AirPods Pro firmware 2B588 reduce the noise cancelling capability

I don't understand why you are being so passive aggressive here... Please... just be polite. There is no reason to archive this post.

We would love to hear the results of your tests but many of us have already spoken to Apple reps on multiple occasions and have learned about how deeply spread this issue is. If it was a hardware problem, I would have had them swapped already... It's clear that everyone here had no issues until the 2B588 firmware was updated. Firmware is much more "tight" or "close" to hardware than software is so it could appear to be a hardware issue when it was just a bug or some silly choice to reduce the ANC in the code.

Also your tests would have to show the ANC noise canceling function on the both the original AirPods Pro firmware which I believe was 2B584 and then further on either 2B588 and 2C54. We aren't saying there is NO ANC on 2B588 and 2C54... We are saying that it has been reduced down to about 15-30% of what it was on the shipping firmware.

Also, you may get a pair shipped with 2B584. It may ship with 2B588. It's unlikely it will ship with 2C54 unless they just brought in new stock. But yes, please update us. Just please keep an open mind... We aren't crazy over here. We all collectively noticed something strange, Googled it, and realized "oh... many people are having this issue".

Most people don't use this forum... They go directly to Apple if they even do anything at all. Or they go to Reddit or another forum (and Reddit users have consistently been redirecting those people here which to me shows that even those users are aware of this problem on a mass-scale).

If you do by chance get a new pair that runs 2B588 or 2C54 and your current ones also are the same firmware and they test differently, then yes, let us know... But according to Apple, this seems to be a firmware issue.

It's very strange. I bought headphones with the firmware version 2B588 and I was very happy with ANC performance. And after updating the firmware from 2B588 to 2C54, I noticed a huge degradation of ANC performance.

If on version 2B588 the ANC level was 100%, then on version 2C54 the ANC level became ~ 20%. If people who bought headphones with the old firmware version 2B584 did not notice any changes in the ANC performance when updating from version 2B588 to 2C54, then it turns out that the version of firmware is not so much connected with the problem, but more like a global hardware issue. If Cerlini's new headphones with the 2C54 firmware version will have a much higher level of ANC, then this theory will be confirmed.

UPDATE 2: I'm not able yet to use the replacements and probably I will have to get a replacement for the replacements...

BUT I've tried the new Medium tips on my old AirPods Pro and nope, no change in ANC, so tips wear and tear can be definitely excluded as a cause. Fit test went better though with just the right AirPod yellow and the left one consistently green.

@Cerlini,

I imagine you reset already but can you try this and if you do get them connected, let us know the firmware ver.

Try a full re-pair, reset, and try again.

Settings > Bluetooth > Airpods > Forget this device. Confirm it. (I guess you can skip this if they never connected to begin with but un-pair the old ones too maybe?)

Put both Airpods in their case, charge them via Lightning until the case is 100%. Unplug them. Open the case and hold the button on the back of the case for 15+ seconds or until the light flashes white. Hold them near your iPhone and see if the pairing screen comes up and pair them. If not, repeat until it does. But if you can't see the screen pop up, then manually pair within Bluetooth.

@rust1

Okay you have me concerned now... That would be a massive issue if that was true...

You are 100% sure that they came with 2B588 and didn't perhaps update overnight when you first charged them to 2B588? Or maybe they were on a previous version (which is very close to the same numbers as 2B588... It's 2B584 I think like we both wrote??? Even I can't remember now).... And perhaps the ANC was good and then the next time they were plugged in, they went up to 2B588 without noticing (as it really wouldn't be something to check)... I had no change between 2B588 and 2C54.

I guess I could ask, what prompted you to check the firmware version the first time you checked and then what you to find this forum?

That might help us piece it together a bit.

If the firmware is damaging the hardware... then we are all... yeah... SOL.

Yesterday I talked with another Brazilian who bought his APP 2 weeks ago and wrote a positive review about it on his website and guess what? He told me about the power of his ANC, which is good when music is playing but he can clearly hear a lot of things including people talking around him and other sounds when he’s not listening to any music. I told him about my experience when I first used it with the original firmware, about any talk becoming whispers even during a family reunion and almost all other sounds disappearing with no music on and he was just unbelievable and curious about it. So your concern about people being satisfied without testing the original firmware is right.

@_andyy

Yeah. People who are buying them now aren't going to know any difference and just assume this is how it is supposed to be. They have no base-level to compare it to. All of us do on the other hand... Or anyone who used it with firmware 2B584 (or whatever the number was before 588).

You're right, I can't say with 100% certainty that my initial firmware version was 2B588. I can only say that the production month of my headphones is "11/2019" and the release date of firmware 2B588 was November 14. But I can definitely say that the ANC level on 2B588 firmware in my case was excellent and was huge degradated after 2C54 update.

Oh man. They won't connect to any device? Just curious. When you hold down that round button, does the LED ever change color to white or it just stays amber?

I'd think it was a charge issue... If you replace tmr, maybe just leave them charging overnight to see if it stops?

I had mine replaced on 12/07 and they came with the old firmware. (I was already using the Pros with the old firmware for about a week and a half before swapping them for a new set on 12/07).

They didn't update to 2B588 for about a week after that so mid December.

2C54 came out a few days after mine updated to 2B588 and they didn't update to 2C54 for about 2-3 days.

The swap out was because I can't (and still can't) get the Pros to charge wirelessly properly... I'm over that issue though. It's also known and there isn't anything to be done about it... Only a few select chargers seem to work (and the Belkin and mophie chargers that Apple sells both DON'T work properly w/ the Pros)... but they were swapped out and of course it made no difference since they just don't work w/ any of the Pros except for a few certain chargers.

Ok. Nailed the issue down tho the left replacement. If I only insert the right one, the case pairs, as soon as I insert the left one, back to flashing Amber. I’m so unlucky with AirPods.

BTW firmware revision on the working right AirPod is 2B588.

How do you determine which firmware version you have? [figured it out: on iphone--> settings/general/about/Airpods Pro]

Mine are new and came with v. 2B588. The noise cancellation feature works quite well for me.

Hi kellyNYC, 2B588 is the one that changed the ANC. So you have not gotten a chance to experience what the ANC really was like on the older firmware 2B584... It was much more powerful then.

But since yours is currently 2B588, try connecting them to your iPhone, put them in their case and plug them into power (Lightning port) and see if they will update to 2C54... When they do, see if you notice any difference with the ANC.