Why are AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Aid features not available in the UK?

gr7 wrote:

I've just noticed that the feature is not available in the UK. It's just about the only country where it's not available

No, it's not "just about the only country" that hasn't gotten it yet. The UK is one of 193 countries that hasn't gotten it yet. Currently, as the previous poster noted, it's only available in the U.S. and Canada.

tobianogreg wrote:

I think this feature is approved for use in the US and Canada for now, however I’m in Canada and also cannot see the test/aid features. All firmware upgrades done.

And you have the Air Pod Pro 2? Have you tried restarting everything?

Where do you live. It makes a big difference. No approval yet for Canada, the UK, France, Italy or Spain.

Even if your country does get approval, if your hearing test shows worse than moderate hearing loss they Airpods won’t work.

If you already have the Airpod Pro 2s AND your iPhone is on an old IOS like 17.7.1 or older they will already work as hearing aids without any restrictions. If that is the case, you can go online to YouTube and there are loads of videos explaining how to do it, or reply to this message and I will explain how to do it.

The AirPods have been available as hearing aids since 2022.

Well you need to explain to me why moderate hearing loss left ear has magically started working again when I wear my Airpods. I am hearing music like it never went away and the pleasant rain background sound helps to mask my tinnitus when I am relaxing.

In restaurant with six of us eating at a table I can hear every word that everybody says yet I couldn't hear anything before.

It sounds like you work for Apple and you don't want people to know.

I have no doubt they are even better now with 8.1 but I know people on the various hearing aid forums with severe hearing loss who have been using the music and Apple TV side of them very successfully sincw 2022 until Apple broke them with IOS 18.1. That is REALLY shabby.

rasg wrote:

Well you need to explain to me why moderate hearing loss left ear has magically started working again when I wear my Airpods. I am hearing music like it never went away and the pleasant rain background sound helps to mask my tinnitus when I am relaxing.

Tinnitus is not the same as hearing loss.

It sounds like you work for Apple and you don't want people to know.

If I worked for Apple, I probably wouldn't be allowed to post here. In fact, I work for a primarily undergraduate university.

rasg wrote:

Well you need to explain to me why moderate hearing loss left ear has magically started working again when I wear my Airpods. I am hearing music like it never went away and the pleasant rain background sound helps to mask my tinnitus when I am relaxing.

Tinnitus is not the same as hearing loss.

It sounds like you work for Apple and you don't want people to know.

If I worked for Apple, I probably wouldn't be allowed to post here. In fact, I work for a primarily undergraduate university.

I didn't say that tinnitus is the same as hearing loss. What I said was that the Airpods helped me with it.

I notice you didn’t address this:

"Well you need to explain to me why moderate hearing loss left ear has magically started working again when I wear my Airpods. I am hearing music like it never went away."

On the basis that you work for a University, maybe you should do your research better?

When Apple released the Airpod Pro 2s in 2022 they allowed you to apply your Audiogram to them and it makes a huge difference to many people.

Many of the people around the world are already using Airpod Pro 2s as hearing aids whether you like it or not. Some with severe hearing hearing loss because it works for them. Certainly on the music side of things.

rasg wrote:

.

I notice you didn’t address this:

"Well you need to explain to me why moderate hearing loss left ear has magically started working again when I wear my Airpods. I am hearing music like it never went away."

As I am not an audiologist and have no access to your medical history, I can't answer that.

On the basis that you work for a University, maybe you should do your research better?

I'm not going to waste time looking for something I am 99% certain doesn't actually exist. I am, though, happy to look at any links you provide.

When Apple released the Airpod Pro 2s in 2022 they allowed you to apply your Audiogram to them and it makes a huge difference to many people.

That's still not turning them into hearing aids.

Many of the people around the world are already using Airpod Pro 2s as hearing aids whether you like it or not. Some with severe hearing hearing loss because it works for them. Certainly on the music side of things.

If they were hearing aids, they would work on things other than listening to music. But they don't. Or didn't until now.

gr7 wrote:

They do work on improving hearing as well as music. This feature has been available for a while.

You can call it "hearing aid" but that doesn't make it a hearing aid in the technical sense. Telling people they can get the hearing aid feature on versions of iOS prior to 18.1 is misleading.

I have moderate hearing loss and have been using the transparency features for over a year successfully. Music sounds much clearer, and I'm able to converse with people almost as well as I can with my prescription hearing aids. I'm not sure why you are no longer able to use your audiogram as it is still available on my APP2 with ios 18.1

Where do you live? Approval hasn't been granted to many countries including, Canada, the UK, France, Italy and Spain. IOS 18.1 "breaks" the Airpods in the locations that haven't been approved. You are no longer able to continue using them.

gr7 wrote:

'You can call it "hearing aid" but that doesn't make it a hearing aid in the technical sense. Telling people they can get the hearing aid feature on versions of iOS prior to 18.1 is misleading.'

At no point did I call them a hearing aid. Please take the time to read and digest my posts before accusing me of posting misleading information.

You quoted thusly: "If they were hearing aids, they would work on things other than listening to music. But they don't. Or didn't until now." You then responded. And, the post to which you replied initially was giving misleading information and calling them hearing aids. My apologies for misunderstanding that you were actually talking about something different than the subject of the subconversation.

gr7 wrote:

They do work on improving hearing as well as music. This feature has been available for a while.

You can call it "hearing aid" but that doesn't make it a hearing aid in the technical sense. Telling people they can get the hearing aid feature on versions of iOS prior to 18.1 is misleading.

Maybe you should visit a few Hearing Aid forums including on Facebook where many people with mild, medium and severe hearing loss are already using the Airpods as hearing aids and have been since 2022.

I will call it Idris if it makes you feel better but I know of many people who are using them running IOS 17.7.1.

It is not misleading AT all if they are helping people, just because YOU say they don't work!

How do you know I'm a he and not a she or a they?

The only Idris I know of is a male actor so I took an educated guess.

I am now out of this conversation and I will continue to use my Airpods that actually work better than the Jabras that I used despite being told that their efficacy is a figment of my imagination. 😂😂😂

Hi GR7.

We have just been having a discussion with Idris.

I just updated my iPhone to iOS 18.1 and cannot see the hearing aid/hearing test features. My AirPods are up to date 7B19

I'm in the UK if that makes any difference.

I've just noticed that the feature is not available in the UK. It's just about the only country where it's not available.

It's not the only country by any means but it's a real pain. Other major countries include Canada, France, Italy and Spain. Until the individual country get approval, 18.1 effectively stops your iPhone from working. Presumably it is no longer doing what you have been doing for a year. ie. Using your AirPods as hearing aids. Can you confirm that please?

IN IOS 18.1, if you attempt a hearing test that is in any way severe, a screen will appear telling you to book an appointment with an Audiologist and will go no further.

It's the reason I have been holding back from IOS18 and I'm really glad that I did.

IN IOS 18.1, if you attempt a hearing test that is in any way severe, a screen will appear telling you to book an appointment with an Audiologist and will go no further.

I'm UK based as well. I've seen nothing different in the accessibility> headphone accomodations since upgrading to 18.1.

I use the 'mimi' hearing test to update my hearing test results in the health app. My hearing is 31 dBHL left and 33dBHL right. Maybe your results are more severe and affect how iOS responds.

My left ear bordered on severe in my Costco Audiogram but the Mimi app showed it to be moderate.

Have the menus changed at all? Somebody on the Facebook forum upgraded and ran the Apple Hearing test and was promptly blocked out as her hearing is into the severe range. A message popped up and told her to book an appointment with an Audiologist and wouldn’t go any further.

Others who live in the UK have upgraded to IOS 18.1 can no longer access any of the hearing features since they did the upgrade. Others who had just bought the Airpods could not access the Apple hearing test or the hearing features.