YourAirPods Pro 2recently received a firmware update that finally brings in the features introduced this past June atWWDC. There are a few new features worth mentioning, but notably missing are thehearing healthfeatures that were revealed at Apple’s ‘Glowtime’ event. Those hearing health features are set to be released later this fall.
The AirPods Pro 2 firmware versions containing the new features are 7A294 and beyond.
For now, we’ve got a few new features to toy around with on the AirPods Pro (2nd-gen). While none of them are quite as earth-shattering or exciting as clinical-grade hearing aids, there’s still a small bit of usefulness left to squeeze out of your AirPods Pro 2.
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)
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Nodding ‘yes’ and shaking ‘no’ for Siri
The feature that’s always been on my wishlist
Hands down, the best new feature introduced in the new AirPods Pro 2 firmware is head gestures. Anyone who has used AirPods has had Siri butt in at some point to ask them any number of questions, most of which can generally be answered with a simple yes or no. However, sometimes you might be in an environment where you don’t want to just blurt out an answer aloud.
This is where head gestures come in. Using these gestures, you can simply nod or shake your head to answer Siri. After this feature was unveiled at WWDC, I was very interested to see just how well it works. I’m over the moon to report that it does, indeed, work very well. And any of the problems I could have seen coming up with this feature have been thoroughly thought through.
The new feature can be easily enabled from your AirPods settings menu on either macOS or iOS. If you’re on your iPhone, you’ll also have access to a menu where you may test the new feature out before completely turning it on. You can also change the meaning of each gesture, just in case you prefer to shake for yes and nod for no. I do have some questions for you if that’s your preference, though.
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Whenever you begin nodding or shaking your head in response to a question from Siri, you’ll hear a ticking in your AirPods to indicate that they’re reading your gesture. The exact sound of these ticks will vary depending on which gesture you’re making. This is extremely helpful for preventing any misreads, as well as letting you know when you can stop shaking or nodding.
While this feature has now debuted on the AirPods Pro 2, it’s also available on the newAirPods 4alongside a host of other AirPods Pro features.
Voice isolation is just fine
It works, but it’s not magic
The other headlining feature of this firmware update was voice isolation. In theory, this feature is supposed to reduce background noise picked up by AirPods during voice calls. In practice, however, I found it to be a little less magic than Apple would lead you to believe.
I tested this feature by fielding calls in various loud environments, and what I found is that the level of noise reduction isn’t truly helpful for areas loud enough that calls weren’t comfortable. In areas that are distractingly noisy, the noise reduction still wasn’t really perfect.
For anything beyond basic background noises, it isn’t a miracle feature.
But, one positive is that this feature is fantastic for basic background noise reduction. Taking calls outside now sounds perfectly natural on the other end. For briefly walking through noisy areas or dull background noise, this feature does completely eliminate any issues. But for anything beyond basic background noises, it isn’t a miracle feature.
Like the head gestures, this feature is also available on the new AirPods 4 and the AirPods Pro 2.
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Other new and notable features
Reduced latency and improved Personalized Volume
Two other features that came with the newest AirPods Pro 2 firmware update are lower latency for gaming and improved Personalized Volume. While these features aren’t as shiny as the others, they’re still worth some consideration for those that care about gaming with their AirPods or using the Personalized Volume feature.
I tested both of these features, but can’t really say I noticed much of an improvement on either end. However, I attribute this to a lack of care on my end and not a lack of tangible improvement on Apple’s end. I don’t particularly game much using my AirPods, and I don’t really play many games where I would notice a change in latency.
In the same vein, I’ve never really cared for Personalized Volume. For those that have never used it, Personalized Volume is a feature that allows your iPhone to automatically adjust your listening volume in your AirPods based on what you’re listening to and the environment you’re listening in. The latest firmware update is supposed to offer some improvements to this feature, but I didn’t notice enough of a change to keep Personalized Volume turned on. However, for those that use the feature often, I’m sure there is definitely some tangible element of improvement.
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More to come with hearing health
The biggest changes are yet to come
The most exciting announcement that Apple made with regard to the AirPods Pro 2 actually didn’t come at WWDC, but instead it was at its recent ‘It’s Glowtime’ event. Alongside the announcement of the AirPods 4 and the “refreshed” AirPods Max, Apple announced a host of hearing health features for the AirPods Pro 2.
These hearing health features include the ability to take a hearing test, and subsequently being able to use your AirPods Pro 2 as hearing aids. This feature recently received FDA approval, and it’s set to release sometime this fall.
To make sure that you’re up-to-date with the current firmware and ready to receive hearing health features this Fall, you’ll just want to make sure to keep your AirPods near your iPhone while connected to Wi-Fi. There’s no way to manually update your AirPods' firmware, but you can check the current firmware version you have in your AirPods settings menu. The latest version number can be found on Apple’s website.
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