The Apple AirPods Pro 2 wireless headphones will support Bluetooth LE Audio technology, bringing 5 major benefits

In 2020, Bluetooth 5.2 introduces support for the new LE Audio audio specification. At least two Apple employees are listed as participants in the LE Audio development, and Apple will likely adopt the specification for use in future devices.

According to a newly released document in the Bluetooth SIG database, Apple recently tested an unknown component that supports Bluetooth 5.3. The document doesn't reveal any other noteworthy details, but similar to one from last month, it suggests that Apple is preparing for a future device with a LE Audio-enabled Bluetooth version.

LE Audio technology is especially good for AirPods headphones, such as the rumored AirPods Pro 2, which Apple is rumored to be launching with the technology. It's expected to be available at the iPhone 14 / Pro launch in September.

MacRumors outlines five benefits LE Audio will bring to future AirPods Pro, assuming source devices such as iPhone, iPad and Mac will also be upgraded to support the specification in the future.

Improved audio quality: According to the Bluetooth SIG, LE Audio includes a new low-power audio codec called LC3, which provides improved audio quality compared to the classic SBC codec, even at a 50 percent lower bit rate.

Longer battery life: With the low-power LC3 audio codec, future AirPods Pro will have longer battery life for audio playback.

Multi-stream audio: LE Audio can transfer multiple simultaneous audio streams between a source device such as an iPhone or Mac and AirPods Pro. This will allow separate left and right AirPods to each have a Bluetooth audio connection to a device that supports LE Audio audio for increased reliability.

Connect multiple pairs of AirPods to an iPhone at once: LE Audio will allow multiple pairs of AirPods to connect directly to a future iPhone, iPad, Mac or other device and play audio simultaneously. Apple already has a feature that allows an iPhone or iPad user using AirPods to share audio with another person using AirPods, but this feature does not work with more than two pairs of AirPods.

No need to switch between iPhone and Mac: LE Audio will allow AirPods to connect to multiple source devices like iPhone and Mac at the same time without having to switch AirPods between devices.

In July, the Bluetooth SIG said that it expects the availability of LE Audio-enabled products to increase significantly by the end of 2022.