Adam Kos Apple has released firmware updates for AirPods, AirPods Pro, Airpods Max, as well as Beats Solo Pro, Powerbeats 4, and Powerbeats Pro. However, apart from the standard performance improvements and fixes for known bugs, there are two significant new features – better support for the Find platform and Conversation Boost. But they are not intended for all models.
It could be interest you
Flying around the world with Apple The firmware is labeled 4A400 and is installed automatically. No mechanism to force installation is present. The headphones update when they are in their charging case and connected to a device. The Conversation Boost feature was introduced by Apple at its WWDC21 conference in June and is exclusively for AirPods Pro.
It uses microphone beam isolation technology and machine learning to detect human voices. The feature is tuned to focus on the person speaking directly in front of the user, making it easier for hearing-impaired headset owners to have a face-to-face conversation. This way, they simply won't have to lean their ear towards the person speaking in order to understand better. At the same time, the function can filter the disturbing noise of the surroundings.
Notifications and settings for lost
As part of the Find platform, you could already search for your lost AirPods. It was possible to display the location or play sound on them. But now their integration into the service is growing considerably. However, this is only for the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max models. They have newly learned the Find Nearby function, got a lost mode and can alert you if you find them, but also if you forget them.
Gallery
Thanks to this, it would be possible to prevent not only the fact that you will not be able to use them on your travels, but above all if you lose them, for example, in a cafe. Thanks to their setting as lost, there is also the possibility to have the headphones detected by the Find network. The moment a device is around them, it will update you with their location on the map, which is the same function as in the case of AirTag. A potential finder may see your contact information or a custom message asking for a return after pairing the headphones with their device.
It could be interest you
Pavel Jelic Find AirPods wherever they are
With the Find Nearby feature included, this could mean you'll be able to search for them in a similar way to AirTag. But that's not the case. The AirTag has an ultra-broadband U1 chip used for accurate searching, but this is missing from the AirPods. So you will have to rely on finding a more accurate location based only on the Bluetooth connection.
In the application, you will only see the general location of the headphones, or even the headphones if you are looking for just one. The exact AirTag search interface itself is very similar. A dot is shown in the center of the display, which shows how far you are from the device based on its size and blue color (AirTag shows green). You will not know the exact distance from the headphones. But you are here by text to at least inform you if you are still far away or if you are getting close. All depending on the signal, of course. These updates were originally expected to be part of iOS 15, but Apple has only released them now. It is very likely that when the company introduces the 3rd generation AirPods, they will also include this functionality.
