AirPods Pro’s Active Noise Cancellation Not Working? Here’s How to Check the Problem

BY Gautam Prabhu

Published 16 Jan 2020

AirPods Pro's Active Noise Cancellation Not Working

As we reported a few days back, AirPods Pro 2C54 firmware update that was briefly released by Apple and then pulled seems to have made the Active Noise Cancellation feature worse.

If your AirPods Pro’s Active Noise Cancellation feature is not working or less effective then you should check if your AirPods Pro has been updated with the 2C54 firmware update.

What exactly is the problem with Active Noise Cancellation in AirPods Pro After 2C54 Firmware Update?

According to tech news site RTings, results showed a fairly significant drop in isolation performance, primarily in the bass-range, after upgrading to 2C54 firmware. It means that the Active Noise Cancellation has been affected adversely by the update.

How to Check if Your AirPods Pro Are Affected

Before we check the firmware version, please make sure that Active Noise Cancellation is enabled on your AirPods Pro. If you need help then you can check our article to find out the different ways to enable Active Noise Cancellation on your AirPods Pro.

You can follow these steps to find out if the 2C54 firmware update was installed on your AirPods Pro:

1. Make sure that your AirPods Pro is connected to your iPhone or iPad.

2. Then launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad, and navigate to General > About.

3. Then scroll down and tap on AirPods Pro.

Settings - AirPods Pro

4. Here, check the version number next to the Firmware Version.

AirPods Pro - Firmware Version - 2C54

If it is 2C54, then it means that the firmware update that seems to make Active Noise Cancellation worse or less effective is installed on your AirPods Pro.

Unfortunately, there is no way to fix the issue. Apple doesn’t provide a way to install the firmware update on AirPods Pro manually as it does for iOS devices. Apple also hasn’t acknowledged the issue, so it is not clear if and when Apple will release a firmware update to improve Active Noise Cancellation on affected AirPods Pro.

Like most users, the primary reason I paid $90 extra for the AirPods Pro compared to the AirPods was for it’s Noise Cancellation feature. So I really hope Apple releases a firmware update soon to fix the issue.

Let us know if you’re facing the issue in the comments below.