Three months after launch, Yandex releases a substantial firmware update for Drops earbuds, refining audio tuning, noise cancellation, battery life, and expanding smart home integrations, signalling a strategic shift towards a software-defined, AI-connected wearable device.
Yandex has issued the first substantial post-launch update for Drops, using it to alter core parts of the earbuds’ behaviour rather than merely tidy up bugs. Roughly three months after sales began, the company has reworked audio tuning, raised maximum output, changed how active noise cancelling responds in difficult environments and claimed longer running time in one of the device’s heaviest-use modes. The same software push also reaches the Duo Max smart display and the Home with Alice platform, turning what could have been a routine firmware release into a wider ecosystem update.
The biggest technical shift appears to be in the sound profile itself. RB reported that Yandex has moved away from the Harman-curve tuning used earlier and towards a flatter presentation with clearer treble and more pronounced bass. Ferra and Runet both said the company is presenting the roughly 10 dB rise in maximum volume as an increase achieved without harming playback quality. That is a notable admission that the first tuning was not final. In practice, Yandex seems to be treating Drops less as a finished pair of earbuds and more as a software-defined audio product that can still be materially reshaped after launch.
Noise control has also been adjusted in ways that go beyond a simple strength increase. Comss said the revised algorithms are intended to suppress steady background noise more effectively in the metro, on aircraft, in public transport and near busy roads. Habr added a more technical explanation for transparency mode, saying Yandex changed sound processing in the frequency range most important for speech intelligibility. The practical effect, according to that report, should be that a station announcement, a cashier’s question or a nearby conversation is easier to follow without removing an earbud. Comss and Habr also said the wind detector now identifies airflow more accurately and adapts cancellation to cut low-frequency rumble.
Battery life gains are more narrowly framed, but still relevant because they target a demanding real-world setup rather than an ideal lab case. According to RB, autonomy rises by 15–20% when active noise cancelling and Alice voice activation are running together in a noisy environment. Ferra added that the update also improves remaining-charge estimation and evens out discharge between the left and right earbuds, which matters because uneven drain is one of the small but persistent irritations in true wireless designs. On the software side, several outlets said the Alice AI app on iOS is now less likely to be pushed out of memory in the background, and that the app now includes guidance for configuring and using Drops as well as a section listing new features.
The update is not confined to audio hardware. Habr reported that Duo Max now has a night mode that can switch the screen off completely while the device continues listening for requests and wakes again on touch. Runet, citing Code Durov, said the point is to stop the display lighting up a dark room. Comss went further on the mechanics, reporting that the option sits in the display settings under night mode and can be configured so the clock either disappears entirely or remains visible in a softer red glow. That makes the change more than cosmetic: it addresses a familiar bedside complaint without disabling voice control.
Yandex has also used the release to widen what can be brought into its smart-home system. Comss and RB reported that Home with Alice now supports air fryers, beginning with DEMIAND models in what the company describes as a pilot project. Once linked through the manufacturer’s app and then connected to the Yandex home account, the appliance can be switched on from a Station speaker or the mobile app, with users able to set time and temperature or launch preset programmes. It is a small addition in absolute terms, but it shows Yandex continuing to push the assistant beyond speakers, lights and sensors into kitchen hardware where voice control has a more practical use.
That broader framing helps explain why this update matters. When Drops launched on 9 June 2026, Yandex positioned them not simply as wireless earbuds but as its first wearable AI device, tightly tied to the Alice AI app and services. iXBT reported at the time that the product had undergone a security review based on OWASP methodology, covering not only the earbuds themselves but also the firmware, mobile app and Bluetooth interactions. Seen in that context, the September release is not just about making the headphones louder. It is an attempt to strengthen a connected AI endpoint whose usefulness depends on audio performance, background app reliability and trust in the software stack around it.
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