At WWDC this week, Apple announced a handful of new features for AirPods Pro users, including Conversation Boost and Ambient Noise Reduction, and now the company is planning to provide a firmware beta to developers for the first time in history.
Apple made the announcement in the fine print of the Apple Developer Beta Software Downloads website published, first reported by MacRumors spotted It states:
A pre-release version of AirPods Pro firmware for Apple Developer Program members will be available at a later date. This will enable feature development on iOS and macOS for the AirPods, as well as enable new features including Conversation Boost (beamforming) and Ambient Noise Reduction.
It is not yet known when the first AirPods Pro firmware beta will be released for developers. Since only the Pro model is listed on the website, it remains unclear whether this also affects the normal AirPods and the Max version.
AirPods: Firmware updates could be done manually in the future
The release of a beta could also affect the future update process. As a reminder, although Apple releases new AirPods firmware versions, there is no way to update the firmware manually. Instead, users usually have to be patient and hope that the update is installed promptly when their AirPods are connected to the paired iPhone via Bluetooth. With the introduction of a beta, this process could change. That means Apple could finally introduce the ability to update AirPods manually. Among the new features that will appear with the software updates for the AirPods this fall is Conversation Boost, which is designed to focus the sound on the person standing in front of the user and speaking. The popular earbuds are also getting a new notification announcement feature, which is already available in the first beta of iOS 15. (Photo by Unsplash / Omid Armin)