Don’t update your AirPods Pro if you like effective ANC

Apple’s latest firmware update for the AirPods Pro improves their sound but comes at the cost of the active noise cancellation’s effectiveness.

The news comes courtesy of testing done by tech review site RTINGS, comparing the performance differences between the previous firmware, 2B588, to the new version, 2C54.

While 2C54 introduces better bass accuracy and frequency response — which should result in cleaner performance — active noise cancellation, especially the buds’ “isolation performance”, isn’t quite as good.

“This means that with ANC turned on, these headphones won’t do nearly as good a job blocking out the low engine rumbles of planes or buses as they did before this update,” it added in a review update.

That’s especially bad news for those who travel with the AirPods Pro.

The firmware’s no longer available, so perhaps Apple’s set to address the issues uncovered by RTINGS.

You can also check which firmware version your buds have by visiting the “About” section of iOS’s general settings menu.

Apple’s AirPods Pro were announced last year, and made available in South Africa for R3999.

Feature image: the AirPods Pro, by Apple