AirPods Pro

Apple released new firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 this week. The new version, 8B39, offers bug fixes for these in-ear headphones.

Last year, Apple finally explained exactly how to update your AirPods firmware. The process can happen automatically, in the background, but there is a way to speed things up. It’s a good idea to manually check that you’re running the latest version, which brings bug fixes and sometimes great new features.

Read on for more details, and find all current AirPods firmware versions, along with instructions for getting the AirPods update as quickly as possible.

A fresh AirPods Pro 3 deal drops Apple’s excellent noise-canceling earbuds to a record-low price of just $199.99 at Amazon and Best Buy. That’s a $50 discount off the recently upgraded earbuds.

Update: This deal has been going for over a week, but we just checked and both online retailers still knock 20% off the cost of these brilliant earbuds. 

AirPods Pro 3 bring new features, including Live Translation, a heart rate monitor, revved-up audio quality and redesigned ear tips for better active noise cancellation. Plus, like the previous model, they can even function as clinical-grade hearing aids.

Make no mistake: These are the best wireless earbuds you can buy for your iPhone, Mac and other Apple gear. Nothing can match how seamlessly AirPods integrate with Apple devices.

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: If you’ve been waiting with bated breath for Apple to finally deliver on its promise of a smarter Siri, it’s time to exhale. Then take a deep breath of disappointment.

Dashing our hopes, it sounds like Apple is delaying Siri’s AI-powered upgrade again! What does it mean? And will Apple ever get its Siri together? We discuss the latest rumors and ponder whether the delay might actually be a good thing.

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• The smarter Siri isn’t the only AI-powered project sucking wind at Apple. Cupertino reportedly pulled the plug on the AI health coach it had been working on.
• A new rumor gives us a launch date for the high-end M5 MacBook Pros we’ve been waiting for.
• Next-gen AirPods Pro reportedly will pack built-in cameras. But what will they actually do?
• And finally, we discuss a multi-Mac setup with the most bizarre keyboard we’ve ever seen.

Listen to this week’s episode of the Cult of Mac podcast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

AirPods Pro 4 might include an unprecedented feature for wireless earbuds, accordingto a new leak: built-in cameras capable of seeing the environment around the wearer.

You can charge your AirPods to 100% and get more battery life out of them by switching off the default setting, which limits them to 80%. The charge limit can help preserve your AirPods’ battery to extend their useful life. But that comes at the expense of more frequent charging every day. And if you find yourself in a situation where you need that extra battery life, this tip lets you unlock it — for one day or forever.

If you want to squeeze as much battery life out of your AirPods as possible, and you don’t mind upgrading every few years, here’s how to change the setting. Keep reading or watch our quick video.

December 13, 2016: After months of anticipation and delay, Apple finally launches the first-generation AirPods. The tiny wireless earbuds arrive in Apple’s online store just in time for holiday shoppers looking for stocking stuffers.

Like so many Apple products, they aren’t the first wireless earbuds to arrive on the scene. However, AirPods’ rapid success will fuel a wireless listening revolution.

AirPods Pro 3’s redesigned ear tips are an unexpected hit-or-miss change. The new foam-infused tips radically change how the earbuds feel when worn.
Apple knows the ear tips are not one-size-fits-all, so the company includes five sizes of ear tips in the AirPods Pro 3 box. You can easily switch them out to find the best size for your ears.
Using the wrong size can cause problems. The earbuds can slip out if they’re too small or irritate your ears if they’re too big. They might even cause high-pitched feedback if you engage active noise cancellation with the wrong size ear tips (especially when flying).
If you don’t like how your new AirPods Pro 3 feel in the ear, don’t be hasty and return them. You should try out different ear tips first. Here are some tips to make sure you achieve the best results.

Apple is already working on future generations of its AirPods lineup despite only recently releasing the AirPods Pro 3, according to a new report. The company focuses development efforts on transforming its popular earbuds into AI-powered devices with enhanced health tracking capabilities.

I put AirPods’ new Live Translation feature to the test and came away impressed with the results. 

I tested the feature with the help of Niléane, a native French speaker and fellow tech blogger. While we hit a few stumbling blocks in our conversation, we were able to have a perfectly good chat for a solid 10 minutes.

I cut it down to a seven-minute video, where you can see it for yourself. Keep reading for my full thoughts and analysis of the fantastic new feature. 

In testing the latest AirPods Pro 3 for this review, I found Apple’s high-end earbuds deliver remarkable audio quality and practically unbelievable active noise cancellation. Add to that a heart rate monitor that’s on par with the Apple Watch’s sensor, and Apple has made the best earbuds around even better.

The biggest upgrade is the AirPods Pro 3’s new foam-infused ear tips. They help increase the earbuds’ noise cancellation to uncanny levels. Plus, somehow, the audio quality sounds punchier than ever. I get better sound out of Apple’s tiny earbuds than from some over-ear headphones.

Here’s how the AirPods Pro 3 stack up to their predecessors.

With AirPods Pro 3 coming September 19, it’s time to sell your old AirPods for quick upgrade cash. The bad news is that Apple doesn’t let you trade in old AirPods, and neither will most other buyback services.

However, Cult of Mac offers good money for your old AirPods, making your next upgrade more affordable. We won’t leave you waiting weeks for your e-check if you sell us your old AirPods, AirPods Pro or AirPods Max to our buyback program. And we promise that none of the tech we receive will end up in a landfill.

So, what are you waiting for? Lock in a 30-day guaranteed quote in seconds, with no haggling or hassles. It’s the easy way to sell your old AirPods.

Apple gave a hearty update to its highest-end wireless earbuds, launching AirPods Pro 3. The new buds improve noise cancellation, battery life and add heart rate monitoring and live translation.

“With breakthrough audio performance and entirely new capabilities, I think AirPods Pro are truly incredible,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook. “These are my favorite AirPods ever,” said Kate Bergeron, Apple’s vice president of hardware engineering.

This announcement comes at Apple’s “Awe Dropping” event. The new third-generation AirPods Pro cost $249 and will be available starting September 19. Preorders will open today.

A new rumor suggests AirPods Pro 3 will debut this year, but won’t bring any breakthrough hardware upgrades. The rumored IR-equipped cameras, which supposedly will enable air gestures for interacting with the earbuds, might not arrive until 2026.

Apple could unveil its new flagship AirPods Pro 3 earbuds at Tuesday’s Awe Dropping event.

However, the earbuds won’t pack any breakthrough hardware upgrades, including IR-equipped cameras for air gesture support. That feature supposedly must wait until 2026.

PrimOn the fence about buying a pair of AirPods for your iPhone or Mac? Amazon Prime Day sales are the best time to buy Apple’s wireless earbuds, with prices dropping to record lows.

Amazon already frequently discounts AirPods. But for its flagship sale event for the year, it dropped them to new lifetime low prices.

Two reliable analysts recently predicted that the AirPods Pro 3 release date won’t come before the end of 2025.

Apple is reportedly loading the next generation of its high-end wireless earbuds up with new features, and that’s apparently taking some extra time. All the way to 2026.

Apple reportedly will add a live translation feature to AirPods in iOS 19 that will enable real-time conversations between people who speak different languages.

The feature will come alongside Apple “bolstering the translation technology in iOS 19.” With this advancement, Apple is set to compete with other ai translation earbuds, bringing seamless multilingual communication to AirPods. Learn more about the update here.

Apple’s audio lineup recently expanded with the arrival of Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds, creating an interesting competition with the established AirPods Pro 2. Both high-end wireless earbuds share Apple’s technology backbone but target different segments of the market. So in a Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 vs. AirPods Pro 2 comparison, which should you choose?

Let’s compare these premium options across design, features, performance and value to help you determine which is right for your lifestyle.

AirPods Pro 3 keep generating buzz as we approach the launch of Apple’s next-generation premium wireless earbuds. Here’s what to expect from AirPods Pro 3, which probably will arrive in early 2025.

While the current AirPods Pro 2 model dominates the market two years after launch, rumors say its successor will bring substantial improvements and new features. Unfortunately, you probably shouldn’t expect changes to the recently updated AirPods 4 and AirPods Max in 2025. We could see updated earbuds or headphones from Apple subsidiary Beats, though.

Apple’s next AirPods Pro refresh could feature heart rate monitoring. But they are in “early development” and might not launch soon.

Engineers inside Apple are also working on several health-focused features for future models of the earbuds.

Amazon has dropped the price of the latest AirPods Pro 2 to just $170, a killer deal for the best wireless earbuds out there. This fantastic early Cyber Monday deal knocks a hefty $79 (32%) off the AirPods Pro 2 (regularly $249).

The deal is currently available at Amazon.

Now that AirPods Pro 2 can act as hearing aids, it’s hard to recommend any other earbuds for your iPhone, Mac or iPad. And yes, this is for the latest model with the USB-C charging case.

AirPods come with no obvious controls, so it’s easy to think you just stick them in your ears and start listening. But Apple’s wireless earbuds offer features that aren’t immediately obvious. We recently published six hidden tips and tricks for AirPods. Now here are a few more you might not know.

The latest group covers how to easily control your AirPods, how to find a lost one, and a simple way to extend their battery life.

Apple gave reviewers early access to a soon-to-be-released software update that allows AirPods Pro 2 to go beyond providing entertainment to become hearing aids. They report that the wireless earbuds really do help people with mild to moderate hearing loss.

There’s also a huge cost advantage, but there are limitations that keep AirPods from being the right solution for everyone.

It’s that time of year again, Amazon Prime Day (the fall edition, October 8 and 9). So the early deals flowed starting over the weekend, with the full-on sale hitting with even better deals on Tuesday and Wednesday. We’ll show you the best Amazon Prime Day deals on Apple gear, from AirPods to iPads to MacBooks to Studio Display. And that includes Apple audio subsidiary Beats, too. Click on the links below, and return to this page often — deals are subject to change, often for the better, and we’ll add more as we find them.

Update: Though prices on some items continue to fluctuate, Amazon has extended most deals beyond Wednesday.

Apple just got the approval it needs from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make the latest AirPods Pro into medical-grade hearing aids.

Once Apple releases a software update for the wireless earbuds, they’ll be able to help those with mild to moderate hearing loss.

AirPods Pro 2 will soon go beyond providing music and podcasts as the wireless earbuds become genuine medical-grade hearing aids.

“We’re adding this groundbreaking capability to help more than 1 billion people living with mild to moderate hearing loss,” said Sumbul Desai, MD, Vice President of Health at Apple.