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

So frustrating. I bought these AirPods five weeks ago because of the hearing aid feature. I’ve tried the hearing test at least 30 times with no success. I have talked with apple support twice but never really received a satisfactory answer. I was on the phone yesterday with them and was connected with a hearing aid specialist who actually suggested I go get a hearing test at a hearing doctor then scan those results in to the health app and then I’d be able to use the hearing aid feature! This entire thing is like the NJ drone fiasco where those in the know are being tight lipped. I finally returned the AirPods yesterday when I realized there was an extended return window because of the holidays. I still don’t know if I should try a new pair, Amazon is selling them for considerably less than what I paid through apple. I really wanted this to work!

When the hearing aid function was finally approved in the UK I did the hearing test with my iPad and set up the pods. This went smooth and as a result they are working great. But when I also tried to take a hearing test with my iPhone I came across those problems "unable to do hearing test" because of noise. However, I can use them with my iPhone too, i.e. change settings etc.

The problem is not with the AirPods. I bought a pair for my wife and one for myself. Hers worked with the iPhone 14 pro max, mine won't work with 16 pro max. I tried my wife's pair on my phone, since they worked with her phone. Nope. It's in the phone, not the AirPods. I even tried the Mimi that someone suggested. Tried once and it didn't work, but I'll try it again another time.

Traded up from Gen 2 SE to Gen 3 SE. Same absolutely silent environment. Passed fit test. Put phone on table. Did not press unless I was absolutely sure I heard a tone. Recognized maybe 25 tones. Periods where I heard nothing for a while. Still failed. BTW, I don't have any hearing problems, day to day. I am 72. However, in noisy environments, like a loud restaurant, when my family can hear fine, I can have trouble understanding sentences. I hear well in my left ear, right ear is slightly attenuated in upper range, per senior physical hearing test. (no, no chart was given me. I can use other Apps fine, and confirmed, but when I input their data, did not work either, despite accepting the input. Was hoping would allow me to hear better in noisy background. I tried Transparency mode. Don't have time to try other modes today. Pretty much expect to fail as it never made a difference before. I have been an Apple customer back from the original days. I have never been so disappointed in Apple, because the error it gives as to background noise is absolute rubbish. No real information to work with. Despite the room being in my basement, closed, insulated, no heater on, no fan, no nothing, even tried conventional headphone style headset, although there is no noise, so... . I have no other use for them, I have bluetooth in my car and a stereo at home. I can hear tv fine. Should work even if you only hear a few tones, just boost everything else. Serious problem when it wants to be so picky, just let it work with the results it gets! Basically, feature should not have been released without being able to provide decent information when there is a problem. Cleary sales were more important than support.

You can still get some advantages with noise cancelling. There are apparently some problems with the test and some models of iPhone do not ever work, despite who tries it. 3rd Gen SE, 25 year old daughter with perfect hearing can't pass on my phone, in dead quiet basement room. Second SE I have had that doesn't work. One friend I know got this to work on brand new iPhone top model. Lots of posters with phones that work but hearing test doesn't, do find a way that works for them, and then a lot of people try, and it doesn't work for anyone else. It's sort of like, Apple: "Here's our new AirPod that is a hearing Aid." Then doesn't work for people with the least hearing loss that try to use it.

Apple is not listening. Apple does not read this. This is a community forum. If you want Apple to listen, you need to either call them, or go to their feedback page and enter the issue there.

New AirPod firmware out today. Anyone test with this yet?

https://appleinsider.com/articles/24/11/11/apple-updates-the-firmware-again-for-airpods-pro-2-airpods-4

Same error - "Unable to Classify" because of background noise. I was in a closet with no noise. Tried 3 times. Left ear completes and right ear almost completes and I get the same error.

Current Firmware 7B19 on AirPods Pro 2. Just updated to iOS 18.1 today. So the software is up to date.

Wow, this is discouraging. I purchased the AirPods specifically for this option and, while I like them a lot for podcasts, etc., it’s a shame that I can’t even get through the hearing test in a completely windowless, soundproof room! I sure hope Apple can address this soon.

Same issue. I’ve done the test about 10 times in various rooms. Always fails at the end of the second ear. I’ve even tried it with high quality shooting over ear protection over the top of the AirPods. Literally sounded like I was in a vacuum could barely hear my own breathing. Still failed. Must be a bug.

I, too have the same issue. It's clearly not anyone's particular AirPods Pro 2. I have reported this to Apple Product Feedback directly, and included a link to this community post so they can see the problem is widespread.

Same problem, tried quite a few times. Passed the left a few times, but never both. I just tried several times more, its the middle of the night, there is absolutely no noise except me breathing, which is kind of a requirement. This is a great idea, but at this point it does not seem to work.

Same story as the rest. Probably have tried 6 times. I finish the left hearing test no problems but the right gets to the end and says "Unable to Classify". Tried in several rooms and even did the test with my Beats Studio headphones over the AirPods Pro 2 and still get the same results. There must be a bug of some kind.

I assume each time there's a hearing test click that a signal goes to a Apple web based hearing system used for calculating and determining hearing loss. I wonder if, with so many people suddenly doing concurrent hearing tests, the hearing test system is simply overwhelmed and losing track of clicks and times out for most of us. So, essentially, what we are all doing is actually a mass test of this new hearing health evaluation system.

Ditto. In an absolutely silent cabin in the hills of Big Sur. Many attempts with the same too much noise response. Tried putting full over-the-ears cushioned headphones on over the AirPods to no avail.

UPDATE PLEASE!