The major health feature is expanding - here's how to check if you need it.
The Apple AirPods Pro 2 have been cleared for use as clinical-grade hearing aids in the UK, with the feature arriving in a software update and available now.
The health feature debuted in the US last year after being unveiled at Apple’s September ‘Glow Time’ event. A recent regulatory change in the UK hinted that it would soon arrive across the pond, and Apple has announced this is now live.
The aim of the AirPods Hearing Aid mode is to aid those with mild to moderate hearing loss.
The user first has to take a hearing test, which can be found in the AirPods Pro 2 menu in the iOS Settings app. The test involves listening to a series of tones and tapping the screen when you can hear them.
We actually think it’s handy for all users to take this test, even if you suspect you have no hearing loss issues, as it can add a reference point for future tests.
From there, your hearing aid test results (shown above) are used to form a hearing aid profile. If you take the test and find little to no hearing loss like me, your AirPods Pro 2 will continue to work as they always have.
However, those with loss in either ear can boost sounds from the world around them—for example, while conversing amid loud ambient sound. Alternatively, sounds can be tweaked automatically to assist phone calls, music playing, and other media playing on the iPhone.
To ensure the Hearing Aid mode is available to you, check that your iPhone is running the latest software in the Settings app. Your AirPods Pro 2 should update their software automatically in the background when charging and not in use.
Wareable’s view
After years of waiting for the AirPods to become a ‘proper’ hearable/health device, last September gave us our first glimpse at the earbuds’ future.
This latest expansion is a significant signal of intent—and the first of many rollouts to additional countries we expect to see for the feature in 2025.
With the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 also becoming the first Apple earphone product to feature native heart rate monitoring, this is likely the year we look back on as when the brand began its journey in the hearables space.
We don’t need this particular feature ourselves. Still, we’re very interested in how effective it proves with an existing hearing aid user—and if it can provide clarity for those on the fence about their hearing.
Can it replace a traditional hearing aid altogether? Is it best used in tandem with a pair? Stay tuned for more answers to those questions once we’ve had the chance to get this feature in the ears of somebody better placed (probably a relative).
