AirPods Pro 2 audio distortion on iPhone 17 Pro Max (iOS 26.x)

I’m experiencing a consistent audio distortion issue when using AirPods Pro 2 with my iPhone 17 Pro Max. The problem started immediately after upgrading from an iPhone 14 Pro Max and has persisted through multiple iOS updates.

Issue

When using AirPods Pro 2, audio becomes distorted and robotic, often higher pitched, especially when the microphone is active.

The issue is easiest to reproduce in PUBG Mobile when enabling the in-game microphone. As soon as the mic activates, the audio almost immediately becomes distorted. If the microphone is disabled, the distortion sometimes still appears after some time but much less frequently.

Environment

• iPhone 17 Pro Max
• iOS 26.x (currently latest available version)
• AirPods Pro 2 (latest firmware)

Important observations

• The exact same AirPods Pro 2 worked perfectly on my previous iPhone 14 Pro Max.
• I tested two different pairs of AirPods Pro 2 and both behave the same.
• I tested a different Bluetooth headset with the iPhone 17 Pro Max and did not experience any distortion.
• This suggests the problem may specifically affect the combination of iPhone 17 Pro Max + AirPods Pro 2, particularly when microphone input is active.

Troubleshooting already performed

• Re-paired AirPods multiple times
• Reset network settings
• Restarted the device
• Full device erase via Settings
• Full restore via Mac (clean iOS installation downloaded from Apple servers)
• Restored backup afterward
• Tested on both Wi-Fi and cellular networks
• Confirmed AirPods firmware is up to date
• Ran Apple remote diagnostics on both the AirPods and the iPhone
• Visited an Apple Store where hardware diagnostics showed no faults

Apple Support suggested waiting for a software update because the issue appeared to be software related. However, several iOS updates have been released since then and the issue still persists.

Question

Is Apple aware of any compatibility or Bluetooth audio issues between iPhone 17 Pro models and AirPods Pro 2?

At this point I have ruled out:

• AirPods hardware
• Basic Bluetooth pairing issues
• corrupted system software
• general Bluetooth problems (since another headset works)

Any guidance or confirmation from Apple or other users experiencing the same behavior would be appreciated.