Apple Releases New Beta Firmware for AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max
Apple today provided developers with a new beta firmware update for the AirPods 2, AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods Max. The new beta has a version number of 5B5040c.

Apple has been providing beta updates for the AirPods since the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, and the firmware is limited to developers who can download it from the Developer Center. Installing the beta requires an iPhone running iOS 16, a Mac running the macOS Ventura beta, Xcode 14, and supported AirPods.
Developers are required to pair the AirPods with an iPhone, connect the iPhone to a Mac with a Lightning cable, launch Xcode 14 beta on the Mac, navigate to Settings > Developer, and choose Pre-Release Beta Firmware under the AirPods Testing section. Subsequent updates are delivered over the air once the pre-release testing option is enabled.
There is no word on what is included in the beta firmware at this time. The prior version of the AirPods firmware added improvements to Automatic Switching and stability fixes.
Following testing, the software will come to all AirPods and it could potentially see a launch alongside iOS 16.1, which is also in testing.
Popular Stories
Apple has added a new "iPhone Handoff" feature to iOS 27 that will allow you to switch between two iPhones while using the same phone number on each device.
This functionality was briefly mentioned during the WWDC 2026 keynote in June, on a slide that listed hundreds of new features coming in iOS 27 and corresponding software updates, but Apple never shared any further details at the time.
...
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today further outlined what to expect from the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 set to be unveiled on September 9.
While it was initially rumored that Touch ID may be coming to the Apple Watch this year, Gurman reiterated that he does not expect the Series 12 or Ultra 4 to have any major design changes compared to the current Series 11 and Ultra 3 models.
...
Apple's former hardware engineering chief John Ternus became its CEO on Tuesday, and the company made a controversial decision on his very first day in charge.
As of Tuesday, Apple Maps users in the U.S. see the name "Lake America" instead of Lake Ontario for the Great Lake that straddles the New York—Ontario border.
Apple made this change after the U.S. Geographic Names Information...