The title and discussion in the linked article describe this as "worse after firmware update", but the title here suggests Apple removed the feature entirely.

On my end, I've noticed I have recently been checking whether it was on or not. So, I am one more person experiencing some issue here.

Is there anything I can do to avoid this update?

See also:

AirPods Pro owners complain of worse noise cancellation after firmware updates (theverge.com)

223 points by Borlands on Jan 17, 2020 | 157 comments

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22078517