Hearing test not available in Australia after iOS update this morning

I did exactly the same thing this morning. over an hour on the phone to Apple support only to find out myself on google it is not avaliable in Australia. I did not need to spend $400 on "just another set of ear buds".

They could not even give an ETA.

I subsquently put in a complaint on the TGA website after calling them and being advised "no eta". The more squeeking we make might strike oil. :-)

kit laughlin wrote:

Thanks for that. A number of members here have filled in the official "Apple Feedback" form; it's a waiting game now. If the member here who contacted the TGA before could check to see if they have received a request for review from Apple, that would be grand.

I expect that will be unlikely to produce a response. The TGA won't confirm or deny the submission of a request, and Apple also refrains from commenting. The first you will know about it is when the approval is given.

psyxe wrote:

I’m currently on 18.1.1

am I unable to access this feature as of February 8?

Based on the previously approved ECG feature on the Apple Watch, it was 2 months after approval by the TGA before it arrived on the device through an update. Since the TGA did not approve the Hearing Test feature until the end of December, that would put it somewhere at the end of February if the timeframe is comparable.

if you check the TGA website, Apple only made its application for approval on the 17th December (4 days ago). So if there is a question, it may be more fairly squared at why didn’t Apple make its application ‘way back’ when it went for FDA approval, or way sooner, as it would have known these things always are some time…

ARTG = Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods. The Apple device (AirPods

pro 2) and the software application were both approved by the TGA with the effective date of December 18.

Armedeus wrote:

I have a real trust problem here with your information. The feature was on my iPhone here in Australia and working very well until I upgraded to 18.3 where it disappeared.

I can only provide the information that has been reported and cannot confirm that the feature worked prior to 18.3. If that was the case for you, sorry but I have no explanation and have not seen where that was the case. The published information available confirms that it did not work prior to 18.3, so it is not my opinion, it is what has been widely reported.

• January 16th Article
• January 17th Article

With iOS 18.2 being released on December 11th and the TGA approving the feature on December 17th, it would not make since to see the feature before it was even approved. Apple released iOS 18.2.1 on January 6th, and that was before the 2 cited articles above said it was not available.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOS_18

Others here, including you have confirmed it is not in iOS 18.3 or 18.3.1. That leaves iOS 18.4, which is currently in beta. We cannot discuss what is included in any beta software or the release date, but you can search for that. I hope the feature will be available for you in this release. The response by Apple in the January 16th article confirms it will be provided in a Software Update.

“We are working through the other necessary steps to make these experiences available as soon as possible; feature availability will be via a software update.”

kit laughlin wrote:

You are not alone, Raylud. Does anyone know where one can post to convey our wishes to Apple?

It's not Apple who approves where the hearing aid feature will be allowed. It is up to each country. Contact the government agency that approves medical devices.

David Mundy wrote:

TGA approved the feature on 24th Dec 24 but Australia is still not shown on the Apple availability page.

Just out of curiosity, since I am not familiar with your region, does purchasing a Hearing Aid require a prescription?

In Canada, the Health Authority approved the use of the AirPods as Hearing Aids, but regulations still required a prescription for their use, so the feature was further delayed. Eventually the feature was released after all Provinces agreed to new regulations for Hearing Aid use.

From the comments of Canadians it seems to be purely geolocation, so if you happen to be travelling to a country that has it enabled you can switch the feature on and it will stay on.

Well good news now we have iOS 18.4 in Australia on our iPhones we can access the hearing health applications. Took a while but looks like we can use the AirPods pro as intended

mypyjamas wrote:

Bought my new AirPods Pro 2, and sat here trying to get the new firmware to download. No avail, then I found online it's not available in Australia. So I got a quote for so called hearing aids my Health Fund would stump up some money for, that were not obvious when on, close to the size of the Apple AirPods . . not as cool though. They sent me a quote for Signia Active Pro X, they were $5,220. . . Advertised as 'singles' only so 50% online. I suspect your theory could be on the money. Traditional providers have a lot to lose from customers like me. . .with mild loss, I just can't afford or justify that much money . . . when Apple Air Pods Pro 2 are going to help at a significantly more affordable price. So annoyed with Australia's regulatory system. Even NZ is ahead of us.

It was only recently in the U.S. that people became eligible to buy hearing aids "over the counter", meaning without going through an audiologist. I suspect the change in that regulation made it a lot easier for Apple to get approval here in the U.S. And yes, I also suspect that audiologists and possibly the traditional hearing aid companies resisted that change as long as possible.

Of course, the change has also probably been a goldmine for hearing aid companies who were able to adapt. Although they now have to compete on price in the open market, that market is much, much bigger.

This was what I got from the TGA today

“Thank you for your enquiry of 14/11/2024 to theTherapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

Due to confidentiality the TGA does not disclose information about current applications and cannot advise whether an application has been received or is in progress. The information that the TGAcan lawfully provide about a product is publicly available on the TGA website.

You may wish to contact the sponsor or manufacturer for further information about their intentions to submit an application to the TGA for registration of this product.”

So even less helpful than your reply

The good news was delivered this morning by 9News. The government has finally given the green light for the hearing aid’s functionality. Better late than never!

https://amp.9news.com.au/article/e49d400f-94f0-4722-8ef8-953a4dfb0c1d

You forget that over 100 countries had already approved the hearing test that was available for launch back in September. The TGA just recently approved it and based on the previous ECG approval, it took 2 months after approval to see it on the device. Apple is not holding up their updates, just waiting for the TGA to approve the feature and their roadmap on software updates are planned several months ahead of time with multiple point updates. Currently iOS 18.4 is in beta and will likely be released shortly, but they are also working on future updates as well.

There has been no indication on which update would have added availability after the TGA approved it, but it would go through the same testing and beta process as all updates and depends on where in the queue of updates it was added. Also note that the sleep apnea feature in the Apple Watch has still not been approved by the TGA and that had previously been approved by over 150 countries back in September. There is clearly a delay in Australian customers getting these new features, but it is also clear why that is the case.