Airpods Pro 2 noise cancellation worse after firmware update 7A294

Maybe we'll get an answer from Apple one day..

No improvement, no communication.

no way to downgrade, we gotta eat this or switch to another brand

[Edited by Moderator]

I had the exact same problem, but fixed it by changing the earplugs of the AirPods. Trust me on this one just use the original right size earplugs. Try the every option!

Anyone have a fix or update? Just got out of apple store, manager was not helpful.

Just got a new pair of pros and the noise canceling is nowhere near as good as my last pair. So disappointing for the price!

Had to update to ios18 to pair my new apple watch. Next day in the train ANC of airpods 2 is very degraded

Did not work for me. ANC has been nerfed. All settings allow same amount of outside noise in.

IE no discernible difference to ANC/exterior noise infiltration regardless of setting used.

truly unbelievable!!! :-((

Literally same observations as OP with 7E93 on a brand new pair. Please fix, Apple 🙏

I did factory reset by opening the case and holding the button for 15 sec. After I pair it back looks like ANC started to work again. At least loud TV became hardly heard. I will test it more next few days.

I experienced the same issues that others have posted here. I’m on version 7B19 and was still experiencing poor noise cancellation. The fit test often failing one or the other ear and after fiddling with it I could correct it. I am using the large tips. I then bought some memory foam tips, took the foam off its plastic tip and added it to the apple tips such that the original AirPod tip outer sleeve rolled back over the foam. The AirPods now fit in my ears firmly without any fear of them falling out and the noise cancellation is excellent. I can only summize that my AirPods did not fit right even when the fit test passed.

Do not use noice cancelling headphones as hearing protection! Because of the physics of the whole thing I suspect you can possibly cause more damage with noice cancelling headphones than no protection. Use plugs designed for hearing protection.

Same problem for months, it's tiring.

Apple has changed headphones several times, instead of acknowledging purely software changes (APP1 and APP2).

I love Apple's products (IPhone and AirPods Pro) but this culture of secrets is getting tiresome.

The new pair to come won't be AirPods Pro.

ANC is becoming essential in today's society. Without it, no matter how good the sound, headphones are worthless.

You’re right. The reversed polarity (in relation to natural sounds) signal of noise cancelling systems doesn’t do harm.

But the ear has muscles and they react to the environment to protect ones hearing. When you are exposed to loud sounds the muscles in your ear contracts to function as natural hearing protection. That’s why it’s more harmful to remove plugs from your ears in the middle of a loud concert than not wearing them in the first place. While wearing plugs, your ears ”thinks” this is the amplitude they are exposed to. And when you remove the plugs the sudden change in amplitude happens faster than your ears can adapt, leaving them more vulnerable to loud sounds.

Noise cancelling is a digital process and therefore it is impossible for it to react to sound instantly.

At a band rehersal setting there is always going to be transient material slipping through the noise cancellation. A transient from say a loudly hit snare drum at close proximity has great amplitude. Why I’m afraid this might be harmful is that since the tonal material you are hearing is significantly more quiet then its natural unfiltered version, your ear might adjust its natural protection to this level, still being exposed to almost full level transients.

Hope this helps!

I may have worded it incorrectly, so I’m sorry for that. But what I meant was to keep the ANC active. Yes, I do realize that adaptive means canceling out less noise, but there was a passive setting within the adaptive settings I was referring to that would somehow fix the issue that most of us are experiencing with ANC currently. However, I have since returned them because the fix didn’t last for very long, so I’m not even sure where to find the setting that I was referring to anymore. Best of luck though. I’m truly hoping they get it fixed, because I would love an updated pair! Went back to my first gen pros for now 🥲