Apple to Offer Beta Versions of AirPods Pro Firmware for Developers

Apple says that starting at a future date, it will offer members of the Apple Developer Program access to beta versions of AirPods Pro firmware updates before they're released and shipped to the public.

AirPods Pro Beta Firmware
Apple made the announcement for developers on the downloads page where beta versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS are available. According to Apple, AirPods Pro firmware betas will allow for the development of certain features on iOS and macOS and will enable features such as Conversation Boost and Ambient Noise Reduction.

Pre-release AirPods Pro firmware for Apple Developer Program members will be available at a future date. This will allow development of features on iOS and macOS for AirPods as well as enable new features, including Conversation Boost (beam forming) and Ambient Noise Reduction (noise suppressor).

Currently, Apple occasionally releases firmware updates for AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max, although there's no reliable way to manually update the devices. Instead, they're updated automatically when connected to power and nearby a paired iPhone or iPad with an internet connection.

It remains unclear how Apple will provide beta versions for AirPods Pro firmware. Presumably, Apple will provide a profile for developers to download that automatically installs and updates the AirPods Pro when there's a new update.

Related Roundup: AirPods Pro 3
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: AirPods

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...
airpods pro 3 glitter

AirPods New Year's Deals Include Up to $99 Off AirPods Max, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Sunday January 4, 2026 8:04 am PST by
Now that the calendar has flipped over into January, steep discounts on popular Apple products have become more rare after the holidays. However, if you didn't get a new pair of AirPods recently and are looking for a model on sale, Amazon does have a few solid second-best prices this week. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a...
Belkin 25W Battery magnetic

CES 2026: Belkin Announces Magnetic Ring Power Bank, Modular Dock, and More

Sunday January 4, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Belkin today announced a range of new charging and connectivity accessories at CES 2026, expanding its portfolio of products aimed at Apple device users. UltraCharge Pro Power Bank 10K with Magnetic Ring The lineup includes new Qi2 and Qi2.2 wireless chargers, magnetic power banks, a high-capacity laptop battery, and USB-C productivity accessories, with an emphasis on higher charging...
m4 macbook air blue 2

iPadOS and macOS 26.2 Double 5GHz Wi-Fi Bandwidth for Wi-Fi 6E Devices

Monday January 5, 2026 1:57 pm PST by
With the release of iPadOS 26.2 and macOS Tahoe 26.2, Apple has improved the Wi-Fi speeds for select Macs and iPads that support Wi-Fi 6E. Updated Wi-Fi connectivity specifications are listed in Apple's platform deployment guide. The M4 iPad Pro models, M3 iPad Air models, A17 Pro iPad mini, M2 to M5 MacBook Pro models, M2, M3, and M4 MacBook Air models, and other Wi-Fi 6E Macs and iPads now ...
AirPods Pro 3 Year of the Horse Feature

Apple Launches Year of the Horse AirPods Pro 3 for Lunar New Year

Monday January 5, 2026 11:28 am PST by
Apple has designed a limited edition version of the AirPods Pro 3 to celebrate Lunar New Year, and customers in select countries can purchase them starting today. The Year of the Horse Special Edition AirPods Pro 3 feature a unique horse emoji character that's otherwise unavailable. Customers in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore are able to buy the AirPods, and they'll be...

Top Rated Comments

BWhaler Avatar
60 months ago
Maybe start with way for everyone to force an update to their firmware?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
darkslide29 Avatar
60 months ago
I don’t see the point of this without Apple also providing release notes, which currently doesn’t happen.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wowfunhappy Avatar
60 months ago

Maybe start with way for everyone to force an update to their firmware?
And to downgrade, pretty please! There needs to be a way to fall back if something goes wrong!

Basically, acknowledge that these things are little computers with actual software and people need to have a bit of agency over the process!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
one more Avatar
60 months ago
Instead, they're updated automatically ('https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/update-airpods/') when connected to power and nearby a paired iPhone ('https://www.macrumors.com/guide/iphone/') or iPad ('https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/ipad/') with an internet connection.

If only! My AP2 are still stuck on 3A283 hardware, whereas 3E751 was released in late April. Tried all the usual stuff > and nope. ??‍♂️
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JCCL Avatar
60 months ago

Interesting. Is this the “new” Apple? I wonder how Apple is going to ensure the firmware isn’t distributed.
Just as they do with iOS, WatchOS, or TVOS developer beta releases......they won't. I assume it will also be a profile
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmatuk Avatar
60 months ago

I am not on a beta device, iOS 14.6 in all its glory! ?

PS I wish they could just make it user-controllable, adding an “Update” button or something.
Oh, ok ok... a manual switch would be awesome but I guess they think it removes some of the "magic" of you don't have to think about it... I also think not a lot of people outside the tech community knows about an update the second they announce it... Who knows really?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)