At the end of 2021, Apple Store and authorized service providers have obtained the right to use the new AirPods Firmware Updater diagnostic tool, which can update AirPods Pro headphones to the latest firmware offline.
According to an internal memo obtained by MacRumors, Apple announced that the tool already supports AirPods 2 headphones as well. That said, both the AirPods Pro and AirPods 2 are listed as supported models, but the AirPods 3 and AirPods Max aren’t yet.
The tool allows technicians with access to Apple Service Toolkit 2 to install the latest firmware for customers’ AirPods in certain situations, such as a single-sided headset update fails, or customers using non-iOS companion devices. This firmware update tool is for Apple’s internal use only.