Apple Stores Getting Tool for Updating AirPods Pro to Latest Firmware Version

[acctman]

As a developer I’ll give Apple the benefit of doubt and say it might not be as easy as so may want it to be, just give the tool to everyone.

Looking at how firmware is currently pushed, AirPods must be in case and on charger makes me believe theirs a communication / design flaw. Your phone communicates with the AirPods when in the case and connected to a charger or when playing music. Making when on the charger the only chance to do diagnostic checks to make sure that your AirPods are ready for a firmware update. In the rare case that a failure happens or battery health is bad the airpod will never update and Apple typically just replaces the Airpod(s) completely.

The user experience drops if users are bricking AirPods or are being told that they can’t update cause The firmware requires a specific OS update that a user may not want to do. The amount of AirPods Apple would have to replace do to user error would be insane. If Apple can idiot proof a future version then sure but with the current AirPods I side with Apple not allowing the tool to the user.

 

[tridley68]

Even with a firmware update these Q Tips will still be subpar and have no bass.

 

[msackey]

You have to have a Mac to update the MagSafe charger? The iPhone won't do it?

I don’t know for a fact that it wouldn’t do it on an iPhone, but from my experience the updating wasn’t readily happening with the MagSafe charger plugged into a brick and the MagSafe charging my iPhone 12.

It was only when I plugged the MagSafe charger to my MacBook Pro that the charger almost immediately updated (within 5 seconds).

My understanding is that the MagSafe charger (induction side) doesn’t have any data transfer capabilities, so it does make sense — if true — that only when the USB C side of the charger is plugged into a device with data transfer capabilities that it would update. Perhaps it would update when plugged into the USB C port of an iPad?

 

[Michael Scrip]

I don’t know for a fact that it wouldn’t do it on an iPhone, but from my experience the updating wasn’t readily happening with the MagSafe charger plugged into a brick and the MagSafe charging my iPhone 12.

It was only when I plugged the MagSafe charger to my MacBook Pro that the charger almost immediately updated (within 5 seconds).

Same for me. I plugged my MagSafe puck into my Mac and it updated immediately.

Whereas it takes some sort of voodoo to update my AirPods.