Apple is going to give developers early access to beta AirPods Pro firmware

Air Pods Pro on stage (Image credit: Rene Ritchie / iMore)

What you need to know

Apple is going to give developers early access to AirPods Pro firmware.
The company hasn't confirmed when that will begin, though.

Apple is going to start giving developers the chance to download beta versions of AirPods Pro firmware, the company has said. What it hasn't said is when it will do it.

The move was mentioned on a page on the Apple Developer Program website and was first spotted by MacRumors. The same portion of the website normally gives developers early access to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS builds and it will soon also include the firmware that powers AirPods Pro.

Pre-release ‌AirPods Pro‌ firmware for Apple Developer Program members will be available at a future date. This will allow development of features on iOS and macOS for AirPods as well as enable new features, including Conversation Boost (beam forming) and Ambient Noise Reduction (noise suppressor).

It isn't clear yet exactly how Apple plans to do this, however. AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Mac currently handle their own firmware updates with no user interaction required or, indeed, possible. Apple will likely have to release an app to manage the firmware update or build it into a profile that can be installed via the Settings app.

With WWDC still underway it's possible we'll learn more about what Apple has planned before the end of the week.

Developers will of course also need a pair of AirPods Pro for this to work. Thankfully, we have a list of the best AirPods Pro deals we could find, just ready and waiting.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.