Apple made some changes to how AirPods integrate with the Settings app with iOS 16. Now, with iOS 16 now available to the general public, Apple is building on these updates with a new support document that finally provides release notes for AirPods firmware updates…
With iOS 16 beta 5, Apple added more details to the AirPods information available in the Settings app. Specifically, the company added a dedicated area to view AirPods firmware version details. On this screen, you can view the firmware version of your AirPods as well as the AirPods case.
Beneath this information, there’s also a new explanation saying: “Firmware details available at support.apple.com.” When iOS 16 was in beta, this link didn’t actually take you anywhere because there was no associated support article available on the Apple Support website.
Now that iOS 16 is available to the masses, this link actually takes you to an Apple support article where you can find details on the latest firmware versions for each AirPods model, as well as release notes for the latest update.
Unfortunately, it remains unclear how detailed Apple’s release notes for AirPods firmware updates will be. The release notes for the latest AirPods firmware version, which is 4E71, simply say: “Bug fixes and other improvements.”
As a refresher, here are the latest firmware details for each AirPods model:
- AirPods Pro: 4E71
- AirPods (2nd and 3rd generation): 4E71
- AirPods Max: 4E71
- AirPods (1st generation): 6.8.8
To find the new AirPods details in the Settings app on your iPhone (running iOS 16): Open Settings, choose the Bluetooth menu, tap on your AirPods, scroll down and tap the “Version” option in the “About” menu.
Whether or not Apple actually provides useful AirPods release notes in the future remains to be seen. There’s also no way to force your AirPods to update to new firmware releases. The march of progress is slow…
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