Apple plans to begin listing new features and changes in AirPods firmware updates in a forthcoming support document on its website.
In the fifth developer beta of iOS 16, navigating to Settings → General → About → AirPods and tapping on Firmware Version leads to a new page indicating that AirPods firmware details are available at support.apple.com, complete with a link to a support document that will likely be published by the time iOS 16 is publicly released in September.
The new AirPods support document will likely be similar to one that Apple published for AirTag firmware updates earlier this year.
The new AirPods firmware version screen in iOS 16 beta 5 via Reddit
As noted on Reddit, the new Firmware Version page displays the firmware version for both AirPods and the charging cases. The latest firmware version for AirPods was released in May and is listed as "4E71" in the Settings app. There is still no manual way to update the firmware on AirPods, with updates installing automatically.
iOS 26.5 introduces several interoperability changes for third-party wearables, which means European iPhone users have access to new capabilities when using non-Apple accessories.
To comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act, Apple is letting third-party wearables access some features that have historically been limited to the Apple Watch and AirPods.
Proximity pairing - Third-party...
Apple today said Hearing Aid features are now available for the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 in Italy, Romania, and Czechia, while Hypertension alerts have expanded to Israel.
The Hearing Aid option allows the AirPods Pro to be used as an over-the-counter alternative to a traditional set of hearing aids. The AirPods Pro can improve sound to mitigate mild to moderate hearing loss,...
Apple's fourth-generation AirPods Pro could well watch the world for you, with the upcoming earbuds widely tipped to have built-in cameras.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that the camera-equipped AirPods Pro have already reached "advanced" testing, suggesting that the design is virtually locked in and mass production is imminent. Each earbud is expected to feature a tiny built-in infrared...
Good news! Now, having a procedure to force update AirPods would be a nice next step
My AirPod Pros are stuck on a 2 year old firmware and will not update automatically no matter what I do. The Apple Store manually doing it for me is not convenient. I'd even accept having to plug them into a Mac to do it. Just let me do it.