No Hearing Aid in Canada? Air Pods Pro 2

[Yamcha]

My dad was gifted Air Pods Pro 2 for his birthday, and we were trying to get the Hearing Aid feature enabled, but I can't find it in the settings. I've updated the Air Pods to the latest firmware, but we only have a Hearing Protection option. Is it not available in Canada?

 

[russell_314]

My dad was gifted Air Pods Pro 2 for his birthday, and we were trying to get the Hearing Aid feature enabled, but I can't find it in the settings. I've updated the Air Pods to the latest firmware, but we only have a Hearing Protection option. Is it not available in Canada?

It doesn’t seem to be available in your country. They’re probably waiting on some government approval.

AirPods Pro 2 - Hearing Health Feature Availability

Hearing Health in AirPods Pro 2 is a Hearing Test, Hearing Aid, and Hearing Protection all in one device. See feature availability based on location.

www.apple.com

 

[rasg]

My dad was gifted Air Pods Pro 2 for his birthday, and we were trying to get the Hearing Aid feature enabled, but I can't find it in the settings. I've updated the Air Pods to the latest firmware, but we only have a Hearing Protection option. Is it not available in Canada?

If you haven't updated to 18.1 and are on 17.7.1 or older they will work. What is confusing so many people is that you have been able to use Apple Airpod Pro 2s as hearing aids since 2022 and they are not checking what is, or is not available, in their country before updating to IOS 18.1.

Using 18.1 for hearing aids is now placing fairly strict rules on the Pro 2s as hearing aids. For example, they will work as hearing aids in the USA and 99 other countries and they won’t work at all yet in Canada, France, UK, France or Spain as those countries haven’t granted approval yet. Until they do, they won’t work.

Another example. If you are using them in the US and run the Apple hearing test if your hearing is worse than mild to moderate, ie. Severe or profound, they WILL NOT work and you will simply get a message to contact your audiologist because the Airpods are only good for mild to moderate.

If you have an iPhone that has not been updated to IOS 18 at all you can set the Airpods up as hearing aids.

You can load your Audiogram onto Airpods via a photo of it or to do a hearing test with the Mimi app which you will need to download.

If you are in a position to do this with an iPhone that is NOT on IOS 18 of any kind, let me know and i will send you instructions on how to set them up. They are somewhere on this forum but I can’t remember where.

 

[VirTERM]

If you haven't updated to 18.1 and are on 17.7.1 or older they will work. What is confusing so many people is that you have been able to use Apple Airpod Pro 2s as hearing aids since 2022 and they are not checking what is, or is not available, in their country before updating to IOS 18.1.

Using 18.1 for hearing aids is now placing fairly strict rules on the Pro 2s as hearing aids. For example, they will work as hearing aids in the USA and 99 other countries and they won’t work at all yet in Canada, France, UK, France or Spain as those countries haven’t granted approval yet. Until they do, they won’t work.

Another example. If you are using them in the US and run the Apple hearing test if your hearing is worse than mild to moderate, ie. Severe or profound, they WILL NOT work and you will simply get a message to contact your audiologist because the Airpods are only good for mild to moderate.

If you have an iPhone that has not been updated to IOS 18 at all you can set the Airpods up as hearing aids.

You can load your Audiogram onto Airpods via a photo of it or to do a hearing test with the Mimi app which you will need to download.

If you are in a position to do this with an iPhone that is NOT on IOS 18 of any kind, let me know and i will send you instructions on how to set them up. They are somewhere on this forum but I can’t remember where.

Would you mind sharing with me? I will be getting AirPods Pro today and I can use iPhone X which I keep for my oversea trips. I am assuming that I will be able to use them with other iOS devices once configured. Thanks.

 

[rasg]

Would you mind sharing with me? I will be getting AirPods Pro today and I can use iPhone X which I keep for my oversea trips. I am assuming that I will be able to use them with other iOS devices once configured. Thanks.

Here you go. I think the iPhone X maybe too old to set them up. Not 100% but iPhone 12 seems to be the oldest you use to set them up but I;m not 100% on this.

Set them up to play music and then with the Airpods in your ears and the Airpods connected, go to Settings. Above the switch for Airplane Mode you will see your Airpods. Click on it and scroll all the way to the bottom to do an Ear Tip Fit Test to make sure you have a good seal.


If you already have a copy of your Audiogram from your Audiologist you need to apply it to your AirPods but there are a few ways of doing it. I used the camera to take a photo but settings were missing and I had to input them manually.

If you don’t have an Audiogram to apply, download the Mimi Hearing Test app from the app store to do your hearing aid test. To activate the Airpods as hearing aids you need to go to Settings/Accessibility/Audio & visual/ and switch Headphone accommodations to ON.


Click on Audiogram and apply the Audiogram test you just created to the Airpods.

Click on custom audio setup. Click continue. Click on Use audiogram that you just created.

Click on Use Audiogram. Music will start playing with your Audiogram applied. Click on Standard and listen to the music WITHOUT your audiogram applied to the music.

You can flick between the two to hear the difference. If you are happy with the difference click on Use Audiogram.

The next window is Switch Transparency Mode on.

The next window is customise Transparency Mode and you can set the volume you like.

Tone and other settings in this menu to tinker with after you are up and running.

Move down the menu to Ambient Noise Reduction and set the volume. I find that 50% is fine for me.

Switch Conversation Boost ON.

You also need to switch Conversational Awareness on in the menu you went to in Step 1.

You are good to go apart from any tweaks you want to make to volume, tone, left/right etc.

In the Control Centre you will find a new "Ear" symbol has appeared and there are more settings in there.
You will find as you use them, if you are listening to music and start talking, or somebody starts talking to you, the music will fade away while you continue your conversation. When you have finished the music will slowly fade back up.

Your Audiogram will be applied to music/podcasts and phone calls and also, of course, to your hearing.

If you are in a noisy restaurant and struggling to hear properly go to the Ear symbol in Control Centre and switch Live Listen ON. Place your phone in the middle of the restaurant table and the microphones in your iPhone will augment the microphones in the Airpods to help you hear even better.

If you leave your iPhone on the table and go to the bathroom if it's less than 40 feet way from the iPhone you will hear what the people at the table are saying about you…

An update - I started using Adaptive Mode a week ago and I find it to be better for me. It uses a mixture of Noise cancelling and Transparency automatically. You can still adjust the individual volumes. You access the button via Settings, go to Settings. Above the switch for Airplane Mode you will see your Airpods. Under Noise Control click on the Adaptive button.

 

[PegasusTenma]

I am in the UK and unfortunately not hearing aid functionality. However if you want to do the test at least, copy and paste this in Safari on your phone or ipad:

x-apple-health://HearingAppPlugin.healthplugin/HearingTest

 

[rasg]

I am in the UK and unfortunately not hearing aid functionality. However if you want to do the test at least, copy and paste this in Safari on your phone or ipad:

x-apple-health://HearingAppPlugin.healthplugin/HearingTest

I don't see the point. Why do a hearing test for something that you cannot use for the foreseeable future?

The Mimi app on the app store does exactly the same thing.

If you had found a way of rolling back IOS 18.1 to a previous version THAT would be worth having.

For example. A couple of lads in India used a microwave as a Faraday cage to set the Airpods up for their mum.

 

[PegasusTenma]

I don't see the point. Why do a hearing test for something that you cannot use for the foreseeable future?

The Mimi app on the app store does exactly the same thing.

If you had found a way of rolling back IOS 18.1 to a previous version THAT would be worth having.

For example. A couple of lads in India used a microwave as a Faraday cage to set the Airpods up for their mum.

Well, it was worth it to know if I have any form of hearing loss! I think that is a chunky big deal lol

 

[rasg]

Well, it was worth it to know if I have any form of hearing loss! I think that is a chunky big deal lol

True. I didn't think of it that way!

I already knew from my appointment at the hearing centre in Costco a few weeks before. I used the Mimi hearing test app in the App store.

 

[ukms]

I am in the UK and unfortunately not hearing aid functionality. However if you want to do the test at least, copy and paste this in Safari on your phone or ipad:

x-apple-health://HearingAppPlugin.healthplugin/HearingTest

I have a UK iPhone on 18.1 and UK iCloud account and my AirPods work as hearing aids and they have done for quite a long time. I set them up as described above. The only thing I’m missing is the hearing test which I’m not too bothered about as I have my own audiogram from my clinic.

 

[rasg]

I have a UK iPhone on 18.1 and UK iCloud account and my AirPods work as hearing aids and they have done for quite a long time. I set them up as described above. The only thing I’m missing is the hearing test which I’m not too bothered about as I have my own audiogram from my clinic.

Download the Mimi app and use that but if you have upgraded to 18.1 or newer you cannot use them as hearing aids in the UK. 18.1 prevents you adding your audiogram via Transparency and the ONLY way to get them working is using an IOS older than 18.1.

 

[ukms]

Download the Mimi app and use that but if you have upgraded to 18.1 or newer you cannot use them as hearing aids in the UK. 18.1 prevents you adding your audiogram via Transparency and the ONLY way to get them working is using an IOS older than 18.1.

I’m on 18.1 and have an audiogram and use them as hearing aids as I have done for a long time. Everything is done via accessibility settings. Ive never needed the mimi app. Nothing changed for me with 18.1.

 

[rasg]

You are fortunate. 18.1 broke so many peoples' Airpods in the UK, Canada, France, Spain and Australia and they now no longer work as hearing aids. I wonder why it didn’t happen to your phone and did to so many others?

I will stick with 17.7.1 until the MHRA approve them.

 

[ukms]

You are fortunate. 18.1 broke so many peoples' Airpods in the UK, Canada, France, Spain and Australia and they now no longer work as hearing aids. I wonder why it didn’t happen to your phone and did to so many others?

I will stick with 17.7.1 until the MHRA approve them.

No idea ….. but there seem to be plenty of people on this forum who have been using them as hearing aids for a long time and they still work and not all in the US. The tone of your post gives me the impression that you don’t believe me 😉

 

[rasg]

No idea ….. but there seem to be plenty of people on this forum who have been using them as hearing aids for a long time and they still work and not all in the US. The tone of your post gives me the impression that you don’t believe me 😉

Not at all! Just surprised as so many who have been using them for a while can no longer use them. The Audiogram feature in Transparency disappears after the upgrade.

Many, many people have bought them recently with the sole intention of using them as hearing aids and they find it's not possible until the MHRA approve their use in the UK or in others countries like Canada, France, Italy, Spain and India.

Even when they are approved if they have severe hearing loss they are unable to set them up as the Airpods are only good for people with mild to moderate hearing loss.

The menus and settings have totally changed in 18.1 and you cannot get at the settings without taking a test or uploading an Audiogram.

I'm more interested in why your iPhone hasn’t been affected in the same way!

 

[ukms]

Not at all! Just surprised as so many who have been using them for a while can no longer use them. The Audiogram feature in Transparency disappears after the upgrade.

Many, many people have bought them recently with the sole intention of using them as hearing aids and they find it's not possible until the MHRA approve their use in the UK or in others countries like Canada, France, Italy, Spain and India.

Even when they are approved if they have severe hearing loss they are unable to set them up as the Airpods are only good for people with mild to moderate hearing loss.

The menus and settings have totally changed in 18.1 and you cannot get at the settings without taking a test or uploading an Audiogram.

I'm more interested in why your iPhone hasn’t been affected in the same way!

Possibly because I already had an audiogram loaded. Just a guess.

 

[ukms]

I’ve also just asked my son to set his up via the accessibility settings and it works fine. UK iPhone and UK iCloud account. He’s never had them set up before and they work fine.

 

[ukms]

You are fortunate. 18.1 broke so many peoples' Airpods in the UK, Canada, France, Spain and Australia and they now no longer work as hearing aids. I wonder why it didn’t happen to your phone and did to so many others?

I will stick with 17.7.1 until the MHRA approve them.

Perhaps not setting them up
Correctly ? ….. I’ve seen many people assume that because they don’t have the hearing test that the function is not there, from what I see as long as it’s set up via accessibility it will still work as it has done for the last couple of years.

 

[rasg]

Here is a video showing most of the latest menus and options. Very simplified by comparison.

18.1 transparency mode has no option to add an audiogram.

IOS 18.0 and 18.0.1 still have the old menus.

 

[ukms]

The video is for a US version with the hearing test …. So you are not comparing like for like. I can assure you I am on 18.1.1 and I have an audiogram set up and my AirPods work how they have done for many months. As I said above my son just set his up via accessibility settings using my audiogram and they work fine. With respect you are making your posts without actually having done it yourself although I understand your reservations.

 

[rasg]

The video is for a US version with the hearing test …. So you are not comparing like for like. I can assure you I am on 18.1.1 and I have an audiogram set up and my AirPods work how they have done for many months. As I said above my son just set his up via accessibility settings using my audiogram and they work fine. With respect you are making your posts without actually having done it yourself although I understand your reservations.

The video will be the same for the UK or any other country when they finally approve it in those countries so there is no like to actually compare with.
I've spent quite a lot of time on this and have seen the annoyance of so many who are unable to use their AirPods because their country does not have approval when they bought them for that specific reason.

 

[ukms]

The video will be the same for the UK or any other country when they finally approve it in those countries so there is no like to actually compare with.
I've spent quite a lot of time on this and have seen the annoyance of so many who are unable to use their AirPods because their country does not have approval when they bought them for that specific reason.

Yes the video will be the same ‘WHEN’ …. But right now the functionality (in the UK) is different because there is no hearing test …. I appreciate you’ve done a lot of research but all I can say is that it works fine for me setting it up via accessibility without doing an apple hearing test.

 

[rasg]

Yes. I have made exactly the same argument for staying on 17.7.1. They work for me very well me.

 

[mzajac]

You are fortunate. 18.1 broke so many peoples' Airpods in the UK, Canada, France, Spain and Australia and they now no longer work as hearing aids. I wonder why it didn’t happen to your phone and did to so many others?

I will stick with 17.7.1 until the MHRA approve them.

I entered an audiogram previously, but now am using it with AirPods Pro (1st gen) with iOS 18.1.1 in Canada. I have found that in Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Visual > Headphone Accommodations, the Transparency Mode settings disappear and reappear.

If I’m at my desk and my older Mac or iPad is awake, then the AirPods Pro connect to them and the setting disappears, presumably because it doesn’t work with those devices. It works to walk out of Bluetooth range or put them to sleep, then put the AirPods Pro in my ears, then open the settings.

I don’t think this is the full Hearing Aid feature because I don’t have the new AirPods Pro 2, but it does seem to apply the audiogram to Transparency mode, and does let me use the other specific Transparency Mode controls.

The Health.app still looks like it will let me add another audiogram without using a special URL, by going to Browse > Hearing > Hearing Test Results (where my previously added audiogram is visible) > Add Test.