation. According to Damien Menn, an AirPods Max owner, and a 9to5Mac reader, he recently found out that Apple does not include ear cushions or Smart Cases when they replace the over-ear headphones sent to them for warranty replacement.
Menn revealed he encountered some problems with his AirPods Max headphones' Digital Crown, prompting him to send them back to Apple for repairs. However, instead of fixing the issue and sending his original over-ear headphones back to him, Apple replaced the entire unit with a new one and promptly sent it back to him. There is one problem, though, as the new headphones he received came without the ear cushions. He found out later that warranty replacements for the AirPods Max do not include ear cushions or Smart Cases.
"My AirPods Max had an issue with the Digital Crown. I received a replacement pair today! They come inside those little "sockets". Also, no ear-cups included, unlike the AirPods Pro that ship with new silicon tips," Menn posted on Twitter. Industry observers say that the decision of Apple not to include ear cushions or Smart Cases in AirPods Max warranty replacements does make sense. If a user does not have any issue with the ear cushions themselves, they can always remove them before sending in the over-ear headphones for repairs. If you experience an issue with the ear cushions, you can send them back to Apple without the headphones.
In the case of Shaun Jenks, another AirPods Max owner, he reported running into connection problems with his over-ear headphones. He said he was already aware that the AirPods Max warranty replacement policy does not include the ear cushions or Smart Case when he sent the headphones back to Apple in the box that it came in. Jenks said that since the issue is the main unit themselves, Apple did not require him to include the Smart Case or the ear cushions in the package. "Yep I got a neat box to send mine back, they are replacing them after connection issues, you don't send the cushions or the case. Still waiting for the replacement set to ship though a week later," Jenks said.
