A Brooklyn federal judge has thrown out most of the claims in a proposed class action lawsuit accusing Apple of not fixing condensation issues with its AirPod Max headphones.
In an April 2025 filing, two plaintiffs alleged that condensation builds up inside the AirPods Max ear cups during normal indoor use, degrading sound, breaking ear detection and active noise cancellation, and interfering with charging. The plaintiffs claimed that Apple was aware of the issue as early as 2018, but stayed quiet.
However, in her ruling, Eastern District of New York Judge Orelia E. Merchant said the expensive headphones do what they were made for, even if they don’t meet a buyer’s expectations (via Law360).
From the 24-page order:
On April 9, 2021, while residing in New York, Plaintiff Apicella ordered AirPods Max headphones and AppleCare+ through Apple’s website. Upon receiving and using his AirPods Max, Plaintiff Arthur Apicella “noticed excessive condensation in his AirPods Max ear cups while watching a movie,” and his AirPods Max “generate[d] condensation in the ear cups every time he used them, often after only about 15 minutes of use.”
On May 23, 2021, while residing in Washington, Plaintiff Dustin Amundson purchased AirPods Max headphones and AppleCare. Shortly after purchasing them, Plaintiff Amundson “noticed excessive condensation in his AirPods Max ear cups while performing every day tasks, indoors, at home,” and they “generate[d] condensation in the ear cups every time he use[d] them.”
Plaintiffs allege that they “are unable to use their AirPods Max to enjoy ‘exhilarating high-fidelity audio’ . . . or the supposed ‘[s]patial audio with dynamic head tracking [giving them] a theater-like experience for movies and shows, with sound that surrounds [them.]'” Instead, they experience switches in connection between their devices, pauses in connectivity or sound quality, failure to connect to wireless networks “with increasing frequency as the condensation worsens,” and “failure to maintain its battery charge” for the advertised 20 hours.
On Monday, Judge Merchant dismissed every claim brought under New York law with prejudice, finding that the state’s implied warranty of merchantability asks only that a product meet “a minimal level of quality,” not that it needs to be perfect.
While the New York resident was dropped from the case, the Washington state resident may still proceed with two claims under Washington law and the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.
Apple’s AirPods Max over-the-ear headphones were released on December 15, 2020, and almost immediately, some owners complained of issues with condensation in the ear cups.
AirPod Max owners who wore the headphones for a prolonged amount of time said they saw noticeable condensation inside the ear cup. The condensation reportedly happens no matter what the temperature is, and while some users see it after several hours of use, others reported seeing it after just an hour or two. One user claimed the issue has led to issues with Active Noise Cancellation. Since the AirPods Max are not water-resistant, users were concerned that the condensation may affect the life of the headphones.
The New York case is not the first AirPods Max condensation class action to be dismissed. An earlier California case filed in February 2021 was settled before reaching class action status, as the lead plaintiffs settled their individual claims with Apple.
While Apple has not disputed that condensation can accumulate inside the cups, the company’s lawyers are said to have argued that this is “simply more noticeable” than in over-ear headphones from other companies, since the AirPods Max sports magnetic and removable ear cups.