If you have a pair of AirPods Pro 2, you’ll have a new firmware update available (when iOS 18 launches next week).
Apple has released a new firmware update for AirPods Pro 2. Firmware version 7A294 replaces version 6F8 and is available for both USB-C and Lightning versions of the wireless headphones. Unlike previous beta versions, this update is available to all AirPods Pro users.
The update is likely to bring with it the usual round of bug fixes and performance improvements, along with a host of features that come with iOS 18 when it launches for everyone on Monday the 16th.
iOS 18 brings new features to AirPods Pro 2
The first feature now available on AirPods Pro 2 via firmware (once your iPhone is running iOS 18) is Siri Interactions, a new feature that lets you shake or nod your head to interact with Siri notifications while the headphones are on. As Apple explains, “Siri Interactions let users answer or reject calls, interact with messages, manage notifications, and more—all without speaking.”
Voice Isolation is also available with iOS 18, which Apple brings directly to headphones after initially launching the feature on iPhone, iPad and Mac. The company says that “machine learning running on the H2 chip in AirPods Pro and a paired iPhone, iPad, or Mac isolates and improves voice quality while removing significant background noise — such as the wind around the caller — for the listener.”
The final feature now available via a firmware update is Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking for gaming. While it’s also coming to the AirPods 3 and AirPods Max, the company is reserving “enhanced voice quality, including 16-bit, 48kHz audio” for gaming with the AirPods Pro 2.
AirPods Pro 2 are also getting a number of new health features this fall, including the ability to use the earbuds as a clinical-grade hearing aid. You can also take a hearing test and get a completely customized sound profile.