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Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware Ahead of Hearing Aid Feature Launch

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Apple today released a new firmware update for the AirPods Pro 2, with the software available for both the USB-C and Lightning models. The AirPods Pro 2 firmware has a build number of 7B19, up from the 7A305 firmware released in September.

AirPods-Pro-Firmware-Feature.jpg

The new AirPods Pro 2 firmware comes just ahead of when Apple plans to launch Hearing Health features in iOS 18.1. Hearing Health includes a hearing test that mimics an audiologist's test, and hearing aid functionality should that test sense mild to moderate hearing loss.

Release notes for the update are as follows:
  • When used with an iPhone or iPad running iOS 18.1 or iPadOS 18.1 or later, AirPods Pro 2 with firmware update 7B19 enable three new features—a Hearing Test, Hearing Aid, and Hearing Protection.
  • The Apple Hearing Test feature provides scientifically-validated hearing test results from the comfort of home (intended for users 18 years or older).
  • The Hearing Aid feature provides personalized, clinical-grade assistance that is automatically applied to sounds in your environment as well as music, videos, and calls (intended for users 18 years or older with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss)
  • The Hearing Protection feature helps users minimize exposure to loud environmental noise across listening modes (available in the United States and Canada)
Features require AirPods Pro 2 with firmware version 7B19 or later. All features may not be available for all countries or regions.
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Apple has approval for the AirPods Pro 2 to function as an over-the-counter hearing aid in the United States. The hearing aid capabilities will boost conversations and other environmental sounds for those who have hearing loss issues.

The update also includes a Hearing Protection feature that will continuously monitor the wearer's environment to reduce the impact of loud sounds. This functionality will be limited to the U.S. and Canada at launch.

Hearing Health will be introduced in iOS 18.1, which is set to be released next Monday.

Apple doesn't have a way to manually upgrade AirPods software, but firmware is generally installed over-the-air when the AirPods are in a charging case and connected to an iOS device or Mac.

Article Link: Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware Ahead of Hearing Aid Feature Launch
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/10/24/apple-releases-airpods-pro-2-firmware-7b19/
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Please let this be the one to fix the horrible connectivity in a crowd since iOS18...

I've spent too much time fussing with getting them working in the gym since, my primary use case for them. One will play and the other won't, sometimes they'll be in different NC modes as one or the other fails to sync, garbled robot noises in a crowd, a number of people reporting something made crowded signal environment handling worse on them.
 
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The Reason said:
Just ran it twice, with the stock silicone tips, and some nicer foam ones. Little to no loss in both tests. I'm a bit stunned by this, as I don't consider myself to have good hearing at all.
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Hearing test tones in a quiet environment with noise-cancelling earbuds and hearing/understanding speech and other sounds in a crowded or noisy environment are two very different things.

Source: I wear audiologist-prescribed and programmed hearing aids but have otherwise normal isolated audiograms (and <5dB loss in each ear per Apple's test that I gave myself last night). Still can't understand what anyone is saying in a restaurant or at work, for example, without my hearing aids in place. I will, however, have to see if the AirPods Pro actually function anywhere as well in real-world usage as my hearing aids.
 
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The Reason said:
Just ran it twice, with the stock silicone tips, and some nicer foam ones. Little to no loss in both tests. I'm a bit stunned by this, as I don't consider myself to have good hearing at all.
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I ran the test twice. Once in an empty meeting room at work, once at home in my dead silent bedroom.

Here’s both results. Doing it in a quieter environment definitely garnered slightly better results, unsurprisingly! (The first pic is the at-home one, done last night.)

Guess my parents berating me for listening to loud music on my Walkman back in the day was all for nothing! :D
 

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Reactions: Jovijoker and W£S
The article says it works with iOS 18 on a iPhone or iPad then at the end of the article it says on a Mac. So the new hearing aid feature will work on your iPhone , iPad and a Mac using media with AirPods 2?
 
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MrGuder said:
The article says it works with iOS 18 on a iPhone or iPad then at the end of the article it says on a Mac. So the new hearing aid feature will work on your iPhone , iPad and a Mac with AirPods 2?
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From what I understand, the hearing aid feature doesn’t require any device to be nearby. Just like noise cancellation mode doesn’t require the AirPods to be near a phone.

Someone please correct me on this if I am mistaken!
 
Wish in the uk I could have it on Monday. I have a feeling we will never get it
 
Entilzha said:
From what I understand, the hearing aid feature doesn’t require any device to be nearby. Just like noise cancellation mode doesn’t require the AirPods to be near a phone.

Someone please correct me on this if I am mistaken!
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Well the AirPods pro 2 need to connect to something lol
 
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I am kind of confused. I ran the hearing test using my iOS 18.1 (RC) phone and AirPods Pro 2 twice over the last 3 days. How is this possible if the firmware that allows this was released today?
 
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Can you cycle between hearing aid mode and noise cancellation mode by clicking the Air Pod stem? I really hope so!
 
Entilzha said:
Yes, this FDA-approved hearing test is just completely unreliable. *eyeroll*
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You want me to believe the FDA has never made a mistake?

www.npr.org

One-Third Of New Drugs Had Safety Problems After FDA Approval

More than 70 drugs approved by the FDA from 2001 to 2010 ran into safety concerns that prompted withdrawals from the market, "black box" warnings or other actions.
www.npr.org www.npr.org

The FDA doesn't test every single device they approve.

www.cbsnews.com

Deep flaws in FDA oversight of medical devices — and patient harm — exposed in lawsuits and records

Thousands of medical devices are sold, and even implanted, with no safety tests.
www.cbsnews.com www.cbsnews.com

The investigation has found that most medical devices, including many implants, are now cleared for sale by the FDA without tests for safety or effectiveness. Instead, manufacturers must simply show they have "substantial equivalence" to a product already in the marketplace — an approval process some experts view as vastly overused and fraught with risks.


Ever hear 🤣 the idiom "Trust but verify?"
 
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So this doesn’t appear at all (not just hearing protection as article says) if you are in the UK? Not showing up for me.
 
Kylo83 said:
Wish in the uk I could have it on Monday. I have a feeling we will never get it
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Why not? It’s already available in several European countries and IIRC Apple have said it’ll be available in over 100 countries, so it’s extremely unlikely that won’t include the UK. I imagine the staggered roll-out is just due to local regulatory approvals all completing at different times.
 
bigboy29 said:
I am kind of confused. I ran the hearing test using my iOS 18.1 (RC) phone and AirPods Pro 2 twice over the last 3 days. How is this possible if the firmware that allows this was released today?
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Same LOL
 
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