AirPods Max Wireless Headphones Get Higher Quality Audio Via LC3 Audio Codec With New Update

Last Updated on June 24, 2022 by Anu Joy

Earlier this month, Apple released a new AirPods beta firmware to developers. This update came close on the heels of the release of the first betas of iOS 16 and macOS 13 at the WWDC 2022. A developer has now discovered that the AirPods Max beta can support an improved Bluetooth codec, LC3. This is touted to improve the quality of voice calls for the AirPods Max headphones. Reports suggest that LC3 support could make its way to the AirPods Pro 2 as well.

LC3 Codec For AirPods Max Via Latest Beta Update

Twitter user George shared that he was able to enable the LC3 codec for AirPods Max via beta firmware 5A282B. The LC3 codec is Bluetooth’s audio codec which will be used in LE Audio profiles. It can encode speech and music at much lower bitrates. Moreover, it can be included in any Bluetooth audio profile.

The LC3 codec arriving on AirPods Max headphones is touted to improve the quality of calls. This codec requires Bluetooth 5.2, which isn’t currently supported by AirPods. According to 9to5Mac’s sources, the next-gen AirPods Pro will be powered by the successor of the H1 chip, which might include support for this technology. If support for Bluetooth 5.2 and LC3 does arrive for the upcoming AirPods, codenamed B698, the battery life will see a significant improvement.

How To Get Latest Beta Update For AirPods Max

To get the latest update, developers will have to first pair the AirPods with the iPhone. Then, use Xcode 14 beta on a Mac and select the “Pre-Release Beta Firmware” option which can be found in the “AirPods Testing” section. You can check out Apple’s guide on installing the new firmware via its Developer Portal. Do note that the beta firmware is rolling out only to the second-gen AirPods, third-gen AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max.