One of the few drawbacks of Apple's AirPods family is the way firmware updates are delivered, which are fairly frequent.

Perhaps to keep things intuitive, the firmware is updated wirelessly and invisibly, but the flip side is that those eager to try out the latest features have no way to get to the front of the line: the AirPods update automatically. The only way to get in is to wait until the AirPods are automatically updated, and there is no indication that the update is available or that it is currently being downloaded and installed.

In other words, if a new update is released and you really want to try it, you have to put your AirPods in the charging case, put them on to charge, and hope for the update to be available.

But according to Twitter leaker @StellaFudge, it won't be long, as Apple has "announced the AirPods Firmware Updater tool."

But as you can see, there's a pretty big catch. According to the leaker, unless you work for Apple, you can't use it yourself. That's because the tool is intended for technicians who diagnose and repair problems, not for the average user who wants to get the latest features right away. The tipster continued, "It's also only for people using AirPods with non-Apple products or AirPods with mismatched firmware."

In a later tweet, @StellaFudge clarified that the alleged Firmware Updater tool is only compatible with AirPods Pro.

It is not clear how this works, as only the AirPods Max has a diagnostic port for wired connections; the Apple Watch eliminated this in its latest version, replacing it with a 60.5GHz wireless module for diagnostics instead.

Nevertheless, if this is true and Apple has a system to force firmware updates wirelessly, rather than waiting for them, then the end result will be a user-friendly reskin that allows consumers to do it themselves without official intervention I would expect it to be something that can be pushed out to the iPhone.

In the meantime, we can only hope for the best and follow the general instructions on how to update your AirPods; if you're looking for AirPods or other headphones, check out our Best Wireless Earphones list.