AirPods Pro & Max are now easier to find: Apple rolls out new features
How many of you (like me) regularly run back to your apartment looking for that tiny box of in-ear headphones? If those are the Apple AirPods Pro, the search is about to get a little easier. Along with the AirPods Max over-ear headphones, an update is coming that will make finding the Apple devices easier.
TL;DR:
- Apple distributes a firmware update for AirPods Pro and AirPods Max.
- Adds features like distance indicator in the Find My app.
- Lost Apple headphones should also become easier to track down.
Apple is expanding the feature set of its AirPods Pro and AirPods Pro Max headphones via a firmware update. The new features relate to the tracking capabilities of the respective devices, so they're primarily found in the "Find My" app. Remember, though, that Apple didn't equip its headphones with a U1 chip. The precise tracking and directional arrow that you know from the Apple AirTags is therefore not available.
Instead, the app shows you whether the headphones are "near" or "far" when Bluetooth is activated. As screenshots from 9to5Mac show, Apple uses the signal strength of the Bluetooth connection for this. In addition to the proximity feature, you can also report the headphones as lost, so if you lose them, you might be able to get them back from other Apple users.
To prevent that from happening in the first place, the AirPods Max and AirPods Pro can also send a message if you move too far away from them with your iPhone in your pocket.
Firmware update to be rolled out gradually
Even though most of the reports about the new features are coming from the US, Apple should be bringing the new features to other regions too soon. However, on the support page of the "Find My?" app, the new features are not yet available in other regions. So check back a little more often over the next few days to see if an update is available for the AirPods Pro or AirPods Max.
Apple AirPods Pro for only $179.00
To update the firmware, place the device in question near your iPhone, which should ideally be running iOS 15. After that, you should see an available update right in the small pop-up window you see when you successfully connect to the headphones. To check if you have the correct firmware version installed, look for the number "4A400".
Apple has quietly rolled out a new feature to iOS 15 making it easier for users to find their AirPods Pro and AirPods Max headphones. The new update to the Find My app, and to the headphones via a firmware update, will allow the devices to send out a continuous Bluetooth beacon.