Apple Releases New Beta Firmware for AirPods Pro, AirPods, and AirPods Max

Apple today introduced a new beta firmware update for the original AirPods Pro, AirPods 2, AirPods 3, and AirPods Max. The new firmware is 6A307, up from the prior 6A300 firmware released in September. The updates are limited to developers at the current time.

airpods pro 2 pink
Apple does not often provide details or notes on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware, so it is unclear what's new.

Apple does not offer instructions on how to upgrade AirPods software, but firmware is generally installed over-the-air while the ‌‌AirPods‌‌ are connected to an iOS device. Putting the ‌‌‌‌‌AirPods‌‌‌‌‌ in the case, connecting the ‌‌‌‌‌AirPods‌‌‌‌‌ to a power source, and then pairing the ‌‌‌‌‌AirPods‌‌‌‌‌ to an iOS device or Mac should force the update.

You can check your ‌‌‌AirPods‌‌ or ‌‌‌‌‌‌AirPods Pro‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ firmware by following these steps:

  • Connect your ‌‌‌‌‌‌AirPods Pro‌‌‌‌‌‌ to your iOS device.
  • Open the Settings app.
  • Tap General.
  • Tap About.
  • Tap ‌‌‌‌‌AirPods‌‌‌‌‌.
  • Look at the number next to "Firmware Version."

If we learn more about what's new in the firmware update, we'll update this article.

Related Roundups: AirPods 4, AirPods Max, AirPods Pro 3
Related Forum: AirPods

Popular Stories

Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Apple Is Expected to Launch These Four MacBooks in 2026

Friday January 9, 2026 8:17 am PST by
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. ...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

10 Reasons to Wait for This Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday January 8, 2026 2:56 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Apple Confirms Google Gemini Will Power Next-Generation Siri This Year

Monday January 12, 2026 7:38 am PST by
In a statement shared with CNBC today, Apple confirmed that Google Gemini will power the next-generation version of Siri that is slated to launch later this year. "After careful evaluation, we determined that Google's technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and we're excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for our users," the statement...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Elon Musk Reacts to Apple and Google Teaming on Gemini-Powered Siri

Monday January 12, 2026 11:38 am PST by
Elon Musk today expressed concern about Apple and Google partnering on a more personalized version of Siri powered by Google's generative AI platform Gemini. "This seems like an unreasonable concentration of power for Google, given that [they] also have Android and Chrome," wrote Musk, in a post on X. Musk serves as CEO of xAI, the company behind Gemini competitor Grok. It is unlikely...
iOS 26

Here's What's New in iOS 26.3 So Far

Monday January 12, 2026 1:15 pm PST by
Apple today seeded the second beta of iOS 26.3, nearly a month after the first beta. So far, the update includes a couple of new features for iPhones. iOS 15.3 through iOS 18.3 were all released in late January over the years, so it is thereby likely that iOS 26.3 will be released towards the end of this month as well. The update is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. Below,...
proposed unicode emoji 18%402x

Squinting Face, Pickle, and Lighthouse Among New Emoji Coming to iOS

Friday January 9, 2026 4:24 am PST by
The Unicode Consortium has published a draft list of emoji that could come to smartphones and other devices in the future. The list shared by Emojipedia outlines 19 emoji candidates under consideration for Emoji 18.0, which is expected to be finalized in September 2026. Among the proposed additions are a squinting face emoji, left- and right-pointing thumb gestures, a pickle, a lighthouse, a ...
apple homekit ios 18 5

Apple Reminding Users of Pending Home App Upgrade Requirement

Friday January 9, 2026 10:08 am PST by
Back in late 2022 and early 2023, Apple rolled out a new architecture for its Apple Home platform to deliver improved performance and compatibility, although the rollout came with some hiccups that forced Apple to pull and later re-release the upgrade. Three years later, Apple is now on the verge of ending support for the old version of the Home architecture, which may result in access to...
Apple Intelligence iPhone 16

Google Gemini Partnership With Apple Will Go Beyond Siri Revamp

Monday January 12, 2026 8:48 am PST by
Apple and Google today announced that Google Gemini will help power not only a more personalized version of Siri, but a range of future Apple Intelligence features. "Apple and Google have entered into a multi-year collaboration under which the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google's Gemini models and cloud technology," the companies said, in a statement. "These...

Top Rated Comments

grantishere Avatar
27 months ago
Complaints about ANC and Adaptive Audio incoming
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
msackey Avatar
27 months ago

Complaints about ANC and Adaptive Audio incoming
WHAT DID YOU SAY? I CAN'T HEAR YOU.

I think my ANC is so good it cancels out everything......
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
msackey Avatar
27 months ago
Ok, back to some seriousness:

I have noticed what looks to be a few bugs that have to do with battery drain and battery charging. Once in a while, I notice that after one earpod charges to 100%, the other earpod which might be at 80% will stop charging. You'd think that it should level out so that both pods attain the same level of charge.

I also notice that there sometimes is a drastic difference in battery usage between the two. I think it's reasonable to think that there could be a 5% or so difference in battery charge when being used since one pod is doing the supposedly heavily lifting of communicating to the phone (my assumption; I could be wrong). But sometimes I see a difference of maybe 10% or close to 15% or more! That doesn't seem right.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bradman83 Avatar
27 months ago
I can't speak for others but the Bluetooth connection on my 2nd generation AirPods Pros has been really flaky lately, regardless of which device it's connected to. Hopefully part of what Apple is trying to do with these firmware updates is improve reliability. Today it randomly skipped part of a song (like two parts were mushed together) and then stopped entirely. I never have this problem with Apple Music played through speaker or CarPlay.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
deebinem Avatar
27 months ago

You can check your ‌‌‌AirPods‌‌ or ‌‌‌‌‌‌AirPods Pro‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ firmware by following these steps:

* Connect your ‌‌‌‌‌‌AirPods Pro‌‌‌‌‌‌ to your iOS device.

* Open the Settings app.

* Tap General.

* Tap About.

* Tap ‌‌‌‌‌AirPods‌‌‌‌‌.

* Look at the number next to "Firmware Version."

I'm pretty sure since iOS16 (maybe earlier?) there is now a dedicated AirPods section that appears directly after your profile info in Settings, once the AirPods have been connected, that lists the Firmware without having to dig into General.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
t0rqx Avatar
27 months ago
With this rate these articles are just copy and paste.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)