How to Update Apple AirPods Firmware

Apple recently updated the Apple AirPods firmware to version 3.5.1. We’ll show you how to make sure you’ve got the update with your Apple AirPods connected to an iPhone.

Some AirPods users experienced problems with their headphones disconnecting randomly from their iPhone. A post in the Apple support forums shows many pages of people posting problems with theirs disconnecting randomly. The 3.5.1 AirPods firmware update seems to fix that. If you’ve got other problems, see our post on fixing common AirPods problems.

How to Check AirPods Firmware Version

Updating the AirPods doesn’t take much. You may want to check your AirPods firmware version first. To check the firmware version, open the Settings app on your iPhone.

Tap on General in the Settings app. On the next screen tap on About. You’ll see the screen below on the left if you swipe down until you see AirPods.

Tap on AirPods and you’ll see the screen on the right above. The AirPods firmware number shows up in the fourth item. As you can see above, I’ve got the current version 3.5.1, which includes the fix for the disconnection bug. You may find that the version is higher than that after further updates from Apple. The software will likely continue to get updates as Apple discovers new bugs or maybe even adds new features like controls or Siri usage.

How to Update AirPods Firmware

What should you do if your AirPods show a number lower than 3.5.1? At a future point, Apple will update the AirPods firmware to an even higher level. You can do a Google search to find the current firmware version number.

To get the latest version of the firmware, the iPhone might need an update to the latest version of iOS. Make sure that your iPhone is running the latest version of iOS by going into the Settings App again. Tap on General and then Software Update.  If you’re running the latest version of iOS, the screen will read “iOS 10.X Your software is up to date.”

Please see How to Install iOS 10.2.1

Now that your phone has the latest version of iOS installed, Apple will automatically download and install the latest AirPods firmware the next time the AirPods connect to the iPhone.

Apple may take a little while to send out the update. To get the update, put your AirPods in the charging case and keep them near the iPhone. This way the iPhone will download the update when it’s ready and update the AirPods. You also need to plug your AirPods into a Lightning cable or dock so they’re charging while near the phone.

After you leave your AirPods near your iPhone overnight, go into the About page as we described above to see if you’ve got the update. If it still doesn’t show the latest AirPods firmware version, then you might need to contact Apple Support or take them to an Apple Store.