Welcome to Product Support, a column devoted to helping you get the most out of the gadgets and software you already use.
Apple frequently rolls out software updates to its AirPods so that they improve over time. Most of the time, these updates fix minor bugs, but others can be more significant, improving charging and battery life, as well as sound and call quality.
Recent software updates have delivered some really cool features. In the past, Apple added features like Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, and Personalized Volume to its AirPods Pro. Last fall, it also turned its Pros into clinical-grade hearing aids.
The problem is that, for years, Apple didn’t explicitly tell people how to update their AirPods. It’s not as straightforward as going to your iPhone’s Settings and selecting “Update Software.” Instead, you basically had to open the charging case and hope they’d update on their own over time. Instructions were very vague.
The good news is that’s finally changed. As of January 2025, Apple has finally updated its Support page to give explicit instructions on how to update each of its AirPods.
