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       AirPods Firmware Updates Add Features, Improve Automatic Switching

   Adam Engst

   Last week, Apple released [1]AirPods firmware updates for all models
   other than the first-generation AirPods. Firmware versions 6A300 and
   6A301 promise to improve the Automatic Switching experience for all
   available AirPods when used with Apple devices with the latest software
   updates. Also, the third-generation AirPods, both generations of the
   AirPods Pro, and the AirPods Max will let you press the stalk to mute
   and unmute calls. Firmware updates are only applied automatically, but
   you can check your version in Settings > Bluetooth > AirPods name.

   The firmware update's marque features, however, are available only for
   the second-generation AirPods Pro. [2]Apple describes them like this:
     * Adaptive Audio automatically prioritizes sounds that need your
       attention as you move through the world. By seamlessly blending
       Active Noise CancellationwithTransparency modewhen you need it,
       Adaptive Audiomagically delivers the right mix of sound for any
       environment.
     * Conversation Awareness automatically lowers the volume of what's
       playing, enhances voices in front of you, and reduces background
       noise when you're wearing AirPods Pro and need to speak with
       someone nearby.
     * Personalized Volume uses machine learning to understand your
       listening preferences in different environments, and automatically
       adapts sound based on your patterns over time.

   I only have the first-generation AirPods Pro, but John Gruber of Daring
   Fireball says [3]the second-generation AirPods Pro are a significant
   improvement even before the new features:

     But going back to the original AirPods Pro for just one afternoon
     walking around the city really brought home just how much improved
     the AirPods Pro 2 are. Transparency mode and Noise Cancellation
     areway better, and more strikingly, just the audio quality
     difference alone was obvious. After a year as a near-daily user of
     AirPods Pro 2, I now find the audio quality of the first-generation
     ones to be thin and tinny. I was downright blown away by the
     difference.

   Gruber found Conversation Awareness functional but annoying when it
   kicked in after picking up voices of people talking around him but not
   to him, and he filed it under 'Not for me personally, but you might
   love it.' On the other hand, he's a fan of Adaptive Audio, saying:

     I don't even see why Adaptive Audio isn't a replacement for
     Transparency. For me, so far, it's just Transparency but better,
     with more on-the-fly dynamic adjustments. It's fantastic.

   Given that I wear my AirPods Pro only a few times per month for Zoom
   calls and while mowing the lawn, I can't justify spending $249 for a
   new pair to try these new features, but if you have a first-generation
   pair in your ears often, the combination of the new USB-C charging case
   and this firmware update may make an upgrade worthwhile (see '[4]Apple
   Updates AirPods Pro with USB-C Case and Improved Dust Resistance,' 15
   September 2023).

References

   Visible links
   1. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213317
   2. https://www.apple.com/airpods-pro/
   3. https://daringfireball.net/2023/09/airpods_pro_2_usbc
   4. https://tidbits.com/2023/09/15/apple-updates-airpods-pro-with-usb-c-case-and-improved-dust-resistance/

   Hidden links:
   5. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2023/09/AirPods-firmware-scaled.jpg

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