Apple AirPods Firmware

[MrLoL]

So today I had enough of Apple not addressing the issue for the past 4 months and not pushing a new firmware, so I went to the Apple Store with my AirPods Pro running 2C54, explained the situation and the genius told me it’s a known issue and he straight up replaced both of them, the new ones are running 2B588 and the noise-cancelling is way better.

 

[chillip]

So today I had enough of Apple not addressing the issue for the past 4 months and not pushing a new firmware, so I went to the Apple Store with my AirPods Pro running 2C54, explained the situation and the genius told me it’s a known issue and he straight up replaced both of them, the new ones are running 2B588 and the noise-cancelling is way better.

Surely new firmware will sort the issue although mine seem fine on 2C54.

 

[Bazooka-joe]

I agree on the volume.
I have to say though I've had all three versions of the firmware and even on to see 54 I still feel the active noise cancellation is excellent. I don't notice a major degradation in the active noise cancellation between my original pair in November and the pair I have now with 2C54. I'd urge anyone who's having such lackluster performance to return them and get another pair as it may very well not be the firmware and may just be defects. I still hear the "whoosh" of white nothingness when I turn on active noise cancellation and the world fades away.

I agree. The ANC isn’t what it was but it’s still pretty good. I’m still on my seventh pair of AirPods pro and they are performing very well and definitely feel better built than the previous sets as I’ve had no hardware issues

 

[bwinter88]

Another user posted macro photos of the inner ear grills after a SINGLE DAY of use, vs. just recently cleaned with Blu Tack, and the difference is stark.

AirPod Pro Ear Tip Fit test not working...Not the only one

Time for some science! Got out the microscope to take a look at the AirPods Pro grilles. This seems to explain a lot. Check it out. The top image is the grille after ONE DAY of use. The photo on the bottom is after a cleaning with Fun-Tak. After just one day of use, the tiny vent holes are...

forums.macrumors.com

Given the success reported by users cleaning their units with Blu Tack, and the above photo, If you think yours have reduced ANC performance, for whatever reason, chances are they are just dirty and need to be cleaned. Only Blu Tack or similar products seem to have the "reach" required to get inside the grille and clean them properly.

 

[Ralfi]

Another user posted macro photos of the inner ear grills after a SINGLE DAY of use, vs. just recently cleaned with Blu Tack, and the difference is stark.

AirPod Pro Ear Tip Fit test not working...Not the only one

Time for some science! Got out the microscope to take a look at the AirPods Pro grilles. This seems to explain a lot. Check it out. The top image is the grille after ONE DAY of use. The photo on the bottom is after a cleaning with Fun-Tak. After just one day of use, the tiny vent holes are...

forums.macrumors.com

View attachment 897447

Given the success reported by users cleaning their units with Blu Tack, and the above photo, If you think yours have reduced ANC performance, for whatever reason, chances are they are just dirty and need to be cleaned. Only Blu Tack or similar products seem to have the "reach" required to get inside the grille and clean them properly.

This is ridiculous. Apple’s (nor any multi billion dollar company’s) QC wouldn’t have ok’d a device that requires cleaning every day to prevent its main selling point from working properly.

Many are saying the blu-tak method hasn’t made a difference, so it’s not the common cause everyone is hoping for.

 

[pdxa4]

Thank you.

yup I intent to not pair the one I was given today, I've put them both away and will not use them. When the new left ear airpod gets delivered to me, only then will I pair the new AirPods.

Just to update I finally got both of my replacement AirPod pro's and made sure to only put them in the case and paired with them both together, happy that I'm back to 2B588 firmware, how Apple released 2C54 is annoying, and did not allow us to go back to 2B588.

 

[DeepIn2U]

So today I had enough of Apple not addressing the issue for the past 4 months and not pushing a new firmware, so I went to the Apple Store with my AirPods Pro running 2C54, explained the situation and the genius told me it’s a known issue and he straight up replaced both of them, the new ones are running 2B588 and the noise-cancelling is way better.

And THIS is why having an Apple Store in your own city is the KEY to Apple's success of customer satisfaction.

 

[vinegarshots]

This is ridiculous. Apple’s (nor any multi billion dollar company’s) QC wouldn’t have ok’d a device that requires cleaning every day to prevent its main selling point from working properly.

Many are saying the blu-tak method hasn’t made a difference, so it’s not the common cause everyone is hoping for.

Apple released a phone with an antenna design that wouldn't work if you covered it with your hand, so don't be so sure that real-world use wouldn't reveal something they didn't consider. Samsung released a folding phone without realizing that people might try to peel off the non-removable protective layer on the screen. These things happen.

The AirPods Pro DEFINITELY need regular cleaning to work 100% as intended, depending on your personal genetics and amount of ear oil secretions, etc. It's objectively true that the fit test will eventually fail if the vent gets plugged with ear oil/wax, or other contaminants, and the sound quality will degrade as well.

If the blu-tak method doesn't work, there are really only a couple possibilities.
A) Blu-tak method often requires a firm, consistent cleaning for best results. If you don't take the time to do it properly, then it might not have the intended effect.
B) Or one of the MEMS microphones has broken, resulting in poor performance.

And the firmware thing is kind of bizarre if you think about it, because all Apple would have to do is increment the firmware one step and re-release the old version. Easy. Why in the world would they make users sit on a firmware update that breaks anything, if they could roll it back just as easily?

 

[DeepIn2U]

It’s quite possible, like with laptop bios firmware upgrades, that once upgraded you cannot role back as there is a fix to reduce or illuminate issues inherent in the previous update.

should that be the case, that’s what bothers me with Apple releasing updates to iOS and WatchOS as well iPod Pro updates without being fully transparent about what is being issued in the update; in full. Sees very shady not to be transparent and also lazy!

it allows engineers a scapegoat pass for not doing things properly nor responsibly.

Apple did this before with iPhone battery throttling by not communicating what n why they’ve done n it costed them $.5 billion USA n $21Mil in EU with class action lawsuits. You’d figure they’d learn their lesson by now.

 

[zhenya]

This is ridiculous. Apple’s (nor any multi billion dollar company’s) QC wouldn’t have ok’d a device that requires cleaning every day to prevent its main selling point from working properly.

Many are saying the blu-tak method hasn’t made a difference, so it’s not the common cause everyone is hoping for.

It sounds ridiculous, but it is absolutely true. For months I felt the same way and said so vocally in the APP threads. You can check my post history. I was pretty sure that the failed fit test coincided with a change in firmware. All of the other cleaning methods, sucking, etc did not produce any consistent change for me. The blu-tack however, works 100% every time. I wear my APP’s 6-9 hours every work day, and wear them while working out as well. After ~3-6 days of use, they will begin to fail the fit test. 30 seconds of careful cleaning with the blu-tack makes both of them pass every time - and this has been repeated too many times now to be a coincidence.

I posted my experience a few weeks ago in another APP thread and the number of users trying this method has really grown since then - I was not the one who suggested this method - but I was a vocal detractor who decided I was wrong. The number of people reporting success with this method has grown rapidly, and the number of people claiming they tried it and it didn’t work remains quite small.

There is clearly something unusual going on here.

 

[Glideslope]

Apple released a phone with an antenna design that wouldn't work if you covered it with your hand, so don't be so sure that real-world use wouldn't reveal something they didn't consider. Samsung released a folding phone without realizing that people might try to peel off the non-removable protective layer on the screen. These things happen.

The AirPods Pro DEFINITELY need regular cleaning to work 100% as intended, depending on your personal genetics and amount of ear oil secretions, etc. It's objectively true that the fit test will eventually fail if the vent gets plugged with ear oil/wax, or other contaminants, and the sound quality will degrade as well.

If the blu-tak method doesn't work, there are really only a couple possibilities.
A) Blu-tak method often requires a firm, consistent cleaning for best results. If you don't take the time to do it properly, then it might not have the intended effect.
B) Or one of the MEMS microphones has broken, resulting in poor performance.

And the firmware thing is kind of bizarre if you think about it, because all Apple would have to do is increment the firmware one step and re-release the old version. Easy. Why in the world would they make users sit on a firmware update that breaks anything, if they could roll it back just as easily?

Let’s see what these “new AirPod Pro Lites” look like after production starts in April. I gaurentee a redesign of the inner microphone and it’s mesh cover.

Roll out the AirPods Pro with the hardware redesign as a “Lite” model, then follow up with AirPod Pro Heavy with the same redesign. Good strategy to minimize Class Actions on a flawed design. Although get ready for the, “you’re cleaning your ears wrong” defense. ?

 

[japanime]

Since we've had a forum member post before and after pictures taken of the APP grills, would it be possible get similar photos of the Blu-Tak tape showing the gunk that was removed?

(Apologies, but I remain skeptical as to whether Blu-Tak really fixes this issue. And even if it does, how lame is it that we would need to do this to make our APPs work as advertised? This seems like a hillbilly duct-tape fix.)

 

[petterihiisila]

It’s been about 3 weeks with the 2nd replacement AAPs. After a week, foot stomps and low frequency engine noise became an issue, again. More on the right than on the left. 2B588 firmware.

Encouraged by those before-after photos, I bought some new Blu-Tack to make sure it’s clean and dust-free. It actually worked this time. I used canned air before and after the Blu-Tack treatment. I have no way to verify if these are as good as new, but they are very good again. And most importantly, ANC is symmetric again. I used canned air from the side direction, thinking that direct airflow might push any garbage deeper into the mesh.

So yeah, I guess this will be the new weekly routine from now on.

 

[vinegarshots]

Since we've had a forum member post before and after pictures taken of the APP grills, would it be possible get similar photos of the Blu-Tak tape showing the gunk that was removed?

(Apologies, but I remain skeptical as to whether Blu-Tak really fixes this issue. And even if it does, how lame is it that we would need to do this to make our APPs work as advertised? This seems like a hillbilly duct-tape fix.)

It's a putty, not a tape. And yeah, if I have time some evening, I can put the Blu Tak under the microscope too.

I don't know why anyone would be skeptical about this, though. Apple designed a vent grille that's positioned in such a way that, for most people, it sits against the skin and gets dirty and plugged up because of it. If it's plugged up, it's not going to work as intended (if it wasn't necessary for operation, Apple wouldn't have put the grille in the design in the first place).

 

[BarrettF77]

I called Apple today about this and it's still the same about no news on firmware and also they are still blindly replacing afflicted units which only seems to kick the ball. Not sure what the benefit of that is if you are only going to have to delay the inevitable.

 

[DeepIn2U]

I called Apple today about this and it's still the same about no news on firmware and also they are still blindly replacing afflicted units which only seems to kick the ball. Not sure what the benefit of that is if you are only going to have to delay the inevitable.

blindingly replacing units due to known and heavily reported issues is a GOOd thing for all of us.

faulty units get examined, tested, issues catalog, testing and fixes (failed or successful) are logged and repeated over n over again until Apple is absolutely sure of root cause and proper fix. Reports to the manufacturer and potentially adjusts the process of manufacturing and repurposes chips into refurbished units for resale - which a HEAVY dose of cleaning (especially now with COVID-19 and it’s potential mutation word has it).

then a firmware update can be release and satisfy any of those still experiencing this issue.

how is this process a bad thing?

 

[mxrider88]

blindingly replacing units due to known and heavily reported issues is a GOOd thing for all of us.

faulty units get examined, tested, issues catalog, testing and fixes (failed or successful) are logged and repeated over n over again until Apple is absolutely sure of root cause and proper fix. Reports to the manufacturer and potentially adjusts the process of manufacturing and repurposes chips into refurbished units for resale - which a HEAVY dose of cleaning (especially now with COVID-19 and it’s potential mutation word has it).

then a firmware update can be release and satisfy any of those still experiencing this issue.

how is this process a bad thing?

Do you really think they test them?

 

[gwhizkids]

Do you really think they test them?

I do. Apple is an engineering and hardware company. They do failure analysis.

 

[BarrettF77]

The thing they don't do is adequately convey things to their customer facing staff so they are kept in the dark as much as we are and this doesn't sit well and creates a reluctance to trust anything is being done to resolve the matter. Such as silent updates to service programs, revised hardware, etc that we as outliers only know about through searching on sites such as this one.

 

[gwhizkids]

The thing they don't do is adequately convey things to their customer facing staff so they are kept in the dark as much as we are and this doesn't sit well and creates a reluctance to trust anything is being done to resolve the matter. Such as silent updates to service programs, revised hardware, etc that we as outliers only know about through searching on sites such as this one.

I do tend to agree with you on this point. They have always had this "Trust us; we'll get it right eventually" mentality. Occasionally, they will own up (i.e., Craig Federighi in interviews given during WWDC), but most of the time, they just correct something and say "nothing to see here!"

 

[mxrider88]

I do. Apple is an engineering and hardware company. They do failure analysis.

I can’t see that happening.. they Obviously don’t test the software and they sit in front of it (see iOS 13 and Catalina disaster), I can’t see them playing with second hand hardware honestly (that went in someone else’s ears).

 

[MJ22]

I have firmware 2C54 and after trying to bullsh*t me through force restarts of my phone and turning things off and on (which I refused to do because I told them I know it is a known problem and that won’t work) they gave in without resistance and are sending me replacement ear pods and I will send back the faulty ones. I am assuming the case itself is not being replaced as the hold on my card is only for $194 and not the full value of AirPods Pro.

 

[gwhizkids]

I can’t see that happening.. they Obviously don’t test the software and they sit in front of it (see iOS 13 and Catalina disaster), I can’t see them playing with second hand hardware honestly (that went in someone else’s ears).

“ they Obviously don’t test the software”

Obvious to whom?

 

[mxrider88]

“ they Obviously don’t test the software”

Obvious to whom?

To me at least, a Catalina and iOS user with tens of things that don’t work. For example a $1800 iPhone not syncing with a $2000 Mac.. just saying

 

[Erehy Dobon]

I do. Apple is an engineering and hardware company. They do failure analysis.

I wish they did more failure analysis during the beta period.