If you’ve got a pair of AirPods Pro 2 and a developer account, you’re going to have a new firmware update to enjoy.
Apple has released a new beta firmware update for AirPods Pro 2. Firmware version 7A5290a replaces version 7A5266c and is available for both the USB-C and Lightning versions of the wireless earbuds as long as you’re running the beta as a developer.
The update likely brings with it the usual round of bug fixes and performance improvements along with a number of features that are coming with iOS 18 when it launches this fall. The betas allow developers to test out the latest and greatest with AirPods software and ensure it’s working correctly before it comes to all users in a public firmware update later.
iOS 18 is expected to launch in September
The first feature now available on AirPods Pro 2 through the beta firmware is Siri Interactions, the new feature that lets you shake or nod your head to interact with Siri announcements while you’re wearing your earbuds. As Apple explains, “Siri Interactions allow users to answer or dismiss calls, interact with messages, manage notifications, and so much more — all without speaking.”
Voice Isolation is also available with iOS 18 which Apple is bringing directly to the earbuds after originally launching the feature on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The company says “machine learning, running on the H2 chip in AirPods Pro and the paired iPhone, iPad, or Mac, isolates and enhances voice quality while removing significant background noise — like wind around the caller — for the listener.”
The last feature available now through the firmware update is Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking for games. While that is also coming to the AirPods 3 and AirPods Max, the company is reserving “improved voice quality, including 16-bit, 48kHz audio” for games with AirPods Pro 2.
All of these features are available for developers now as long as they also have an iPhone running the iOS 18 developer beta.