Should your AirPods Max start malfunctioning and you decide to take them to service to an Apple store, don’t be surprised if you get a replacement pair without a fresh set of ear cushions.
Where are my replacement cushions?
That’s according to 9to5Mac, whose reader had an issue with the rotatable Digital Crown button on their AirPods Max. After sending the headphones for repair, the user received a pair of replacement earphones but without a fresh pair of ear cushions. “Apple’s assumption is that you should take the ear cups from your damaged AirPods Max and use them with your new pair,” the publication speculates.
For those wondering, the replacement ear cushions are currently listed on the online Apple store with March delivery dates due to shortages. Speculating further, the publication says that this also allows Apple to only replace the ear cushions.
This isn’t hardly some nefarious plot on Apple’s part—if you read the instruction manual that came with your AirPods Max, pictured above, you’ll see the included diagram which advises users to remove their ear cushions before sending their AirPods Max to Apple in a repair box.
Expensive ear cushions
The Cupertino tech giant can get away with this thanks to the modular design of the AirPods Max. As you know, ear cushions attaching magnetically to the ear cups, making it very simple to swap your ear cushions for a pair of new ones. This also allows for some creative possibilities in terms of mixing headband and ear cushion colors. That’s because Apple is selling replacement ear cushions for the AirPods Max in a range of colors.
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Interestingly, replacement AirPods Pro units do arrive with a set of new ear tips in the repair box. The fact that the AirPods Pro replacement ear tips are priced at $8 while the AirPods Max replacement cushions cost much more at $69 a pair might have something to do with it.