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Pheidl Author

Level 1

125 points

Airpods Pro 2 noise cancellation worse after firmware update 7A294

The active noise cancellation on (at least) the AirPods Pro 2 is much worse after firmware update 7A294, including 7A302. The noise cancellation effect seems noticeably weaker now, roughly 50-70% as effective. Qualitatively, the effect is now closer to a slightly quieter adaptive mode. Essentially, I can now practically hear everything at a reduced volume, and my Sony 1000XM5 headphones now perform much better than my AirPods Pro 2, and this wasn't the case until the firmware/iOS 18 update.

Troubleshooting steps I've tried:

Cleaning the AirPods and tips (gentle surfactant/alcohol wipes, Blu-Tack), although they were already clean
Replacing the tips (they were already pristine)
Changing tips and ensuring proper fit
Resetting the AirPods
Toggling all settings on and off (Off, Transparency, Adaptive, Noise Cancellation)
Ensuring I hadn't accidentally selected something other than the noise cancellation mode
Having the AirPods replaced at the Apple Store

None of the above remedied the issue.

Some examples and context:

I can now fully make out conversations on the train in Tokyo, which I wasn't able to do that up until a day or two ago. To wit, train announcers are now less distant and audible. I can now hear people conversing on the other side of the carriage, and at one point, I was able to make out the music leaking out of someone else’s headphones...
I can now make out talking heads playing at low volume on a TV in another room.
I can now make out external sounds when ANC and Background Sounds (Dark Noise) are active at the same time, and up until the most recent update this combination was closer to being fully isolated.
Background music in convenience stores is now fully present, where as prior to the update I couldn't hear a thing.
I now no longer bother swapping to Transparency when my girlfriend is trying to talk to me across the room, because I can hear everything she has to say while noise cancellation mode is active. In the past, having to toggle between settings was a source of annoyance for us.

The situation is particularly disappointing, as I once adored these headphones, and the degradation of the noise cancellation effect makes the AirPods Pro 2 essentially more annoying than anything else.

iPhone 15 Pro

Posted on Sep 25, 2024 4:53 AM

Top-ranking reply

corneliu_sava

Level 1

74 points

Posted on Sep 29, 2024 1:51 PM

Same for me. From best AirPods with which I bragged to everyone who didn't have a pair of AirPods to checking if ANC is even turned on. We need to get Apple's attention so maybe have everyone else affected, comment on this thread.

View in context

159 replies

Dec 4, 2024 5:46 AM in response to mfittko

@Mfittko, you have no idea what *you* are talking about, so I hold little hope that you understand what *we* are talking about.

Noise cancellation and the 'hearing aid' function (not available in all areas) are not the same feature.

Hearing aid functions are not the issue here and are not being discussed here.

The entirely separate function of ANC, used in isolation of hearing aid functionality, is what is being discussed.

Rather than trying to act the 'Big I Am' with your foolish '1+1' comments, maybe spend a bit more time properly considering what you impulsively reply to on the internet...

Dec 4, 2024 5:51 AM in response to tomasni

That's interesting... Is it just Airpod Pros that you say are insufficient for hearing protection or ANC in general? I used to shoot shotguns a lot and most colleagues used ANC ear protectors, the same as me, and they worked exceptionally well at muffling the sudden and very loud sounds of a shotgun at close proximity. There was certainly no damage being done and quite a lot of protection...?

cph-kiwi

Level 1

20 points

Dec 5, 2024 2:45 AM in response to BelgiansWaffles

Since the update to ios 18, this is not the case. It defaults back to "off" when you remove one airpod. However, I have discovered the solution is in accessibility settings, of all places. There is a switch there to allow noice cancellation with only one airpod in at a time. Finding that settings has done the trick.

Dec 12, 2024 1:31 PM in response to Pheidl

This is NOT the product I bought, Apple! After the latest update, there is no audible difference between Transparency and ANC. I needed to double-check what settings were on my recent plane flight as it was sooo noisy. I used to listen to music on the motorcycle without a problem, it also helped with the wind noise. But now it's terrible, it is like wearing no or any cheap earphones you buy for 5Eur on the market near the vegetable kiosk.

la_ingm

Level 1

16 points

Dec 16, 2024 7:42 AM in response to Мike

Maybe it belongs to their deeper marketing strategy? Cutting the ANC, so customers need to listen lo music much louder than before (to overlay traffic or gym noise i need to turn up the volume at least to 90 % now). And this Max Loudness leads straight into the hearing aid feature and the need to buy some new airpods than :D :D

Dec 16, 2024 11:59 PM in response to Pheidl

I updated last night to ios 18.2 and I clearly realised the ANC got worse. There’s no difference anymore between „Adaptive“ and „noise cancelling „ modes.

i tested with my old and brand new AirPods Pro 2 (I had one extra from work).

Dec 20, 2024 4:05 AM in response to cdrrules

I thought my AirPods were getting old so bought new ones. Seems it’s software issue I work in a nightclub and before my set i would relax and listen a podcast without problems, now I can not hear one word they say the noise cancellation is totally gone. Seems it’s been months without a fix do I really have to go to another brand?

la_ingm

Level 1

16 points

Dec 24, 2024 2:56 PM in response to Johnathan Burger

Tja, I keep my fingers crossed for you, thats yours remain in this good anc condition.

but honestly I am sure that there are either a lot of people out there who do not notice any difference because they use their AirPods differently (louder music where the lag of high frequencies is not that obvious, or they listen in quieter environments) or the "roll out" of the ANC reduction happens incrementally.

so, the chances are high, that you already have it and dont pay attention to it or u ll be the next one.;)

Serhii_T

Level 1

8 points

Jan 21, 2025 12:26 PM in response to Pheidl

Noticed exactly same issue. I never heard my Mac keyboard while typing but now i can clearly hear every press, just with slighly reduced volume. Tried to reset them, but didn't help. Then found this thread.

I bought AP Pro 2 in October 2022, basically after launch and was amazed by ANC to say the least.

Now it's awful to say the least, i don't even use transparency mode because i can hear everything with ANC on.

7B21 didn't fix anything, imo it has got even worse. I can hear cars outside, distant noises and so many other things that never bothered me throughout almost 2 years since i bought my headphones.

I'd love to use older software (i never use conversational awareness) but sadly there is no such option. Only one that comes to my mind is to buy new pair of headphones and never use them with any Apple device, but it's not really what i bought them for.

Hopefully this will be addressed soon and we get some response from Apple. Extremely disappointed by latest updates, ANC is a highly valuable feature that was one of the selling points of Pro models initially.

lkrupp

Level 6

17,759 points

Nov 13, 2024 3:31 PM in response to Pheidl

Apple released firmware updates for both the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 yesterday.

7B21 for AirPods Pro 2

7B20 for AirPods 4

Both iPhone and AirPods must be on their chargers for the update to happen. The user cannot, repeat, cannot force the update. It happens automatically.

AirPods Firmware Update

About firmware updates for AirPods - Apple Support