Apple has seeded its first AirPods beta firmware linked to iOS 27, and it brings a couple of features worth watching.
Build 9A5304b landed today for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4, and AirPods Max 2. It is restricted to developers for now. The headlining additions are a redesigned AirPods interface and support for custom EQ — letting users tune frequency response beyond the handful of presets Apple has historically offered. The firmware also wires the earbuds into the new Siri AI that Apple is rolling out across iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate.
Custom EQ is the more consequential addition here. Apple has long ceded that ground to third-party apps and competing hardware; baking it into the system means users no longer need a workaround to get there. Pairing that with a tighter Siri integration suggests Apple is positioning AirPods as a more capable audio and voice platform, not just a wireless accessory.
Note that the developer-only install path itself is not new — Apple introduced the in-settings beta firmware option with iOS 26 — so the plumbing was already in place. Whether custom EQ is deep enough to satisfy serious listeners, or just enough to quiet the complaints, is a question the stable release will have to answer.