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Apple Silently Updates AirPods Firmware to 3.7.2

Apple has again silently updated the AirPods firmware, this time from version 3.5.1 to 3.7.2. As with the previous update, there are no public release notes, but the update likely focuses on bug fixes (see “Apple Silently Updates AirPods Firmware to 3.5.1,” 1 February 2017).

First, check to see if you need the firmware update. Connect your AirPods to your iPhone and go to Settings > General > About > AirPods, where you can check your firmware version. If the AirPods menu item doesn’t appear, open the AirPods charging case until the charge status alert appears at the bottom of the screen and then check again. If you still don’t see the AirPods menu item, make sure they’re connected in Settings > Bluetooth.

I had previously reported that you need to connect the Lightning cable to the AirPods charging case to install the update, but that appears not to be true. Once the AirPods are connected to your iPhone for a few minutes, the update will be applied silently and automatically.

Unfortunately, the firmware update has done nothing to fix the VoIP issues Julio Ojeda-Zapata and I experienced during our initial testing, including the awful jackhammer noise when trying to use the AirPods for a Slack call in iOS (see “Apple’s Wireless AirPods Were Worth the Wait,” 20 December 2016). Fingers crossed that the next update finally does the trick!

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