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How to view AirPods hardware details, check and update firmware [Video]

Last week, Apple silently updated its completely wireless AirPods earbuds to version 3.5.1. The move came as a surprise to many as Apple hadn’t made it explicitly clear that the AirPods were capable of receiving firmware updates.

Nevertheless, read on for how to check the firmware of your AirPods and update it…

The process of checking and updating your AirPods is relatively straightforward once you realize it’s even a possibility, but Apple doesn’t make it very obvious as to how to start the process.

To start off, you’ll want to head into the Settings app on your iPhone and tap the ‘About’ menu. You may think that you need to tap the ‘Software Update’ menu, but that’s not the case for AirPods, for whatever reason.

  • Step 1 – Go to Settings > About

From there, you need to have your AirPods nearby and open the case. The normal status/connectivity window will pop up, but you can swipe that away and look at the ‘About’ screen and scroll all the way the way down.

  • Step 2 – Open the AirPods case and have them near your phone

Once you scroll all the way down on the ‘About’ menu, you should see a new ‘AirPods’ option. From there, you can tap that menu and view more details about AirPods.

  • Step 3 – Tap the new ‘AirPods’ section in the About menu

From there, you’ll be able to see detailed information about your AirPods, including the model number, serial number, and hardware version. If you have the AirPods, your info should be as follows:

  • Manufacturer: Apple Inc.
  • Model Number: A1523
  • Firmaware Version: 3.5.1
  • Hardware Version: 1.0.0

Apple released version 3.5.1 to AirPods users last week, bringing performance improvements and bug fixes. It appears at this point that Apple will automatically update AirPods firmware when they are paired to an iPhone with internet connectivity. If for some reason the firmware doesn’t update automatically, you should be able to do so from this menu though.

Check out a full video walk through of how to update and check AirPods firmware down below. What do you think of AirPods now that they’ve been available for a while? Let us know your thoughts and opinions down in the comments.

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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is the editor-in-chief of 9to5Mac, overseeing the entire site’s operations. He also hosts the 9to5Mac Daily and 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcasts.

You can send tips, questions, and typos to chance@9to5mac.com.

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