AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max all have a new firmware update

Airpods Max Side (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)

What you need to know

Apple has released a new firmware update for the AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max.
Firmware version 4E71 should bring the usual round of performance improvements and bug fixes.

If you own a pair of AirPods, any AirPods, there's a good chance you are getting a firmware update today.

Today, Apple released its latest firmware update for a number of AirPods models. Firmware version 4E71 will apply to the 2nd generation AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max and is an upgrade from version 4C165 that was released back in December of 2021. It has also released firmware version 4E71 for the 3rd generation AirPods, an update from firmware version 4C170 that was released back in January of this year.

Apple does not tell anyone exactly what the purpose of a firmware update is. While they typically do not bring any new user features to the AirPods lineup, they usually bring the usual round of performance improvements and bug fixes.

Air Pods Pro on stage (Image credit: Rene Ritchie / iMore)

If you are trying to manually update the firmware in your AirPods, you, unfortunately, don't have a standardized way to do so. Apple updates its AirPods firmware in the background, so there is no way to tap a button and manually initiate the update. However, the update typically occurs when your AirPods and iPhone are charging together, so you can try to do that to potentially start the update.

If you want to learn more about updating your AirPods firmware or how to check to ensure you are on the latest version, check out our article on How to update the firmware on your AirPods.

AirPods Pro

Bottom line: Finally, a comfortable pair of AirPods with active noise-canceling. What more could you ask for?

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.