You don’t have to wait until next week’s iOS 18 release to update your AirPods Pro 2 to the new firmware — the update is rolling out now, and should be installed automatically the next time you use your earbuds.
If Mac rumors reports that the firmware version number is 7A294 and is specific to the AirPods Pro 2. The update delivers key features promised in the iOS 18 update, which will be available for your iPhone starting Monday, September 16.
This is an important update: your phone calls will be clearer, the audio in games will be improved, and you will be able to communicate hands-free more often.
What’s New in the AirPods Pro 2 September 2024 Update?
According to the report, the following features are included in this update.
Head gestures let you interact with Siri without using your voice. For example, you can accept or decline incoming calls with a nod or a shake to say no. In addition to calls, head gestures also work with incoming messages and Siri notifications. This is useful for those times when you can’t or don’t want to talk for whatever reason.
AirPods Pro 2 (which are already among the best earbuds on the market) also feature Voice Isolation, which is designed to reduce the noise levels around you when you’re talking to someone, such as wind noise, traffic noise, and other types of ambient noise that would otherwise make your speech harder to understand.
And the third major feature is the expansion of Personalized Spatial Audio into games. That’s dependent on game developers using it, but it means they can use spatial audio in games to make them even more immersive.
As always with AirPods updates, there is no manual installer; it’s an over-the-air update. You can see if it’s been deployed to your buds by going to Settings, tapping the name of your AirPods, and scrolling down to the About section at the bottom of the page. The previous version is 6F8.