If you own a pair of AirPods Pro 2, you’ll need to have the new software update to enjoy (once iOS 18 rolls out next week).
Apple has released a new software update 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 the usual round of bug fixes and performance improvements, along with a number of features that come with iOS 18 when it launches for everyone on Monday, September 16.
iOS 18 brings new features to AirPods Pro 2
First feature now available via firmware on AirPods Pro 2 (after iPhone running iOS 18) Siri Interaction, a new feature that lets you shake or move your head to interact with Siri announcements when you’re wearing your headphones. As Apple explains, “Siri Interactions allow users to answer or reject calls, interact with messages, manage notifications, and more—all without speaking.”
Noise isolation is also available with iOS 18, which Apple brought directly to headphones after enabling the feature on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. “Machine learning running on the H2 chip in AirPods Pro and a paired iPhone, iPad, or Mac isolates and enhances sound quality while eliminating background noise that’s important to the listener — like the wind around the caller,” the company says.
A final feature now available via a firmware update is Custom Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking for games. This is also coming AirPods 3 and AirPods Maxthe company reserves “enhanced sound quality, including 16-bit, 48kHz audio” for gaming with the AirPods Pro 2.
There are also AirPods Pro 2 acquires a number of new health properties this fall, including the ability to use the earbuds as clinical-grade hearing aids. You can also take a hearing test and get a completely personalized audio profile.
