AIRPODS

AirPods firmware 9A348 adds custom EQ to Pro 3 and AirPods 4

If you own AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4 or AirPods Max 2, you can now tune the sound yourself and the setting travels with the earbuds. AirPods Pro 2 get the update but not the EQ, and you can't force the install.

By iDeviceSep 15, 7:10 AM CT3 min read

Apple has released firmware build 9A348 for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4 and AirPods Max 2, and it's what lets those earbuds use the new AirPods features in iOS 27. That means a redesigned settings screen, a control for Adaptive Audio, custom EQ and support for the new Siri AI on a compatible iPhone. AirPods 5 will run the same firmware when they ship this week.

Custom EQ covers AirPods Max 2, AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 4, and you set low, mid and high frequencies yourself while the screen shows the audio waveform. The settings are saved on the AirPods, so a profile carries over to whatever device they're connected to. GymKit support and Precision Finding from an Apple Watch have narrower hardware requirements, and about half the new features only work on AirPods Pro 3. There's no install button. Leave the AirPods in their case, connected to power and near your iPhone, and the update arrives on its own.

AIRPODS3 min read

The cheaper AirPods 5 matches the battery of the pair it replaces

Sep 10

Only the $149 AirPods 5 beats AirPods 4 with ANC on every line. The $129 model carries the same two battery ratings and a case with no wireless charging and no Find My speaker.

APPLE AIRPODS 53 min read

AirPods 5 are rated IP57 for water and dust, like the Pro 3

Sep 9

IP57 puts a $129 pair of open-ear AirPods on the same water rating as the $249 Pro 3.

AIRPODS3 min read

Apple moved the AirPods upsell from noise cancellation to the case

Sep 9

Open-ear noise cancellation used to cost $179. It's $129 now, and the $20 step up buys a case that charges on an Apple Watch puck.

AIRPODS3 min read

AirPods 5 arrive with better noise cancellation and no cameras

Sep 9

The camera AirPods were on Apple's schedule for this stage and are now a 2027 product, which leaves a $129 pair of tipless earbuds carrying the entry line for another year.

APPLE AIRPODS PRO 33 min read

AirPods Pro 3 can run a gym workout without the watch

Sep 2

A treadmill test on the iOS 27 beta came back with the numbers a watch would give. The earbuds have to be in, and their heart-rate permission has to be on.

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