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Apple just released new AirPods Pro 3 firmware update

Avatar for Ryan Christoffel  | Apr 30 2026 - 11:18 am PT
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Apple has just released brand new firmware for users of AirPods Pro 3. Here are the details.

New AirPods Pro 3 firmware rolling out now

Today Apple launched new AirPods firmware, the first notable update since last month when version 8B39 was released.

Today, the latest AirPods Pro 3 firmware is build 8B40. It comes ahead of iOS 26.5’s launch in the coming weeks.

Apple has a webpage that includes release notes for AirPods firmware updates, but the site has yet to be updated for 8B40.

Currently the firmware is only available for AirPods Pro 3, but there’s a chance it could roll out soon for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 as well. For reference, all three models got the 8B39 update last month.

Most AirPods firmware updates simply include “Bug fixes and other improvements” per Apple’s release notes, so that’s likely the case today too.

But after Apple publishes official notes, we’ll let you know if there’s anything more substantive in the update.

There’s currently no way to manually trigger an AirPods firmware installation. However, you can follow Apple’s instructions on the requirements necessary for firmware to be downloaded and installed.

Are your AirPods running the new 8B40 firmware update? Have you noticed anything different? Let us know in 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.