- Public Beta to AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 is available now
- Common Beta -Warnings Apply: Use on your own risk
- Requires iOS 26, iPados 26 or MacOS 26
Last week, Apple opened the public beta program for all its latest operating systems, enabling you to try the next generation software that is officially launched later this year.
And there is also a beta for the next generation of AirPods software. This is unusual because Apple usually does not issue AirPods betas, but it is available from the same place as the other betas at beta.apple.com through iOS 26, iPados 26 and MacOS 26 public betas. We have a guide on how to install iOS 26 beta here if you device to try it.
Should are you trying that? Yes, and no.
Let’s start with the mandatory beta warning.
Installing Beta Software can cause unexpected problems, give you a bad hair day and alarm your pets
Beta software is unfinished software and that means Apple takes absolutely no responsibility for something that can go wrong. It can do strange things with some of your apps, it can have small or massive bugs, and as far as I can tell, there is no way to roll back airpods -company update back if you find that your AirPods are experiencing worse; You just have to wait for Apple to solve the needs that have been resolved.
There is also the fact that in order to get the AirPods update you have to install the beta from iOS 26 / iPados 26 / MacOS 26, which has wider implications: It is strongly recommended that you do not install betas on any device that you are dependent on daily. If a beta makes your device completely responding, can you live without it?
So with that said …
What’s in the new AirPods Beta and which AirPods can install it?
Beta is only available for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC, presumably because all the features that require beta tests need the H2 chip that these models have.
There are five key updates here:
- Sleep detection that can automatically pause sound when you nod off
- “Studio Quality” voice recording
- Camera control and video-start-stop shooting
- Smarter automatically switch with CarPlay
- Improved voice quality in call
Where appropriate, you get new options in settings to control some of these features, for example, to turn sleep detection on or off or to configure camera control control.
To install AirPods Beta Update
First of all, install iOS 26, iPados 26 or MacOS 26 Public Beta from Beta.apple.com. Once you’ve done that, open your AirPods case and let them do the usual connection thing. If you then go to the AirPods page in Settings, see a message under the image of AirPods that tells you that beta software updates are available.
If you skip it this time, the setting moves to a beta update link further down the AirPods settings.
From there, it’s just a shift: Press the AirPod Beta updates button to make it green and the update installs, provided your AirPods are still nearby and connected.
