New AirPods firmware public beta now available as iOS 26.1 nears

This summer, Apple launched its first ever public beta for AirPods firmware. And today, ahead of iOS 26.1’s upcoming release, the company has shipped new public beta firmware for testing on select AirPods models.

Public beta firmware is limited to certain AirPods models

Last week brought new AirPods beta firmware for developers. The build appears timed for launch alongside iOS 26.1, which is expected to launch later this month.

Now, that same firmware build (version 8B5014c)…