Apple rolled out another AirPods firmware update on Wednesday and once again declined to provide details on what changes it contains.
Software version 6A321, an update for 3rd generation AirPods starting in 2021, is detailed on Apple’s AirPods firmware page with the usual standard release notes of “Bug Fixes and Other Improvements.” As my colleague Jason pointed out a few updates ago, Apple tends to use this language even when an update only contains bug fixes, without any “other improvements.”
Of the 14 update release notes on this page, in fact, 12 simply say “Bug fixes and other improvements.” Compare that to the detailed release notes you can find on iOS 17.2’s security content, for example, and the difference is stark.
In other words, we don’t know what bugs Apple decided to fix. But we do know that the iOS 17 cycle has seen more such updates than usual: we’re now up to seven firmware updates in total since iOS 17’s release in September, compared to six for iOS 17. The entirety of iOS 16. the latest software must be unusually buggy.
Unlike iOS and other Apple operating systems, you don’t simply upgrade your AirPods to the new firmware. Instead, it will automatically install at a slightly unpredictable time in the near future when the AirPods are in their case and charging. If you’re wondering what firmware version your AirPods are running, open the Settings app, select your connected AirPods, scroll down to About section and check Version. You can also find this information in General > About > AirPods.
