AirPods Pro and 3rd generation AirPods both get a new firmware update

Airpods 3 With Case Right Earbud Lying In Front Of Case (Image credit: Luke Filipowicz / iMore)

What you need to know

Apple has released a new firmware update for the new 3rd generation AirPods and AirPods Pro.
Firmware 4A402 and 4B66 should bring performance improvements and bug fixes.

The 3rd generation AirPods and AirPods Pro have both received a firmware update.

As reported by MacRumors, Apple has released a new firmware update for both of Apple's new earbuds and its now longstanding pro earbuds. The 3rd generation AirPods now run firmware version 4B66 and the AirPods Pro now run firmware version 4A402.

Apple today released a new 4A402 firmware update for the AirPods Pro, which is up from the prior 4A400 firmware that was released back in October. Apple has also updated the AirPods 3 firmware to 4B66, up from the 4B61 that was previously available.

Apple does not let us know what the purpose of a firmware update is. While they typically do not bring any notable features to the AirPods lineup, they usually bring some performance improvements and bug fixes.

If you are trying to manually update the firmware in your AirPods, you're in for an odd process. Apple updates 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 try to do that to potentially initiate 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.