Apple gives AirPods another mysterious firmware update

Macworld While most of us are looking ahead to the new iOS 27 features on our devices, Apple isn’t done with iOS 26 just yet. Earlier this week, Apple issued the second iOS 26.6 beta for testing, and on Tuesday, it pushed out a new firmware update for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 users. As is usually the case, we don’t know what it does, only that it offers “bug fixes and other improvements.” The new version number is 8B41, up from 8B39 for the AirPods Pro 2, which was issued in March, and 8B40 for the ‌AirPods Pro 3‌, which were last updated in May. There’s no way to force a firmware installation on your AirPods, but to make sure they update, put them in the charging case, close the lid, plug in a USB-C cable connected to power, and wait about 30 minutes. You can tell when the AirPods are updating by checking the Settings app. If you want to check your firmware version, head over to the Settings app and tap on the name of your AirPods. Then scroll down