Apple Releases Firmware Updates for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Apple today released firmware updates for both AirPods 4 models (version number 7B20) and the AirPods Pro 2 with both Lightning and USB-C charging cases (version number 7B21). All of these AirPods models were previously on firmware version 7B19.

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature
It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in firmware versions 7B20 and 7B21, but we will update this story if we find out.

Last month's firmware version 7B19 enabled new hearing aid, hearing test, and hearing protection features on AirPods Pro 2 when paired with an iPhone or iPad running iOS 18.1 or iPadOS 18.1 or later. Availability of these features varies by country. Apple's release notes never indicated what that firmware version added to the AirPods 4.

There is no way to manually force the installation of a firmware update on AirPods. Firmware updates are generally installed over-the-air when the AirPods are in a charging case and connected to an iOS device or a Mac.

Update: Apple says firmware versions 7B20 and 7B21 include "bug fixes and other improvements." No further details were provided.

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

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...

Top Rated Comments

pcaleb Avatar
9 months ago
The usual Apple AirPods mystery: "We've released a new firmware update, but we're not going to tell you what it does or how to install it."
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarlJ Avatar
9 months ago

99% of the users do not even know, there are updates. They just happen miraculously - kind of a perfect mechanism.
All we want is a button in the AirPods section in Settings (the bit that appears when they're connected), that says, "Check for updates now", rather than waiting for the barometric pressure to be a prime number or whatever mysterious test they currently do before updating. That's all, just a "try it now" button.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
axantas Avatar
9 months ago

The usual Apple AirPods mystery: "We've released a new firmware update, but we're not going to tell you what it does or how to install it."
99% of the users do not even know, there are updates. They just happen miraculously - kind of a perfect mechanism.

Ever done an update of Sony Ear-/Headphones? Be happy to be with Apple. Sony is a tedious process in their strange app. If you don't have the app = no updates at all.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
saulinpa Avatar
9 months ago

Someone can share the case version? Thank you!
47.08 under USB
Case Version: 71.8.0 under Bluetooth
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shirasaki Avatar
9 months ago
Meanwhile I am having a bigger problem of my AirPods Pro 2 refusing to connect to my iPhone even after a full reset, bit connects to my Mac and iPad perfectly fine, two devices that for some reason CANNOT update AirPods firmware. Like, seriously? Is there some sort of prophecy in play that updating AirPods firmware on devices other than iPhone is a sin? A curse? A blasphemy?

I hope my AirPods Pro 2 won't unpair randomly anymore. I had to reset them and then pair again each time (once a few days).
Yeah, exactly because of this issue, I resorted to disable its auto switch function altogether. It didn’t work well at figuring out which device I was actively using anyways.

All we want is a button in the AirPods section in Settings (the bit that appears when they're connected), that says, "Check for updates now", rather than waiting for the barometric pressure to be a prime number or whatever mysterious test they currently do before updating. That's all, just a "try it now" button.
Yeah why resort to let customer wait unspecified amount of time for the “magic” to happen when a simple “try now” might make the whole situation better.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
9 months ago
I'm fine with quiet updates, but I'd also like a button in settings to force the update if I'd prefer
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)