Apple AirPods Firmware

[-Maxim-]

That sucks - I'm on 12.1.4 and like my AirPods the way they are now. Not looking forward to them changing when I go to 12.2

You'll get the update for the Airpods even when staying on 12.1.4. Several people confirmed that here already. As always: Apple knows better what you want than you do!

 

[chaicka]

Just noticed the updated firmware for Gen 1 AirPods too. Tested switching between iOS devices and time it took, definitely an improvement but still the Gen 2 AirPods is much quicker. In terms of audio quality, now that we can compare Gen 2 with Gen 1 side by side on same audio or video, Gen 2 sounds better in terms of separation of sounds and bass seems a bit more, which makes Gen 1 sounds so flat (in some specific video/audio I was listening to).
[doublepost=1553681631][/doublepost]

So they are making airpods 2 not needed with better sound and connection with a firmware for the 1st

Not true at all.

I have 2 sets of Gen 1 AirPods and 1 set of Gen 2 AirPods. Been testing the speed to connect switching between iOS devices (iPhone and iPad). Gen 2 is still much faster. Gen 1 still takes a 3-4 seconds pause/wait.

Audio wise, Gen 1 now sounds so flat when compared to Gen 2 on same set of audios and videos. Not an audiophile. But Gen 2 sounds better in separation of sounds and a tad bit more bass when it’s needed and definitely louder (or maybe the improved separation of different sounds leaves an impression it’s louder since u hear clearer).

 

[gwhizkids]

What I find interesting is the large jump in the version number. Unlike build numbers for,say, iOS which can increase by large increments between iOS versions due to unreleased internal builds, you would expect firmware versions to proceed from one version to the next. This one jumped 3 whole versions (plus a bunch of minor versions it would appear from the numbering scheme). Why, I wonder? Was this just to throw AirPods (1st gen) owners a bone? Or could they have done this all the time but wanted to wait so as to keep some “air” between the 2 generations of devices? If the latter, you’d think they’d wait a bit longer to release it. Of course this is all predicated on there actually being improvements to the sound quality and connection time. Or they may have gone ahead with the update so as to allow the 1st gen to charge wirelessly and thrown in the audio and connection time improvements as a bonus.

We’ll probably never know...

 

[metalsiren]

I just wish that Apple had an App that allowed advanced users to tweak the Airpods settings. you can leave them default or.... (you get the idea) I think that would make everyone happy.

BUt what do I know... my wife calls me a stupid **** all the time

 

[mharr]

I haven't seen anyone else note this. After not getting Airpods to update yesterday, last evening, and this morning (by opening case, see battery window, wait a couple minutes), just on a whim I decided to disconnect my VPN (NordVPN). Next time I opened my case, the update happened. Perhaps there might be an issue with Airpods update over a VPN.

 

[ActionJax]

The sound signature of gen1 has absolutely been tuned. For better and worse. They sound louder and clearer because mids were slightly scooped out. It’s a more commercial sound but not entirely ideal because the lows are pretty weak and sound isolation has always been almost non-existent.

Some things are going to sound markedly better, others markedly worse, others pretty much the same. Will depend on mastering. Ear fatigue will be worse because of the clearer high end.

Honestly, I’m not too happy that this was even an option. I preferred my AirPods yesterday. It’s just bonkers to me that we’re now at a point where products we buy for not a small sum of money can fundamentally change against our will. There’s no rolling back. There’s no opting out of the update.

I listen to a lot of Howard Stern on Sirius. His voice now sounds sharp, not rich. This is the loudness people are hearing. It’s easier to understand what he is saying at a lower volume because it is sharp, but it isn’t pleasant to listen to for long periods. It’s also only the illusion of loudness, as it is crisper / harsher requiring less volume to hear, but with less fullness it is allowing even more outside noise to creep in.

I now own headphones that can be simultaneously too loud, yet too soft to hear over my AC unit (15 feet away) when I’m on my porch.

Count me among the people who find the updated v6.3.2 sound of 1st Gen AirPods to be harsh. I've spent a year telling my friends how great AirPods sound and now, frankly, I can't stand them. Applying an equalizer helps some, but I often use AirPods mostly with my Apple Watch (sorry, no EQ!). Maybe this is all in my imagination, but my first impression is very "WTF just happened to my favorite Apple product?"

 

[metalsiren]

Just to confirm - this firmware update only applies to Gen 1 AirPods?

My Gen 2 AirPods are Model A2031, Firmware 1A671, Hardware 1.0.0 for sake of reference.

my Gen 2 is currently showing 661 and not 671 for the firmware. letting them sit and charge.
[doublepost=1553702232][/doublepost]ok Gen 2 just updated finally to 1A671.

 

[Benz63amg]

Just noticed the updated firmware for Gen 1 AirPods too. Tested switching between iOS devices and time it took, definitely an improvement but still the Gen 2 AirPods is much quicker. In terms of audio quality, now that we can compare Gen 2 with Gen 1 side by side on same audio or video, Gen 2 sounds better in terms of separation of sounds and bass seems a bit more, which makes Gen 1 sounds so flat (in some specific video/audio I was listening to).
[doublepost=1553681631][/doublepost]

Not true at all.

I have 2 sets of Gen 1 AirPods and 1 set of Gen 2 AirPods. Been testing the speed to connect switching between iOS devices (iPhone and iPad). Gen 2 is still much faster. Gen 1 still takes a 3-4 seconds pause/wait.

Audio wise, Gen 1 now sounds so flat when compared to Gen 2 on same set of audios and videos. Not an audiophile. But Gen 2 sounds better in separation of sounds and a tad bit more bass when it’s needed and definitely louder (or maybe the improved separation of different sounds leaves an impression it’s louder since u hear clearer).

How certain are you gen 2 actually sounds better and it’s not just placebo?

 

[Bazooka-joe]

Mine arrived yesterday in a box without the AirPower packaging. Firmware 1A671 and yeah they do sound louder than both my previous Gen 1 AirPods

 

[Benz63amg]

Mine arrived yesterday in a box without the AirPower packaging. Firmware 1A671 and yeah they do sound louder than both my previous Gen 1 AirPods

Did you update the firmware of your gen 1 AirPods before making the volume comparison?

 

[Bazooka-joe]

Did you update the firmware of your gen 1 AirPods before making the volume comparison?

No I didn't actually

 

[QquegChristian]

Count me among the people who find the updated v6.3.2 sound of 1st Gen AirPods to be harsh. I've spent a year telling my friends how great AirPods sound and now, frankly, I can't stand them. Applying an equalizer helps some, but I often use AirPods mostly with my Apple Watch (sorry, no EQ!). Maybe this is all in my imagination, but my first impression is very "WTF just happened to my favorite Apple product?"

I’m glad I’m not the only one! I can see how the majority of people will simply hear it as louder and think that’s a better thing.

I listen to talk radio and podcasts because I’m color correcting a movie right now which is a tedious and slow job at a computer that only requires so much focus. Yesterday I found I was pulling my AirPods out every half an hour to take a break

EQ is an imperfect solution for streaming audio. It brings out the compression artifacts, especially for podcasts and the talk I listen to, which are typically heavily compressed.

 

[jigzaw]

The sound signature of gen1 has absolutely been tuned. For better and worse. They sound louder and clearer because mids were slightly scooped out. It’s a more commercial sound but not entirely ideal because the lows are pretty weak and sound isolation has always been almost non-existent.

Some things are going to sound markedly better, others markedly worse, others pretty much the same. Will depend on mastering. Ear fatigue will be worse because of the clearer high end.

Honestly, I’m not too happy that this was even an option. I preferred my AirPods yesterday. It’s just bonkers to me that we’re now at a point where products we buy for not a small sum of money can fundamentally change against our will. There’s no rolling back. There’s no opting out of the update.

I listen to a lot of Howard Stern on Sirius. His voice now sounds sharp, not rich. This is the loudness people are hearing. It’s easier to understand what he is saying at a lower volume because it is sharp, but it isn’t pleasant to listen to for long periods. It’s also only the illusion of loudness, as it is crisper / harsher requiring less volume to hear, but with less fullness it is allowing even more outside noise to creep in.

I now own headphones that can be simultaneously too loud, yet too soft to hear over my AC unit (15 feet away) when I’m on my porch.

This is the first time I've even heard of this update and I checked and my 1st Gen updated at some point in the past. I hadn't noticed any change but I also wasn't looking for it.

I'm a Howard maniac of the highest order, so I just put it on to see if I notice what you're describing and he's busy with the Khaleesi/Millie Bobbie Brown Agent character so his voice is already high and crackly from the Ray Stern megaphone.

Ok now on his normal voice, it does sound like it has less bass in it than I seem to remember, but honestly I could also be looking for it.

Does anyone know if this sound scheme is also present on the Gen 2 AirPods? I've been actually considering getting a pair.

Edit: I just read someone on Reddit saying that the firmware update reduced interference and now that I think about it for the past couple days the microwave hasn't been causing my AirPods to go silent and spotty like it used to. Interesting.

 

[QquegChristian]

This is the first time I've even heard of this update and I checked and my 1st Gen updated at some point in the past. I hadn't noticed any change but I also wasn't looking for it.

I'm a Howard maniac of the highest order, so I just put it on to see if I notice what you're describing and he's busy with the Khaleesi/Millie Bobbie Brown Agent character so his voice is already high and crackly from the Ray Stern megaphone.

Ok now on his normal voice, it does sound like it has less bass in it than I seem to remember, but honestly I could also be looking for it.

Does anyone know if this sound scheme is also present on the Gen 2 AirPods? I've been actually considering getting a pair.

Edit: I just read someone on Reddit saying that the firmware update reduced interference and now that I think about it for the past couple days the microwave hasn't been causing my AirPods to go silent and spotty like it used to. Interesting.

It’s not so much the bass in Howard’s voice, it’s everything between the bass and the treble that sounds like it has been reduced (mids). So it’s deep and clear but also very thin, where any little noise in the real world can be heard over it (more than normal on the AirPods). Because it’s thin you have to turn it up a bit, and then you hear more bass than you used to because it is louder, but the extra treble is what gets tiring to the ear.

By more bass, microphone thumps on Howard are much more prevalent now. You can hear every little adjustment people make to the mics.

That same megaphone bit is when I really had to take the AirPods out of my ears! The treble was really hitting my Hein.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

It’s not so much the bass in Howard’s voice, it’s everything between the bass and the treble that sounds like it has been reduced (mids). So it’s deep and clear but also very thin, where any little noise in the real world can be heard over it (more than normal on the AirPods). Because it’s thin you have to turn it up a bit, and then you hear more bass than you used to because it is louder, but the extra treble is what gets tiring to the ear.

By more bass, microphone thumps on Howard are much more prevalent now. You can hear every little adjustment people make to the mics.

That same megaphone bit is when I really had to take the AirPods out of my ears! The treble was really hitting my Hein.

I'm still on iOS 12.1.4 and I just checked that my AirPods were on firmware 3.7.2. I then listened to some music to memorize how they sound. About a minute into the music the AirPods stuttered and stopped and then resumed playing music mid-song, and it sounded different. When I checked it was on 6.3.2 now. I should have put my iPhone into airplane mode to prevent the update.

My problem is they won't stay that tight unless I hold them in place, so when I let go and they loosen their fit, then the sound becomes thinner sounding. With the firmware 3.7.2 this was not a problem, and due to my poor fit it prevented the mids from being too forward.

But now the midrange is definitely more sucked out sounding, and I have to push the EarPods harder against my ears for a tighter seal to get them to sound more like they used to. I use AirDots applied to my AirPods to make them stick in my ears better, but it's not a prefect fix.

They now sound more fatiguing and grainier with some compressed AAC and MP3 music. Brad Paisley "American Saturday Night" the song "Welcome to the Future" in 256 AAC is absolutely unlistenable. No joke.

However, this isn't a consistent finding. Camilla Cabello album "Camila" in 256 AAC isn't nearly as fatiguing like Brad. With Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds "Live at Radio City" in 256 AAC it's actually nicer sounding, where the ambience of the live audience is enhanced. I actually listened to dave's album for several songs as I enjoyed it so much.

When I listen to some lossless music, like Amanda Palmer "Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on Her Magical Ukulele", it becomes slightly less fatiguing sounding. And the air and ambience in lossless live recordings, such as Bill Evans "Waltz with Debbie", is noticeably improved.

Thanks Apple - now instead of being able to enjoy anything via Airpods, I have to pick and choose music that the tuning of the AirPods will complement each other.

I absolutely have to get a better fit somehow, as that makes them sound better. I have some silicone AirPod condoms that hook into the inside of my ears to try but I can't charge them with these on and they are a pain to install and remove each time. I also have some new over-the-ear hooks to try, before I give up.

What I like about AirPods is that they don't block sound, so I feel safe walking around with them in place, and can hear outside noises that I need to be aware of when I'm out in public (can't run or be active or they fly right out). I have several high end in-ear monitors with a BT cable that all seal out about 20-25 dB of outside noises, and so I feel like I'm walking around in a vacuum but can hear my footsteps via bone conduction. I don't feel like it's safe to walk around and run errands with those in my ears.

 

[KimHansenDK]

Just received my AirPods Gen 2 but I can’t seem to get them to update to 1A671. Any suggestions?

Edit: Never mind - just took some time

 

[Stinsle]

Just to confirm - this firmware update only applies to Gen 1 AirPods?

My Gen 2 AirPods are Model A2031, Firmware 1A671, Hardware 1.0.0 for sake of reference.

Mine says Firmware 1A661. I am confused. I will keep reading here. Maybe I will get some clarification.

 

[dgreening]

Mine says Firmware 1A661. I am confused. I will keep reading here. Maybe I will get some clarification.

I just got mine too and I have the same 1A661. A little confused.

 

[Benz63amg]

Mine shows 671, I got the AirPods 2 without the wireless case

 

[dgreening]

Mine shows 671, I got the AirPods 2 without the wireless case

Mine are also without the wireless case - 1A661.

 

[metalsiren]

anyone with Gen 2 with firmware 661 give them time and they will upgrade to 671... see my post above that mentions this.

 

[yadmonkey]

AirPods gen 1 with the new firmware and one thing I notice is that the double tap for voice control responds much more quickly.

 

[Stinsle]

Mine says Firmware 1A661. I am confused. I will keep reading here. Maybe I will get some clarification.

I got 1A671 finally. I need to learn patience.

 

[metalsiren]

I got 1A671 finally. I need to learn patience.

yea I did the same thing I was like WTF and then after some time it was updated. I wish there was a status bar or something so we know when its going through the process.

 

[TRICKorDEVICE]

When you go into settings what firmware version do you have on the second generation AirPods?

Mine says 1A671
It also says I’m on hardware version 1.0.0, I was expecting it to say version two.

Edit: it looks like this is the latest version.