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Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware With iOS 27 Features

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Apple today released a fifth version of the beta firmware it is testing for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4, and AirPods Max 2. The firmware is available for developers and public beta testers. It has a build number of 9A5347a.

AirPods-Pro-Beta-Firmware-2.jpg

In iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate, Apple is adding a new AirPods interface, a slider for Adaptive mode, and support for custom EQ, so the firmware adds support for those features. AirPods are also compatible with the new Siri AI.

When the AirPods are connected to an iPhone, iPad, or Mac running iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or macOS 26 or later, there is a beta firmware option that can be accessed in the AirPods settings interface. Toggling on beta updates allows users to install the beta firmware.

Firmware updates can be downloaded by connecting the AirPods to an Apple device and connecting them to power. It can take a few hours for new firmware to be installed because there is no software update option like there is for other Apple devices.

Article Link: Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware With iOS 27 Features
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/20/airpods-beta-firmware-9a5347a/
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N0ughtsAndCr0sses said:
I can’t get my case updated to a public release build. I won’t venture this 😀🤌🏻
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Fully resetting the ‘Pods by holding the button on the back of the case until its light turns yellow/orange and a tone sounds, re-pairing, and then finally waiting/attempting to update can help. My case didn’t update for like a year until I reset everything and because the AirPods are relatively simple in nature it isn’t hard to set them back up.

You’ll have to toggle beta updates back on if that’s your thing; you can also try plugging them into a Mac, iPhone, or iPad to get the case update process going—I’ve had some luck with that in the past.
 
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I’m really enjoying the adaptive slider. I like having it a tick more towards noise cancelling than default. Less distracting but still keeps me somewhat aware of my surroundings, which is perfect for the environment I typically use them in.
 
OT risk- I read a lot of APP3 reviews before buying them when they were $169 in June at Wally World and other retailers.

These APP3 are my second AirPod purchase after the original in 2016, which I enjoyed thoroughly though they didn't last and broke down due to battery in the buds in 2 years.

Early on when APP3 were released, Crinacle and many others everywhere said the APP2 had superior sound and were clearly better, because of the supposed factory tuning that had less of a "happy face" EQ curve or less pronounced highs, lows, what have you.

Some that said they had both APP2 and APP3 were going to continue using the 2 for sound quality alone, H chip generation notwithstanding.

One member here pointed out that there are Accessibility Settings in 26 that to me, make APP3 much better than not using those settings, and made a great leap forward to the SQ that I probably would not have found on my own.

Now that a 3 band EQ is available for APP3 in 27 OS- I wonder if those same listeners that claim sound superiority of the APP2 will be able to make their APP3 sound the way that they prefer.
 
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" In iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate, Apple is adding a new AirPods interface, a slider for Adaptive mode, and support for custom EQ, so the firmware adds support for those features. AirPods are also compatible with the new Siri AI. "

Exactly THIS I have been reading with the past 3 updates???? So WHAT is it??
 
Dog Bone Malone said:
Case has updated but the darn pods won't!
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Connect to iPhone, iPad and/or Mac via Bluetooth (bonus points: use them for a bit to listen to media or make a call), then leave 'Pods in case while case is charging with lid closed. Mine seem to reliably update following these steps, especially once the case itself has already updated.

Perhaps, if for no other reason than the 'Pods having a fuller and more complex feature subset than the case, this could explain the tendency of the case to update first (especially this beta '27 season) 🤷
 
I’m not sure if this has been reported anywhere (I haven’t seen it myself) or when it changed exactly, but it appears that you can now choose differing “Press and Hold” options between Right and Left (i.e. Siri on one side, Noise Cancelling Modes on the other).

This was always a pet peeve of mine that they presented as being customisable in the menu, but actually changing one side always changed the other to mirror it.

This is a welcome change and not one I’ve seen talked about (or perhaps just missed it).
 
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mbpgecko said:
I’m not sure if this has been reported anywhere (I haven’t seen it myself) or when it changed exactly, but it appears that you can now choose differing “Press and Hold” options between Right and Left (i.e. Siri on one side, Noise Cancelling Modes on the other).

This was always a pet peeve of mine that they presented as being customisable in the menu, but actually changing one side always changed the other to mirror it.

This is a welcome change and not one I’ve seen talked about (or perhaps just missed it).
Click to expand...
Perhaps I misunderstand. Ive always had L & R set independently. In my case, L = Listening Modes and R = Siri
 
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Dog Bone Malone said:
Case has updated but the darn pods won't!
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Even more strange…..i just updated. Both 2pro and 3 pro. First, pro 2 took 5 minutes and had both case the ears updated?
The 3 pro, only the ears and took a bit over 1 hour, ears updated but not the case.
Then another thing with both after being updated the switch “BETA SOFTWARE” is switch to OFF??
 
Alpha Centauri said:
Perhaps I misunderstand. Ive always had L & R set independently. In my case, L = Listening Modes and R = Siri
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Oh really? May I ask since when did you start doing that, with which gen APs? Because yes, your setup is exactly what I mean, but that is new for me, so I assumed it was part of this new Beta FW cycle.

Happy to be corrected, but for as long as I can remember since my first APP2s and now my APP3s, whenever I tried to change one side to be different from the other, the other would always instantly flip too. I could never before have it like yours (L = Listening Modes, R = Siri). If I switched one, the other would switch to match.

Perhaps it was always just a bug that they fixed a long time ago? I must admit I stopped trying after a while, thinking it was just a stupid “feature” and weird way to have the menu (which made it look like they could be set to control different things).
 
mbpgecko said:
Oh really? May I ask since when did you start doing that, with which gen APs? Because yes, your setup is exactly what I mean, but that is new for me, so I assumed it was part of this new Beta FW cycle.

Happy to be corrected, but for as long as I can remember since my first APP2s and now my APP3s, whenever I tried to change one side to be different from the other, the other would always instantly flip too. I could never before have it like yours (L = Listening Modes, R = Siri). If I switched one, the other would switch to match.

Perhaps it was always just a bug that they fixed a long time ago? I must admit I stopped trying after a while, thinking it was just a stupid “feature” and weird way to have the menu (which made it look like they could be set to control different things).
Click to expand...
I've had APP 2's since beginning 2023 and tbh it "feels" like this functionality has always been there but now I've become unsure. AI seems to state that this was introduced with iOS 18.1 (28.10.24). Are you by any chance not on iOS 18 or 26? This would then make sense if you don't have it.

APP.png
 
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