Apple has released public firmware for several current AirPods models, unlocking the headphone features that arrived with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate.
The update, build 9A348, is available for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4, and AirPods Max 2. It is the retail counterpart to the beta firmware Apple tested through the summer.
The firmware turns on software that was already designed into this year’s operating systems: a redesigned AirPods settings screen, a more flexible Adaptive Audio control, custom EQ, and compatibility with the new Siri AI.
What the update actually unlocks
Custom EQ is the headline change. After years of fixed Apple tunings, H2-chip AirPods can now adjust lows, mids, and highs from Settings. Just go to: Settings → [your AirPods] → Audio & Routing → Equalizer → Custom. The feature is limited to AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4, and AirPods Max 2.
A redesigned AirPods interface puts listening modes, a volume slider, and grouped menus in one compact screen instead of sprawling lists. Transparency, Noise Cancellation, and Adaptive still sit at the top. Other controls are sorted into Audio & Routing, Hearing Health, Controls & Gestures, Live Translation, Accessibility, Battery, Find My, and Privacy.
Adaptive mode now has a slider, so users can bias the mix between pass-through and noise cancellation instead of relying on a single automatic setting.
Siri AI works through a connected iPhone. The AirPods themselves are not a standalone Apple Intelligence device; they act as the microphone and speaker for the phone’s new assistant. Camera-equipped AirPods that could feed visual context to Siri are still a later product rumor, not part of this firmware.
Two features remain exclusive to AirPods Pro 3: Precision Finding via the case’s ultra-wideband chip (now also usable from Apple Watch with watchOS 27) and GymKit heart-rate syncing to compatible gym equipment. Name Recognition, an accessibility alert when someone says your name, is part of the Hearing Health suite and supports more than 50 languages.
How to get the firmware
There is still no “Check for Update” button for AirPods. Apple’s method is unchanged:
- Pair the AirPods with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac running iOS 27, iPadOS 27, or macOS Golden Gate.
- Put the earbuds or headphones in the case (or on the charger for Max).
- Keep the case near the Apple device and on power.
Installation can take hours. The earbuds download the firmware in the background while charging. If you were on a beta build, some users reported the public 9A348 package stalling until the buds were reset; that is a known edge case from the beta period, not a guaranteed requirement.
You can confirm the version in Settings → Bluetooth → the “i” next to your AirPods, or on the AirPods settings page after they connect.
MacDailyNews Take: AirPods have long been feature-rich on paper and limited in user control. Custom EQ is a small concession by Apple’s audio team, but it is the one owners have asked for most often. Combined with a cleaner settings layout and Adaptive fine-tuning, the 9A348 drop is less a new product story than the moment iOS 27’s headphone work actually lands on hardware people already own.
The catch is the usual AirPods one: you cannot force the update on a schedule. Leave them charging overnight next to a current iPhone, then check the version in the morning.
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