AirPods Pro 2: Noticeable Decline in Noise Cancelling After iOS 26 Update

I’ve been using my AirPods Pro 2 for about two and a half years and have always been very satisfied with them. Over time, I noticed that the noise cancelling and transparency mode gradually became less effective. Dust and other debris tend to build up in the mesh of the earbuds, which affects performance.

Following Apple’s cleaning instructions, I carefully cleaned them and the difference was drastic. The noise cancelling and transparency modes worked almost like new again.

Right before updating to iOS 26, I tested the noise cancelling without any music playing and it worked very well. However, after installing iOS 26 and the accompanying firmware update, I tested it again and found that the noise cancelling had become significantly worse.

My question is: Is there any way to roll back to an older firmware version for the AirPods Pro 2 and if not, can we expect a new firmware update that may address this issue?