AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Aid Feature Now Available in the UK

[MacRumors]

Apple today announced that its clinical-grade, over-the-counter Hearing Aid feature for AirPods Pro 2 is now available in the United Kingdom.

"At Apple, we believe that technology can help people live healthier lives, and we're delighted to bring the Hearing Aid feature to the UK, offering our users an end-to-end hearing health experience with AirPods Pro 2," said Sumbul Desai, M.D., Apple's vice president of Health.

The Hearing Aid feature enhances ambient sounds, assisting adults who perceive themselves as having mild to moderate hearing impairment, according to Apple. This functionality is provided at no extra charge in supported countries, delivered via free software updates.

Using the personalised hearing profile generated from the Hearing Test that takes about five minutes to complete, the feature helps adults determine whether they have hearing loss by assessing how well they can detect various sound frequencies. Upon completion, users receive a classification of their hearing level along with suggested actions. Meanwhile, their hearing profile is automatically applied to music, movies, games, and phone calls across devices.

Apple's hearing health features first launched in the US and select other countries in late October with the release of iOS 18.1. In December, iOS 18.2 expanded the hearing test feature to France, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania, Spain, Cyprus, Czechia, and the UK, and both the hearing aid and hearing test features to the United Arab Emirates. Today's announcement means that both the hearing test and the Hearing Aid feature are finally available to users in the UK.

All of the hearing health features on the AirPods Pro 2 require firmware version 7B19 or newer. Firmware updates are installed automatically on AirPods while they are charging and in Bluetooth range of an iPhone, iPad, or Mac connected to Wi-Fi.

Article Link: AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Aid Feature Now Available in the UK

 

[marklemac]

I had this running in the UK about 4 weeks ago.

 

[thefrost]

What a great time to announce!

 

[Davelfc]

Did this in December using my AirPods Pro, little to no loss.

 

[bluecoast]

I unfortunately have mild to moderate hearing loss (blasting music my iPod on non noise reduction headphones on london’s tube in the 00s) and have just turned on this feature.

Instantly it’s made an incredible noticeable difference to me with sounds now ‘crisper’.

AirPods 2 is one of apple’s best ever products and an absolute must have if you have an iPhone, iPad or Mac (and apple tv) imho.

 

[Patchwork]

The hearing test feature has been available in the UK since iOS 18.3 came out last month. I can’t comment on the hearing aid part as the test showed only very minor hearing loss.

 

[wbeasley]

This is going to make a huge impact on the lives of many people bringing down the cost of hearing devices.

My partner suffers from Sudden Onset Hearing Loss (by sudden, hearing in one ear went from great to extremely deaf over 3 hours). Even ENT specialists dont seem to know what to do. Research was Hyperbaric treatment can improve or return hearing BUT you need to start it quickly. Not a week after losing hearing after trying antibiotics. Sadly my partner's solution was hearing aids or cochlear implant.

There are some new AI model aids now available and they do a fantastic job in noisy environments.
Music is a struggle and may always be.

The fact Apple are doing this all as free software on a device you've already purchased is awesome.

Just wish Australian authorities would approve it... hurry up!!!

 

[Kylo83]

Does it need an update or is it sever side

 

[Kylo83]

I had this running in the UK about 4 weeks ago.

No the hearing test was with 18.3 but the hearing aid feature wasn’t available

 

[svish]

Good to see this in another region. Still waiting for it to be available in my country. Hopefully it will be available at least by the time iOS 19 is released.

 

[w_macintosh]

what the hell hahah, Canada is still waiting despite it being approve by health canada a while ago. 🥲

 

[DailySlow]

Got mine (US) Black Friday. But phone wouldn't ring in my ear. Apple Store replaced them 2 days later. Still no ringy-ring-ring. But audio works fine with Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Signed: waiting for that ring.

 

[cougarmeat]

Though the article was about the hearing aid feature, I didn't hear any words or see an example of how to turn it on and use it. Or if it works independently from a paired smart device like an iPhone or iPad. A quick explanation of the other modes would have been useful too.

I appreciate the author's attempt and effort - I have never made a video - but I'm wondering if he handed his AirPods to someone after they watched the video, if they'd know how to deploy them as hearing aids. They'd know it can be done, and they'd know how to take the hearing test. But then what?

 

[detailsofmylife.net]

lol, just spent money to activate and send AirPods from the US to the UK to bypass the region restrictions. SMH.

 

[ZeebUK]

Took the ‘test’ when that was available- was pretty close to the official provided one. Switched on the aid function today. Makes a big difference. Much more comfortable than my official hearing aids.

 

[Night Spring]

Though the article was about the hearing aid feature, I didn't hear any words or see an example of how to turn it on and use it. Or if it works independently from a paired smart device like an iPhone or iPad. A quick explanation of the other modes would have been useful too.

I appreciate the author's attempt and effort - I have never made a video - but I'm wondering if he handed his AirPods to someone after they watched the video, if they'd know how to deploy them as hearing aids. They'd know it can be done, and they'd know how to take the hearing test. But then what?

Use the Hearing Aid feature on your AirPods Pro 2 - Apple Support

AirPods Pro 2 provides a clinical-grade Hearing Aid feature for perceived mild to moderate hearing loss and a Media Assist feature, which enhances the clarity of music, video, and calls.

support.apple.com

 

[Makosuke]

I don't need hearing aids myself, but this feature really is a game-changer when it comes to the cost and ease of help for the hard-of-hearing.

My mother-in-law has bad-end-of-"moderate" hearing loss in one ear, and just-on-the-wrong-side-of-"severe" hearing loss in the other. She has a single hearing aid that she needed to go to a professional to get tested for, and cost something like $2000 2 or 3 years ago.

This $2000 device is nice, to be sure--8-hour battery life, inductive charger, links well to an iPad via bluetooth for FaceTime calls, compact, has an app for slight adjustments, and of course does its job and makes it so she can hear out of that ear.

Her hearing is bad enough I was guessing the AirPods wouldn't be able to help, but with the new firmware, I walked her through the few-minute Apple hearing test on my phone (a few times, in fact, and got nearly identical results each time, which is at least not a bad sign), helped her adjust the settings a bit, and she now has hearing aids for both ears for $200 that, at least according to her, sound at least as good as the $2000 one.

The dedicated hearing aid isn't without its advantages--it has about twice the battery life (which is a pretty big deal for a wear-all-day device), and is less visible since it's the over-the-ear type.

On the other hand, unlike AirPods the hearing aid is incredibly prone to getting the microscopic speaker tip clogged with earwax and is so small it's functionally impossible for an elderly person to clean, so every two or three weeks it will stop working until she complains and someone cleans it for her. The background noise filtering on the AirPods is notably better than the dedicated hearing aid (and adjustable), as is the conversation-aware filtering, and because of the microphone positions (the over-the-ear one has the microphone behind your ear toward the rear) it works better for listening to things in the direction you're facing rather than accidentally amplifying what's behind you.

Most fundamentally, though, you can now get full-featured hearing aids for both ears for less than 1/10 the cost, and you can do the test for it at home in 10 minutes instead of an audiologist appointment, and you can re-test yourself any time you want in case something changes. It's a miracle device when it comes to hearing aid for people who previously couldn't afford it.

 

[krspkbl]

My results say 12 dbhl right and 21 dbhl left.

I can sometimes notice it in my left ear but mostly doesn’t bother me. Also I have tinnitus in my left ear.

Obviously not expecting much but turned the hearing aid feature on and using it now just to try it. won’t do much for me but this is huge for so many people.

 

[robfoll]

This is going to make a huge impact on the lives of many people bringing down the cost of hearing devices.

My partner suffers from Sudden Onset Hearing Loss (by sudden, hearing in one ear went from great to extremely deaf over 3 hours). Even ENT specialists dont seem to know what to do. Research was Hyperbaric treatment can improve or return hearing BUT you need to start it quickly. Not a week after losing hearing after trying antibiotics. Sadly my partner's solution was hearing aids or cochlear implant.

There are some new AI model aids now available and they do a fantastic job in noisy environments.
Music is a struggle and may always be.

The fact Apple are doing this all as free software on a device you've already purchased is awesome.

Just wish Australian authorities would approve it... hurry up!!!

What is wrong with Australia? "we are so exceptional that we won't approve anything useful until the rest of the world has had it for years" The TGA deliberately keep Australia in the dark ages!

 

[johnsawyercjs]

Though the article was about the hearing aid feature, I didn't hear any words or see an example of how to turn it on and use it. Or if it works independently from a paired smart device like an iPhone or iPad. A quick explanation of the other modes would have been useful too.

I appreciate the author's attempt and effort - I have never made a video - but I'm wondering if he handed his AirPods to someone after they watched the video, if they'd know how to deploy them as hearing aids. They'd know it can be done, and they'd know how to take the hearing test. But then what?

One of the primary takeways from the Apple Support article that Night Spring links to above, is "Hearing Aid settings are stored on your AirPods, so if your paired device is not nearby, Hearing Aid will keep working using the most recent settings."

 

[moodler]

What is wrong with Australia? "we are so exceptional that we won't approve anything useful until the rest of the world has had it for years" The TGA deliberately keep Australia in the dark ages!

Untrue, the TGA approved it quite quickly (last December). Apple are dragging their feet here.

 

[wbeasley]

What is wrong with Australia? "we are so exceptional that we won't approve anything useful until the rest of the world has had it for years" The TGA deliberately keep Australia in the dark ages!

yes the Aussie TGA delayed the Apple Watch heart monitoring for ages. Ages...

these things are assistive devices with some smarts that can help.

The hearing aid function seems to be a very smart EQ... hard mindblowing and needing medical approval.
I'm sure Apple have enough safeguards in there they arent going to damage ears from tests or output.
Hence it is pitched at minor to medium hearing loss...

I can hear my partner's hearing aids when the plugs arent in far enough. I know how loud noises have to be for him to hear them at all from booth tests (that were like 747 loud) and he barely reacted. It's why hearing aids tire his remaining hearing so quickly. It's like an audio assault. But it's better than no hearing at all...

 

[wbeasley]

Untrue, the TGA approved it quite quickly (last December). Apple are dragging their feet here.

do you have links to that decision and why Apple are dragging their heels?

 

[Makosuke]

The hearing aid function seems to be a very smart EQ... hard mindblowing and needing medical approval.
I'm sure Apple have enough safeguards in there they arent going to damage ears from tests or output.
Hence it is pitched at minor to medium hearing loss...

Technically all non-surgical hearing aids are just “very smart EQ”, but your assumptions are not correct.

Yes, AirPods only compensate for up to “moderate” hearing loss, so would not be usable for someone with severe hearing loss like your husband.

But “moderate” is not just “EQ”—my mother-in-law, as an example, has slightly more than 60dB hearing loss on her bad ear, which is at the upper range of what AirPods can help with, and I can vouch that’s bad enough you cannot hold a meaningful conversation with her without shouting. Bad enough that, prior to her getting a hearing aid and when her hearing was better, being in the room with her watching TV for a couple hours a day for a few weeks permanently damaged my wife’s hearing.

I put her hearing-aid adjusted AirPod partway in my ear to make sure it was working, and it was uncomfortably loud even for a few seconds. While she was doing the test I could easily hear the tones sitting next to her, so they must have been extremely loud in her ears.

I am quite confident that if I were to wear AirPods adjusted for her hearing with my good ears it would be painful, and eventually cause very real and permanent hearing damage. It is NOT just EQ.

 

[wbeasley]

Technically all non-surgical hearing aids are just “very smart EQ”, but your assumptions are not correct.

Yes, AirPods only compensate for up to “moderate” hearing loss, so would not be usable for someone with severe hearing loss like your husband.

But “moderate” is not just “EQ”—my mother-in-law, as an example, has slightly more than 60dB hearing loss on her bad ear, which is at the upper range of what AirPods can help with, and I can vouch that’s bad enough you cannot hold a meaningful conversation with her without shouting. Bad enough that, prior to her getting a hearing aid and when her hearing was better, being in the room with her watching TV for a couple hours a day for a few weeks permanently damaged my wife’s hearing.

I put her hearing-aid adjusted AirPod partway in my ear to make sure it was working, and it was uncomfortably loud even for a few seconds. While she was doing the test I could easily hear the tones sitting next to her, so they must have been extremely loud in her ears.

I am quite confident that if I were to wear AirPods adjusted for her hearing with my good ears it would be painful, and eventually cause very real and permanent hearing damage. It is NOT just EQ.

Having played a little with Phonak Target software while my partner tried to improve the specialist set values it is quite clear most of it is EQ based stuff.

The smart part that maybe Apple can or cant do it with certain types of sounds: S sounds, loudness of plosives, filtering background noise over spoken text. The sphere mode AI-like stuff makes a huge difference in super noisy environments but chews battery like crazy for the sheer amount of processing work required.

There is a physical limit to how loud AirPods can go.
If you wanted to max them out or add EQ it is very possible to damage your own hearing as they exist and are used now. If health authorities were that worried they would have already had control of them.