Apple’s beloved AirPods Pro 2 wireless earbuds will gain new life as a hearing aid next week when the iOS 18.1 update rolls out for consumers.
AirPods Pro 2 and the requisite software update has been FDA-approved as a clinical grade hearing aid in the United States and Canada and other nations.
One of the new Hearing Tools feature, announced during the iPhone 16 launch event last month, is designed for AirPods Pro 2 owners with mild to moderate hearing loss.
Wearers will be able to take a hearing test that lasts around ten minutes, to determine potential levels of hearing loss. Reporters with early access have said wearers will be encouraged to tap the screen when they hear a tone.
Results are presented in a line graph showing the results for the left and right ear and the degree of any hearing loss if applicable.
From there, you’ll be able to turn on hearing aid mode which will use the microphones within the AirPods Pro to in order to amplify the sounds around you.
It’s not all that dissimilar to the existing Transparency mode, which enables wearers to listen to music while still being aware of ambient sound from traffic, etc. Apple will also enable users to deploy the connected iPhone’s volume controls to increase and decrease the volume of the amplified sound too.
Owners will be able to lend their AirPods to other people (give ’em a wipe before and afterwards, naturally) so they can take the test too. It might be a good conversation starter with family members who’re struggling with hearing loss but don’t want to take the step of wearing traditional hearing aids.
It’s still not 100% clear whether Apple will launch the Hearing Aid feature in the UK immediately, or market it as clinically approved. The company promised the feature will be available in more than 100 countries and regions including the US, Germany and Japan with regulators giving their approval gradually.
In September, Apple said: “The Hearing Test and Hearing Aid features are expected to receive marketing authorisation from global health authorities soon.”
The features will also include a new Hearing Protection tool that will be enabled by default and uses machine learning to reduce external noise and the user’s exposure to continuously loud noises, which can damage their hearing with long term exposure.
