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austriak

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 10, 2011
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89
Most Bluetooth headphones have firmware on the headphones that is periodically updated. Will airpods have anything similar? It seems like it is bakes into ios but what about people who don't use ios?
 
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oftheheavens

macrumors 68000
Jul 9, 2008
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cherry point
I hope so. I hope that it eventually even gets its own app or worked into settings or the watch app or something. The app could help you program your own tap responses like 3 taps starts a certain app (thinking spotify). Who knows though?
 

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
42,494
Most Bluetooth headphones have firmware on the headphones that is periodically updated. Will airpods have anything similar? It seems like it is bakes into ios but what about people who don't use ios?

Great question. I would like to think this would be addressed once these release. Also, if Apple does tweak these in the future, it would likely be through iOS.
 
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edlex

macrumors 68020
Apr 14, 2010
2,295
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Miami
Most Bluetooth headphones have firmware on the headphones that is periodically updated. Will airpods have anything similar? It seems like it is bakes into ios but what about people who don't use ios?

The fact that Airpods have their own settings where you can change the double-tap from Siri to Play/Pause leads me to assume with future iOS updates additional functionality that is currently "locked" can be "unlocked" or added. The real game changer will be next year when Apple releases the iPhone 7S with BT5. At that point the next gen Airpods with BT5 will definitely have more functionality baked in from the onset along with improvements on all the specs. Just my speculation of course.
 

infiniteentropy

macrumors regular
Sep 9, 2009
237
1,044
Apple's Bluetooth keyboards and Smart Keyboard and Beats headphones, etc, etc, all have firmware updates that have been provided via various channels. I'd imagine AirPods will have the same situation. Just inference on my part but seems reasonable.
 

oftheheavens

macrumors 68000
Jul 9, 2008
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cherry point
I can't see them not getting updates. You may have plug them into your computer cause I do not think it will be over the air automatic updates. I can already see an update in the first few weeks/months that adds more tough inputs like skip song or volume without walking with siri (who wants to do that during a run). Think the first apple watch and the button that let you "quickly" access and connect with friends. Sure a hand full used it but the majority didn't so they "quickly" changed it to something that a lot of people use, the dock.
 

bhayes444

macrumors 6502a
Jul 13, 2013
772
292
I can't see them not getting updates. You may have plug them into your computer cause I do not think it will be over the air automatic updates. I can already see an update in the first few weeks/months that adds more tough inputs like skip song or volume without walking with siri (who wants to do that during a run). Think the first apple watch and the button that let you "quickly" access and connect with friends. Sure a hand full used it but the majority didn't so they "quickly" changed it to something that a lot of people use, the dock.
Adding those types of controls is much different than the Apple Watch though. The Apple Watch changed what a button press did, the Airpods would have to add so many extra taps to get volume or track skipping that it would not be the most fluid experience to use. Since each Airpod can be used independently the controls need to be able to work when only one Airpod is present. The double tap gesture is already taken, and adding volume and track skip would be adding four more taps to that. I don't feel like people are going to want to tap six times to go to a previous track. It just isn't very feasible. A triple and quadruple tap gesture, which is user selectable, is a much more reasonable approach. Then people could choose volume or track skip.
 
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Brookzy

macrumors 601
May 30, 2010
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They're already on v3.3.1!

AirPods Firmware.jpg
 

ryanwarsaw

macrumors 68030
Apr 7, 2007
2,746
2,441
Adding those types of controls is much different than the Apple Watch though. The Apple Watch changed what a button press did, the Airpods would have to add so many extra taps to get volume or track skipping that it would not be the most fluid experience to use. Since each Airpod can be used independently the controls need to be able to work when only one Airpod is present. The double tap gesture is already taken, and adding volume and track skip would be adding four more taps to that. I don't feel like people are going to want to tap six times to go to a previous track. It just isn't very feasible. A triple and quadruple tap gesture, which is user selectable, is a much more reasonable approach. Then people could choose volume or track skip.

More than likely you would just be given the option to re-assign the double tap to skip tracks.
 

bhayes444

macrumors 6502a
Jul 13, 2013
772
292
More than likely you would just be given the option to re-assign the double tap to skip tracks.
So, you can skip forwards or backwards, but not both? Makes no sense. It also makes very little sense to assign them to L or R Airpods as the Airpods can be used singularly, and track skipping wouldn't function unless both are present.
 

ryanwarsaw

macrumors 68030
Apr 7, 2007
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So, you can skip forwards or backwards, but not both? Makes no sense. It also makes very little sense to assign them to L or R Airpods as the Airpods can be used singularly, and track skipping wouldn't function unless both are present.

You know what I meant. There will probably be an update that allows more options. Let the engineers figure it out. I for one won't worry my pretty little head over it.
 
Last edited:

thadoggfather

macrumors P6
Oct 1, 2007
16,124
17,041
10.2 doesn't silently update to a version beyond v3.3.1?

That's good, cause that's my version and I'm on 10.1.1 (jailbroken)

Woo
 

janezblond

macrumors regular
May 15, 2013
143
84
10.2 doesn't silently update to a version beyond v3.3.1?

That's good, cause that's my version and I'm on 10.1.1 (jailbroken)

Woo
Not yet at least. Plus, as of now it is not clear if AirPods firmware updates (if any) will be attached to iOS updates or if they will happen independently.
 

thadoggfather

macrumors P6
Oct 1, 2007
16,124
17,041
Not yet at least. Plus, as of now it is not clear if AirPods firmware updates (if any) will be attached to iOS updates or if they will happen independently.

If I had to guess I'd say they silently include them in an iOS update, like they did with Pencil apparently as a part of "it just works" mantra, but never know could be a simple push like a carrier update (but that's different)

But I'm still on whatever firmware is associated with 9.3.3 for the pencil (and ASK if the same follows)
 

Brookzy

macrumors 601
May 30, 2010
4,985
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If I had to guess I'd say they silently include them in an iOS update, like they did with Pencil apparently as a part of "it just works" mantra, but never know could be a simple push like a carrier update (but that's different)

But I'm still on whatever firmware is associated with 9.3.3 for the pencil (and ASK if the same follows)
Beats wireless earphones receive silent updates as part of iOS so I assume the AirPods will be the same.

(Off-topic but the ASK isn't a silent update: you get a dialogue. I assume because it must be physically connected unlike Bluetooth devices.)
 
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CharlesShaw

macrumors 68000
May 8, 2015
1,725
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Not yet at least. Plus, as of now it is not clear if AirPods firmware updates (if any) will be attached to iOS updates or if they will happen independently.

Yeah, we'll have to wait and see. This got me thinking, so I checked out how Beats are updated. They have an update utility, but they don't yet say anything about how to update the newest versions with W1 chip...

From the Beats site:

Install Beats Updater
If you meet the following system requirements, download Beats Updater, then double-click the downloaded file and follow the onscreen instructions.

  • Pill 2.0, Beats Pill+, Powerbeats2 Wireless, Studio Wireless, or Solo2 Wireless
  • A recent version of Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Internet Explorer
  • OS X Mountain Lion v10.8 or later; or Windows 7 or later
 

LordQ

Suspended
Sep 22, 2012
3,582
5,653
I really hope Apple adds the option to skip a song with a double tap on the next firmware update!
 

thadoggfather

macrumors P6
Oct 1, 2007
16,124
17,041
I really hope Apple adds the option to skip a song with a double tap on the next firmware update!

Triple tap pause play, and double tap right ear for next track, double tap left ear for previous track

:D

In the interim, while one dreams, I have volume hold buttons to toggle tracks with Activator tweak (jailbreak) while bike riding, etc
 

Brookzy

macrumors 601
May 30, 2010
4,985
5,577
UK
Could someone who has installed iOS 10.3 beta see if it updated the AirPods' firmware beyond 3.3.1? (E.g. to add Find My AirPods support).
 
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