AirPods Max audio support with lightning to usb c cable to Mac

So far I have not been able to play music to my Airpods Max via a USB-C to Lightning connector via the cable it only connects to Bluetooth for audio. I hope this changes in the future as it makes no sense to me. (the proprietary 3.5mm - lightning converts the analog signal from the 3.5m jack to digital) So I have no idea why a straight digital signal cant be sent through the USB-C cable.

Hello thenosyt1,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

We understand that you want to know if the AirPods Max support audio input via the Lightning to USB-C cable. The technical specifications indicate that the only connectivity for the AirPods Max is via Bluetooth 5.0 and that charging is via the Lightning connector.

AirPods Max - Specifications

Best regards.

Then what is the 3.5mm adapter for?

No support for USB to Lightning audio may be a dealbreaker for me...

Wrong.

This seems like a true oversight and something that could easily be solved through a software update. Why remove 3.5mm from iPhones then not support digital audio on your high-end headphones? These were a definite buy for me but became a tossup after seeing this news...

I also heard that the microphone doesn't work with the 3.5 mm headphone jack. That is a definite deal breaker for me as I intended to use these headphones for work on conference calls with the 3.5mm (no BT on company computers).

Yeah, it does for sure. A few reviews said the audio is slightly better when they're wired (via the 3.5mm adaptor) and as I sit so close to my laptop I wouldn't mind having a cable for when I want to listen to things at a slightly better quality. I did just try again for you to see if there was a software update but nothing has changed. I also tested it with a traditional USB to lightning instead of USB-C to lightning with no change at all.

Hope this changes soon!

Same here...Why no direct digital wired connect?