AirPods Max with VoiceOver on Mac – Any delay when typing?

By Florian Schwab, 1 September, 2025

Forum
Apple Hardware and Compatible Accessories

Hi everyone,
I’m thinking about buying the AirPods Pro Max and would mainly use them with my Mac and VoiceOver.
Does anyone know if there’s any noticeable delay when typing while VoiceOver is speaking?
I’d rather not spend that much money if the response time isn’t great.
Thanks for sharing your experience!

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Comments

By Maldalain on Monday, September 1, 2025 - 08:40

I have the Airpods Pro 2 and they have very Minimal lag. The Max has a hefty price so you may think of alternatives as they have lower price point with equivalent quality of build and audio.

By Florian Schwab on Monday, September 1, 2025 - 09:05

i need head phones with good buttons i have all ready tested the beads but the buttons are not compatible with my disabilitys

By Igna Triay on Monday, September 1, 2025 - 21:14

Seconding about the airpods pro not having any delay, I'm guessing the airpods max are the same.

By Khomus on Tuesday, September 2, 2025 - 02:26

Out of curiosity, what do you consider comparable? I ask because I tried quite a few headphones and ended up with the Airpods Pro second Gen, because they just sounded the best. I started with some sort of wireless earbuds touted by some site, maybe AT Guys? They were not great. Then I got Airpods Pro and returned them because they seemed pretty losable. Then I tried Beats because Apple said they had a lot of the same features. I was not impressed, Esp. compared to the Airpods. So I ended up going with them in the end.

Other things that *might* have been comparable, e.g. Sony, Bose, seemed as expensive, or more, than the Airpods. I think I tried at least one other brand I'm forgetting about. IMO nothing had comparable sound quality.

By João Santos on Tuesday, September 2, 2025 - 02:50

Wireless audio devices always have a little bit of noticeable lag due to buffering, and the AirPods Max are no exception, however the current version of the firmware for the USB-c variant provides USB audio support meaning no lag and even lossless audio support if you use them wired, which is what I do. In addition to USB audio, Apple also makes available a male-male 3.5mm headphone jack to USB-c cable that you can use to plug into analog audio devices (they used to sell a Lightning variant of this cable as well but it appears to have been discontinued along with the Lightning AirPods Max themselves). The ability to use these headphones wired and connect to analog devices were the two selling points for me personally.

A few things to note:

  • The male-male 3.5mm headphone jack to USB-c cable provides stereo USB audio both ways but to my knowledge this is not configurable on macOS, which always recognizes the cable as an output device no matter which end you plug into the computer;
  • Currently, the Microphone of the AirPods Max is only available via Bluetooth, so if the computer starts capturing audio from it, it will temporarily switch everything to Bluetooth mode even if you're using them wired, but they might fix this in the future with a firmware update just like they added USB audio support long after launch with a firmware update;
  • While originally I expressed disapproval of the audio signature of the AirPods Max on this forum, I have since realized that this was due to being used to the treble-heavy signature of the wired EarPods, as these days I am already totally used to the bass-heavy nature of these headphones and appreciate them as they are;
  • While many people complain about the weight of these headphones, it doesn't really bother me, as they fit my small head perfectly and its ear cups are so massive that my ears fit completely inside;
  • Shortly after buying the AirPods Max I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the ear cup cushions are only magnetically attached so they are very easy to replace when they get dirty or smelly due to sweat condensation, however the replacements are relatively expensive, as with everything relating to these headphones;
  • Wearing these headphones during heat waves is prone to cause skin irritation due to the accumulation of sweat between the skin and the cushions of the ear cups;
  • The sealing provided by the ear cups of these headphones is quite good on its own, so the isolation provided when their active noise cancellation feature is enabled is impressive.

By Oliver on Tuesday, September 2, 2025 - 07:05

It's the same as the AirPods Pro 2 in that, it's perfectly usable and likely best in class for over ears with apple products.

I love my APM. I've been through quite a few mid to high mid wireless over ears and, though I've found some with lighter builds, I've not found anything that is more convenient. As they say, the best headphone you get is the one you use.

The way the APM disconnect from devices automatically is really useful for Voiceover users and, the transparency is still the best you can get.

The biggest downside for them is the price. They are a five year old design. They are too expensive. 399, would place them better, in my view. Asking such a premium is what Apple do though.

I'm hoping the UK manage to get this new thing through which means Apple has to open up its can of special sauce such as magic switching and deep integration of peripherals. It would be nice to have a wider choice of devices that work well with the platform, especially for us where the integration can be beneficial for accessibility.