Apple Quietly Updates AirPods Firmware to Version 3.5.1

[bigjnyc]

To the lovers of wireless Bluetooth headsets. When I watch Netflix on my Reinta Macbook Pro I get intermitted audio drops and distortion probably due WiFi interference.

But dropping the iPhone headphone jack is a win, win win, and the future or so they said :-/

what does dropping the headphone jack on the iphone have to do with you having audio issues on your Macbook???

 

[freediverx]

Has anyone running the iOS beta re-tested Find My AirPods after this firmware update? The "Play Sound" feature

*Sets off to update AirPods, and can't. Remembers he still can't find AirPods.*

 

[Icaras]

Gotta love a world where headphones and refrigerators need software updates.

When the headphones features are as smart as the AirPods and when the firmware update is as silent and seamless as this one, I think it's the worth the trade off.

 

[rbgatti]

Having the case open, phone on Wi-Fi and case charging finally resulted in the update.

 

[ObsidianKt]

Under 10.2.1 (final beta), my AirPods were fine. Now under 10.3 beta 1, they're constantly dropping out while playing music. It's not a bluetooth issue, it's explicitly when my 7 Plus is doing something. Like turning the screen on or unlocking.

Edit: just tested, and that's a negative. Still cutting out on me.

I've had this same issue on my 7 Plus, and I can confirm that it occurs specifically when the phone is doing something (I've noticed that certain apps seem to exacerbate the problem further). I had the issue under 10.2 with the AirPods out of the box. I replaced the AirPods and the issue continued. I even took my 7 Plus to the Genius Bar to do a diagnostic on the bluetooth antenna; no problems were found. So at the moment there doesn't seem to be a solution.

I've also reset the bluetooth, repaired the AirPods, hard-restarted the phone, and reset network settings, all to no avail. Through my own testing, I have not noticed the problem on other devices such as my iPad and/or MacBook Pro.

Unfortunately, the next step of testing would be to back-up and restore the iPhone, and I can't quite bring myself to do that as it's a huge pain in the butt (and still might not fix the problem).

Glad to see I'm not the only one with the problem. Anyone else experiencing issues like this and/or have any solutions?

 

[Korican100]

I understand that there is really no "touch functionality" to the outside of the airpods, but they should make double tap/triple tap skip to the next/previous song, and to summon siri or to pause music, they should allow you to take out an earpod and put it back in quickly.

 

[BvizioN]

Does this update fix them falling out of my ears?? Fingers crossed

Cosmetic surgery for fixing these rabbit ears could be the solution

 

[ObsidianKt]

When the headphones features are as smart as the AirPods and when the firmware update is as silent and seamless as this one, I think it's the worth the trade off.

At least we don't have to keep our refrigerator doors open to update them .

 

[NT1440]

I understand that there is really no "touch functionality" to the outside of the airpods, but they should make double tap/triple tap skip to the next/previous song, and to summon siri or to pause music, they should allow you to take out an earpod and put it back in quickly.

I expect this kind of functionality to be added in a MAJOR (like full version number) firmware update in the future. For now I think they're collecting real world accelerometer data (using differential privacy of course) to better smooth out their tap detection algorithms to distinguish between normal head movements/slight brushes of the pod and an intentional tap.

 

[hungedu]

We need some color updates, too. Black for starters.

 

[freediverx]

I expect this kind of functionality to be added in a MAJOR (like full version number) firmware update in the future. For now I think they're collecting real world accelerometer data (using differential privacy of course) to better smooth out their tap detection algorithms to distinguish between normal head movements/slight brushes of the pod and an intentional tap.

There's only so much functionality you can get out of this tap-based system. The most anyone should expect is a future option to allow different tap functions between left and right side AirPods (e.g., double tap left for pause/play and double tap right to skip to next track.)
[doublepost=1485974928][/doublepost]

We need some color updates, too. Black for starters.

 

[dfs]

No amount of updates can address the fundamental, fatal flaw in AirPods. Try this: with the pods in your ears and a tune playing, take your hands and press the pods into your ears as firmly as you can. At least if the anatomy of your ears is anything like mine, you will be startled at how vastly the bass improves and you'll appreciate what your missing with them loosely perched on the outside of your ears. This is the incurable penalty you pay for the loose sealing.. There may be a lot of amazing technology packed into these little guys, but what's the point if they sound so crummy? In-ear is the only way to go, so if you want to take advantage of all the tech goodies you will be much better off if you hang onto your money and wait for the release of BeatsX latter this month.

 

[bronksy]

1) Does the same music sound similarly terrible when using Apple's EarPods? If so, the AirPods aren't your problem.

2) Which app are you using to listen to music? if it's Apple's Music app, have you tried changing the equalizer settings to better suit your music?

Irony isn't lost on you, is it?

 

[freediverx]

No amount of updates can address the fundamental, fatal flaw in AirPods. Try this: with the pods in your ears and a tune playing, take your hands and press the pods into your ears as firmly as you can. At least if the anatomy of your ears is anything like mine, you will be startled at how vastly the bass improves and you'll appreciate what your missing with them loosely perched on the outside of your ears. This is the incurable penalty you pay for the loose sealing.. There may be a lot of amazing technology packed into these little guys, but what's the point if they sound so crummy? In-ear is the only way to go, so if you want to take advantage of all the tech goodies you will be much better off if you hang onto your money and wait for the release of BeatsX latter this month.

This applies to virtually any earbuds. I noticed the same issue with my previous Powerbeats2 Wireless. The differences were that 1) they weren't really wireless, 2) they sounded far worse under normal use than my AirPods, 3) they were uncomfortable as hell and left painful red marks in my ears, 4) battery life sucked, 5) the carrying case was too big to be of any use, 6) they cost 25% more than AirPods, and 7) charging took forever and was a pain in the ass dealing with microUSB dongles and tiny charging port covers.
[doublepost=1485976161][/doublepost]

Irony isn't lost on you, is it?

In the Trump era, it's almost impossible to discern irony from stupidity.

 

[6836838]

Does it make them sound as good as wired headphones?

 

[eoblaed]

At least we don't have to keep our refrigerator doors open to update them .

I didn't have to do anything to update mine.

After seeing this thread, I put mine in, checked on my iPhone, and they were running 3.5.1. Probably updated quietly while I was sleeping or something.

 

[freediverx]

Does it make them sound as good as wired headphones?

They already sound better than wired EarPods or my old $200 Powerbeats.

 

[tivoboy]

update was already on the airpods when I woke up this morning.. that said, I wonder how this works for people who don't have the airpods connected to any apple devices. ( I know, RARE probability)

 

[schwarzbier]

This firmware update solved a recurring issue I have had preventing the AirPods from connecting directly to the Apple Watch and playing music stored locally while the iPhone was still connected to the watch. Not a huge issue in most cases, accept that when I would be getting ready for a run I would have to wait until I was far enough away from my iPhone for the watch to connect directly to the AirPods. Now that issue seems to have been corrected.

 

[jsmitty]

After reading news of the update my AirPods were at first not in the "About" menu but eventually while using them (case unplugged) they updated. After the firmware update, the volume level was super low and they weren't close to being loud at full blast. I cycled Bluetooth off and back on on my iPhone and now they sound normal.

 

[teknikal90]

Worked for me - took a couple of minutes.



Way better than "earphones. firmware. no update."

not sure. firmware update expectation means that going forward Apple and other companies have an excuse to release half baked products.

My favourite headphone of all time is the Sony MDR 7506. Mine is close to 10 years old now. It's perfect. No firmware update required.

I'm worried that everything is moving away from that.

Sure, some things are inherently better with perpetual software improvement. The iPhone is obviously testament to that.
But headphones? I'm not sure they belong in the same bucket.

 

[Deasnutz]

Does it make them sound as good as wired headphones?

Do people really buy these for sound quality reasons?

 

[44267547]

im definitely getting alot more battery life.

Are you getting more battery life from the Airpods or Charging case?

 

[The Game 161]

No amount of updates can address the fundamental, fatal flaw in AirPods. Try this: with the pods in your ears and a tune playing, take your hands and press the pods into your ears as firmly as you can. At least if the anatomy of your ears is anything like mine, you will be startled at how vastly the bass improves and you'll appreciate what your missing with them loosely perched on the outside of your ears. This is the incurable penalty you pay for the loose sealing.. There may be a lot of amazing technology packed into these little guys, but what's the point if they sound so crummy? In-ear is the only way to go, so if you want to take advantage of all the tech goodies you will be much better off if you hang onto your money and wait for the release of BeatsX latter this month.

whole point of truely wireless is well..truely wireless and the beatsx aren't truely wireless.

for daily use and around the house the the sound on the airpods are fine and if i need more then the solo3 are there.

 

[JM]

Yo, dat Trumpz' update spying on ya and s***.