Beats Studio Buds Gain Battery Pop-Up, Instant iCloud Pairing and More With New Firmware

Apple today released a firmware update for the Beats Studio Buds, and MacRumors has since learned about several new features that were added to Apple's $150 Noise Cancelling earbuds, including instant pairing, easier access to battery status, and more control over volume.

studio buds family
After installing the new firmware, Beats Studio Buds owners have access to instant pairing with all of the Apple devices tied to a user's iCloud account. On Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and TV, pairing can now be done with a single tap.

When holding the Beats Studio Buds case near an ‌iPhone‌, there's now a battery pop-up that displays the current battery life of both the earbuds and the case right on the Home screen, similar to how AirPods function.

Apple has also added a new volume customization option for the "b" button on the Studio Buds. It can be configured to control volume up/down using either the iOS Bluetooth menu or the Beats app for Android devices.

In addition to these changes, Apple this week introduced product personalization for the Beats Fit Pro and the Powerbeats Pro. When ordering these devices from the Apple website, there is now an option to add an engraving on the charging case.

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Top Rated Comments

jclo Avatar
50 months ago

Nope, author is wrong. It's done that for me from day one when I got mine two months ago.
What I shared was direct from Apple, but maybe the connecting to the iPhone bit is wrong? Exact wording: "iPhone users can quickly view battery status simply by opening the case near their phone." I'll tweak the article.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
techno-Zen Avatar
50 months ago
Wtf. They just add iCloud pairing with firmware? Biggest reason I returned mine
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
50 months ago
All these features sound nice but they should be priced at $99.00. NOT $149.99, Let's go!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Canyda Avatar
50 months ago
Hoping the next firmware update can add wingtips.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Complex757 Avatar
50 months ago

Oh, you owned both?
You know the answer to that
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bodonnell202 Avatar
50 months ago

Is anyone else experiencing a UI issue with their beats studio buds (started after updating to iOS 15 upwards). When selecting any sound profile (ANC or transparency) from control centre…the UI sort of sticks to a random profile. The actual sound profile does change but it doesn’t display the selected profile. It’s incredibly frustrating…

I logged it with apple engineers going on 4 months but still no fix. Apparently they are aware of the bug and are looking into it ??‍♂️



Yes mine do exactly that too.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)