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AirPods Pro 3 and more just got new firmware update in beta

Avatar for Ryan Christoffel  | Sep 29 2026 - 11:34 am PT
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Apple has new beta firmware rolling out now for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2, and select other models. Here are the details.

Apple releases new AirPods beta firmware for select models

If your AirPods have an H2 chip, there’s new beta firmware rolling out now for early testing.

Apple’s latest AirPods beta firmware has build number 9B5042a.

For reference, the current public version of AirPods firmware across AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Max 2, and more is 9A348. And the just-launched AirPods 5 use 9A350.

The new firmware is now available for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 5, AirPods 4, and AirPods Max 2.

It’s unknown what changes the latest firmware introduces. Apple might be laying the groundwork for new features coming in iOS 27.1 or 27.2. Or the update might focus primarily on bug fixes and performance improvements.

If you’re interested in testing out the AirPods firmware before it launches to all users, you can opt into beta updates from the AirPods settings screen on your iPhone.

There’s no way to manually trigger a firmware update, but Apple has instructions here for ensuring the automatic update happens quickly.

  1. Make sure that your iPhone, iPad, or Mac is updated to the latest version of iOS, iPadOS, or macOS, and that Bluetooth is on.
  2. Make sure that your AirPods are connected via Bluetooth to your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
  3. Connect your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to Wi-Fi.
  4. Connect your charging case to power.
  5. Put your AirPods in their charging case and close the lid. Keep the lid of the charging case closed, and keep your AirPods in Bluetooth range of your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
  6. Wait at least 30 minutes for the firmware to update.
  7. Open the lid of the charging case to reconnect your AirPods to your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
  8. Check the firmware version again.

Have you installed the new AirPods beta firmware? Let us know of anything new you find via the comments.

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Avatar for Ryan Christoffel Ryan Christoffel

Ryan got his start in journalism as an Editor at MacStories, where he worked for four years covering Apple news, writing app reviews, and more. For two years he co-hosted the Adapt podcast on Relay FM, which focused entirely on the iPad. As a result, it should come as no surprise that his favorite Apple device is the iPad Pro.