Apple Releases First Firmware Update for Beats Studio Buds +

Apple today released new firmware for the Beats Studio Buds +, marking the first firmware update to the earbuds since their 2023 launch. The firmware has a build number of 2C318, up from 2A219.

beats studio buds plus 1
There is no word on what the new firmware includes in terms of features or bug fixes, and Apple does not provide release notes.

The Beats Studio Buds + are Apple's mid-range Beats earbuds, featuring Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, microphones, battery life, and more. The earbuds come in several colors, including a unique transparent design that shows the internals.

As with most of the latest Beats models, the Studio Buds + do not include an Apple audio chip, and are instead equipped with acustom Beats chip that provides better feature parity between iOS and Android devices. The Beats chip supports one-touch pairing and setup, Find My integration, and Siri support, but automatic switching between devices is not available.

The firmware update for the Beats Studio + are delivered over-the-air. Firmware will be installed while the Beats headphones are charging and are in Bluetooth range of an iPhone, iPad, or Mac that's connected to Wi-Fi.

On Android devices, users will need to download the Beats app for Android and connect the Android device to a power outlet to initiate a firmware update.

Update: MacRumors can confirm that the firmware update added Audio Sharing support to the earbuds.

Tag: Beats

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...
airpods pro 3 glitter

AirPods New Year's Deals Include Up to $99 Off AirPods Max, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Sunday January 4, 2026 8:04 am PST by
Now that the calendar has flipped over into January, steep discounts on popular Apple products have become more rare after the holidays. However, if you didn't get a new pair of AirPods recently and are looking for a model on sale, Amazon does have a few solid second-best prices this week. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a...
Belkin 25W Battery magnetic

CES 2026: Belkin Announces Magnetic Ring Power Bank, Modular Dock, and More

Sunday January 4, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Belkin today announced a range of new charging and connectivity accessories at CES 2026, expanding its portfolio of products aimed at Apple device users. UltraCharge Pro Power Bank 10K with Magnetic Ring The lineup includes new Qi2 and Qi2.2 wireless chargers, magnetic power banks, a high-capacity laptop battery, and USB-C productivity accessories, with an emphasis on higher charging...
m4 macbook air blue 2

iPadOS and macOS 26.2 Double 5GHz Wi-Fi Bandwidth for Wi-Fi 6E Devices

Monday January 5, 2026 1:57 pm PST by
With the release of iPadOS 26.2 and macOS Tahoe 26.2, Apple has improved the Wi-Fi speeds for select Macs and iPads that support Wi-Fi 6E. Updated Wi-Fi connectivity specifications are listed in Apple's platform deployment guide. The M4 iPad Pro models, M3 iPad Air models, A17 Pro iPad mini, M2 to M5 MacBook Pro models, M2, M3, and M4 MacBook Air models, and other Wi-Fi 6E Macs and iPads now ...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...

Top Rated Comments

timborama Avatar
18 months ago

Can we go ahead and have a class action lawsuit for how terribly fragile the Apple Beats Fit Pro earbuds were? They broke on me TWICE in a year and I used them for phone calls on my computer.
Wrong product. Take your complaints elsewhere.

Back to the topic at hand. Adding some iOS 18 support I’m guessing. I really like my Beats Studio buds +, over the AirPods Pro 2.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GMShadow Avatar
18 months ago

Can we go ahead and have a class action lawsuit for how terribly fragile the Apple Beats Fit Pro earbuds were? They broke on me TWICE in a year and I used them for phone calls on my computer.
Sir, this is a Wendy's.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
robvalentine Avatar
18 months ago



The Beats Studio Buds + are Apple's mid-range Beats earbuds, featuring Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, microphones, battery life, and more.
Good to know they feature battery life.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sherry Livingston Avatar
18 months ago
“There is no word on what the new firmware includes in terms of features or bug fixes, and Apple does not provide release notes.”

I hate this kind of “trust me bro” updates.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lk400 Avatar
18 months ago

Wrong product. Take your complaints elsewhere.

Back to the topic at hand. Adding some iOS 18 support I’m guessing. I really like my Beats Studio buds +, over the AirPods Pro 2.
Given the price and regular discounts, I’m right there with you. I had the original AirPods from release date, and then the original AirPods Pro from release date. They were fine (although original AirPods didn’t fit me well). But cost performance was just not there for me. Especially given how quickly the battery life degrades. Instead of AirPods Pro 2 I got these beats, and I actually prefer over AirPods Pro. The sound is not as good when testing back to back, and it’s pretty obvious. But after a minute or two of listening, I can’t tell. The form factor is much better for me, and the relative value makes me feel happy.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NoGood@Usernames Avatar
18 months ago
Wow, I must have manifested this one into existence lol. This afternoon I pulled my buds+ out of my bag and used them for the first time in probably 3 months. I was searching on Google to try and find the latest firmware version to see if they needed to be updated.

When I checked, I was on 2A219, and just now I reconnected them after seeing this article and lo and behold they already updated themselves to 2C318!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)