Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and ‌AirPods 4‌ firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October.

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature
There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, ‌AirPods 4‌ with ANC, and ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ are both set to get expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS 26.2, which is being beta tested.

The firmware could be related to that upcoming functionality, or it could add bug fixes and performance improvements.

To install the new firmware, make sure your AirPods are in range of your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. From there, put your AirPods in the Charging Case and connect the Charging Case to power. Keep the case closed and wait at least 30 minutes for the firmware update to install.

Related Roundup: AirPods Pro 3
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: AirPods

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...
airpods pro 3 glitter

AirPods New Year's Deals Include Up to $99 Off AirPods Max, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Sunday January 4, 2026 8:04 am PST by
Now that the calendar has flipped over into January, steep discounts on popular Apple products have become more rare after the holidays. However, if you didn't get a new pair of AirPods recently and are looking for a model on sale, Amazon does have a few solid second-best prices this week. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a...
Belkin 25W Battery magnetic

CES 2026: Belkin Announces Magnetic Ring Power Bank, Modular Dock, and More

Sunday January 4, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Belkin today announced a range of new charging and connectivity accessories at CES 2026, expanding its portfolio of products aimed at Apple device users. UltraCharge Pro Power Bank 10K with Magnetic Ring The lineup includes new Qi2 and Qi2.2 wireless chargers, magnetic power banks, a high-capacity laptop battery, and USB-C productivity accessories, with an emphasis on higher charging...
m4 macbook air blue 2

iPadOS and macOS 26.2 Double 5GHz Wi-Fi Bandwidth for Wi-Fi 6E Devices

Monday January 5, 2026 1:57 pm PST by
With the release of iPadOS 26.2 and macOS Tahoe 26.2, Apple has improved the Wi-Fi speeds for select Macs and iPads that support Wi-Fi 6E. Updated Wi-Fi connectivity specifications are listed in Apple's platform deployment guide. The M4 iPad Pro models, M3 iPad Air models, A17 Pro iPad mini, M2 to M5 MacBook Pro models, M2, M3, and M4 MacBook Air models, and other Wi-Fi 6E Macs and iPads now ...
AirPods Pro 3 Year of the Horse Feature

Apple Launches Year of the Horse AirPods Pro 3 for Lunar New Year

Monday January 5, 2026 11:28 am PST by
Apple has designed a limited edition version of the AirPods Pro 3 to celebrate Lunar New Year, and customers in select countries can purchase them starting today. The Year of the Horse Special Edition AirPods Pro 3 feature a unique horse emoji character that's otherwise unavailable. Customers in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore are able to buy the AirPods, and they'll be...

Top Rated Comments

Astuces iOS Avatar
8 weeks ago
AirPods Pro 1 deadass or what?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
benroberts3 Avatar
8 weeks ago
Updated my AirPods Pro 3. Hopefully, this isn’t a placebo effect, but I can tell that the conversation awareness is much faster, and the noise cancellation is much better/stronger. Not sure how to describe this, but I can definitely tell a difference sitting in a room with a fan going or an air purifier. Would love to hear from others what it’s like on an airplane with the engines going.

This feels more like a bug fix update to improve speed and stability rather than new features. This is a welcomed firmware update that was needed.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LiquidGlass Avatar
8 weeks ago

ANC is the exact same, and still worse than AirPods Pro 2, sound quality is the exact same
If your ANC is worse than on the AirPods Pro 2, it’s almost definitely the fit. Try adjusting how you insert the Pro 3s or switch to different tips.

When I first got them at launch, I was underwhelmed too. It took a couple of weeks and some tip swapping to get used to them and figure out the right placement. Now the difference is almost night and day, I’ve never had earbuds with ANC this good.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Happy_John Avatar
7 weeks ago

Anybody with Pro 2's (usb-c) have their case update? My pods updated to 8B21 but my case is still on 8A358
It was a full 24 hours for the case update to have registered after the AirPods themselves had registered (AP4ANC) - all you can do is be patient.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
amancalledsun Avatar
8 weeks ago

AirPods Pro 1 deadass or what?
Yep. Apple knows they all crackle by now, so you just use them without NR and there's no point in putting out updates.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wombat-man Avatar
8 weeks ago
It would be nice if my AirPods Pro 2 would work properly with my kindle
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)