Right now, getting a firmware update for your AirPods, AirPods Pro, or AirPods Max doesn’t really mean you’ll be given a lot of information. Sometimes a firmware update is simply meant to fix some underlying problem or add new features. But it looks like Apple will be a little more transparent about the firmware update.
What is good news! It was posted on Reddit shortly after the latest developer beta of iOS 16 was launched, and it looks like Apple will start sharing AirPods firmware update news along with the public launch of iOS 16. As noted in the original post, Apple will be guiding owners See documentation for information on what’s new in the latest firmware update.
To read this paragraph, simply open the Settings app -> General -> About -> AirPods and then select Firmware version. From there, Apple will inform the user that there is support documentation regarding the firmware version, demonstrating what is present in the update. This new page will link to this support document, making it quick and relatively painless to access.
The firmware version page will list the firmware version of not only the AirPods themselves, but also the charging case (if applicable to your headphones).
As for manual updates, it looks like Apple isn’t ready to give users access to this feature just yet. But at least it could be a first step in that direction. For now, though, it’s always good to have more information, especially when a company makes it easy to find.