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iOS 15 bug breaks one of the most important AirPods Pro features

Published Sep 29th, 2021 4:11PM EDT
iOS 15 AirPods Pro bug
Image: Christian de Looper for BGR

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iOS 15 has been out for just over a week now, and there have been some growing pains. Many major software releases have issues that need to be addressed in future updates, but the list is surprisingly long for iOS 15. One iOS 15 bug in particular is making AirPods Pro more difficult to use.

As noted by MacRumors, iOS 15 seemingly disabled the ability to control Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency on AirPods Pro for many users. A few AirPods Pro owners on Reddit were are having the same problem. Nothing happened when they told Siri to turn off Active Noise Cancellation or activate Transparency mode. Instead, Siri responds: “Sorry, I can’t help you with that.”

In effect, Apple seems to have accidentally deactivated a feature with the iOS 15 update.

iOS 15 includes an annoying AirPods Pro bug

If you own a pair of AirPods Pro, you might have experienced this bug yourself. The good news is that a fix is already in the works. AirPods Pro owners that installed the initial iOS 15.1 beta discovered that Apple had solved the problem. The bad news is that iOS 15.1 is likely at least a few more weeks away. Apple just seeded the second beta this Tuesday, and we typically see at least three or four betas before the public release. In other words, it could be a while.

Thankfully, you don’t have to wait that long if you don’t want to. Downloading an iOS public beta is as easy as signing up for the Apple Beta Software Program. Once you’ve applied, you can download the latest beta release on your iPhone. If you often make use of the Siri commands for your AirPods Pro, you might want to install the beta to alleviate the issue right away.

Other reasons to update to iOS 15.1 beta 2

Plus, the iOS 15 AirPods Pro bug won’t be the only issue you fix in the process. As we discussed earlier today, iOS 15 also introduced a bug affecting the Unlock with Apple Watch feature. iPhone 13 owners found that they were unable to unlock their iPhones via the Apple Watch while wearing a mask. This is yet another problem Apple solved in the iOS 15.1 beta.

And if all the bug fixes are not enough to convince you, perhaps new features will. In the first iOS 15.1 beta, Apple reenabled SharePlay, which wasn’t quite ready when iOS 15 launched last week. When iOS 15.1 arrives, you’ll be able to use the feature to watch movies and listen to music with friends during FaceTime calls. Additionally, iOS 15.1 beta 1 made it possible to upload one’s COVID-19 vaccination status in the Health app and generate a vaccination card in Wallet.

Jacob Siegal
Jacob Siegal Associate Editor

Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.