AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Test fails with "Unable to classify due to background noise" error.

Update to my previous post (see below):

I tried the hearing test again on my iPhone 12 Pro using my over-ear aviation headset with gel ear seals covering the ears with the airpods pro - and it worked!

previous post:

Same problem with me - "Unable to Classify" because of background noise. I tried the hearing test on my iPhone 12 Pro with iOS 18.1 more than 15 times, but always failed during the test for the left ear, the test canceled after about 60-80 %. I also tried on an iPhone 12 mini with iOS 18.1 and the hearing test worked 3 out of 6 times. I did the tests in a very quiet room, there was absolutely no noise. I took the data from the successful tests on the iPhone 12 mini and transferred them manually to the Health app on my iPhone 12 Pro so the AirPods can now use that audiogram for adjustments.

I had the same problem,

hearing test failed multiple times.

I used a pair of earmuffs hearing protection.

I put them on over the AirPods

this kept the external noise out.

The hearing test passed the first time I tried this.

easy solution,

Randy

I bought AirPod Pro 2’s because I was so stoked over the Hearing feature they announced

However, I could not get the Hearing Test to complete

I repeatedly got the dreaded ‘Unable to Classify’ message no matter how careful I was to take the test in a noiseless environment

I was about to throw in the towel after many attempts when something popped into my head

In the past I had run into issues when recording guitar into my DAW

I kept getting noise on the tracks and I couldn’t figure out why

It turned out that the source of the humming sound was the dimmer switch for my room lighting

A dimmer switch can cause RFI on the electrical wiring which can result in noise on electrical devices such as radios and amplifiers etc.

Remembering this, I turned off the dimmer switch and took the test again (in the dark)

It worked, my test completed on the first pass

Try killing any dimmer switches you have anywhere in your living quarters

and see if this works for you

It’s possible the AirPods were being affected by the dimmer RFI noise, and that was the issue all along

Good luck

I can say without reservation, the AirPods are fantastic for moderate hearing loss

Highly recommended :)

Like many of you, I had this same problem. Here’s how I solved it:

I took the test early in the morning, in my parked car, in the garage with the car and garage doors shut (engine off, of course). After getting in the car, I then put on a pair of shooting ear protection over the AirPods (large over-the-ear headphones would probably also work) — you have to be careful not to bump the stem on the AirPod when putting them on or you’ll get an “AirPod not properly seated” message after the preliminary test.

Then get yourself as comfortable as possible, with your phone and right hand resting on something, and your index finger poised just above the screen. Try not to move *at all* during the test (except your finger).

Doing it that way got me results on the first try.

Edit. After many failed attempts, my wife decided to try the test in another room with minimal active electronics. The test succeeded with results in the 24 db loss in both ears. I think the issue was performing the test near her Mac /monitor/ iPads etc. all that RFI was prob causing interference.

Went to Apple support. Chatted with a representative. They said I needed to have the AirPods tested by a technician. Went to Genius bar. The technician ran a sound test on my AirPods. He could not complete the test because one of the noise cancellation features was not available to turn off. Airpods still under warranty. Waiting for replacements that should be in this week.

I had the same problem. Multiple “unable to classify because of background noise” fails on left ear. Saw a previous post about using over the ear headphones and remembered I had some ear protectors that I wear when I mow the lawn. Put them on over my AirPods and went all the way through both ear tests first try. So, for another $10 or so at Home Depot/Lowes, this might work for you too.

My AirPods as hearing aids seem to work better for hearing the TV than my expensive hearing aids do. The charge won’t last as long but then I don’t spend that much time watching TV so it’s not a big deal.

OK - for me, the Mimi app option worked. I've been following this thread for a few weeks and saw Mimi referred to. But, until @fidnado stated that it was a hearing test app that connects to the Apple Health app, I had no idea what Mimi was. So, thanks @fidnado.

Once the Mimi test result is saved to the Apple Health app, then print out the test as a PDF and scan it using the AirPods hearing test manual upload option. I found that scanning the test results from a screen did not work. Once scanned in, be sure to check and make any decibel adjustments. It's not a perfect scan and may not pick up the correct values.

I thought the Mimi hearing test was much better than the Apple AirPods test; easier to respond to and more intuitive overall. And, it works!

Others have suggested Mimi. I downloaded the app, took its hearing test, gave the audio gram it produced to the AirPods Pro settings > Hearing assistance. It processed it and now my AirPods Pro are being hearings aids!

first time using hearing aids - excited to hear a difference!

Ran the test 3 times to no avail after IOS UPDATE to 18.2. (iPhone) my iPad was close and I checked the Bluetooth and the pods were connected to iPad also..turned off the Bluetooth on iPad and proceeded to run a 4th test. Worked!

I am having the same issue (tried 8 or 9 times on both iPhone and iPad), have been in touch with Apple who have run their diagnostics while I performed the hearing test. Still waiting to hear back from after 2 days.

I have moderate hearing loss and tinnitus.

I asked my wife (who has good hearing) to do the hearing test, she sat in the same in the same spot, the hearing test completed properly.

I then went to a friend's house, he'd already ran a couple of successful tests for himself. I tried the test using his AirPods Pro 2 and again got 'Unable to Classify'.

So in conclusion, it seems that I am the problem, not the AirPods themselves, and that Apple's software can't cope with some of the responses. The 'Mimi' hearing test app works fine by the way, so I have exported the graph and imported it into Apple Health and then manually into the Hearing test results.

Also, could my tinnitus high pitched whine be being picked up by the AirPods, I thought the whine was in my brain rather than my ears.... who knows?

I found a solution that at least works for me, might be worth giving it a try.

Following a successful test with my wife and friend using the same AirPods, I came to the conclusion that the problem was myself providing results that the software just couldn't cope with. Nothing to do at all with external noise as the 'Unable to Classify' failure message implies.

You know how sometimes you think you hear the beep, but you're not sure, and sometimes you press the phone button anyway, sometimes you don't. Well, I decided I'd only press the button when I was absolutely certain I heard the beep, so if I was in two minds and not quite sure, I left the button alone.

This seems to give the app more consistent results and for the time after about 8 or 9 previous goes, the hearing test completed successfully.

Hope this helps someone.

Same problem with me - "Unable to Classify" because of background noise. I tried the hearing test on my iPhone 12 Pro with iOS 18.1 more than 15 times, but always failed during the test for the left ear, the test canceled after about 60-80 %. I also tried on an iPhone 12 mini with iOS 18.1 and the hearing test worked 3 out of 6 times. I did the tests in a very quiet room, there was absolutely no noise. I took the data from the successful tests on the iPhone 12 mini and transferred them manually to the Health app on my iPhone 12 Pro so the AirPods can now use that audiogram for adjustments.

After several attempts, I turned on noisecanceling (most right option called). Pressed the AirPods more firmly in my ears and the test completed without errors.

The only weird thing is that the test result says: little to no loss. But I had tests in the hospital telling me otherwise :)