Hearing test not available in Australia after iOS update this morning

hearing Test feature not being available in Australia to me would be due to the hearing aid companies. I know someone whom lost their $8000 pair of hearing aids and bought the AirPods Pro 2 to use the feature at a budget price. How disappointing that the ones needing hearing aids have to pay thousands that they can NOT afford in this cost of living crisis. Absolute joke! New Zealand has the feature and I’m disgusted that allegedly Australia has not allowed this feature for the ones that can not afford the overpriced hearing aids. There are peeps whom are hard of hearing and have to live with it. I’m sick of gov offers for hearing discounts that still leave expensive out of pocket expenses. Have a heart and allow the hearing aid feature to at least seniors but preferably everyone that has an issue and can NOT afford the overpriced hearing aid tech by health companies. Hearing aids should be no more than $500 AUD

Yes, this update is taking way too long. TGA approval 2 months ago and at least 2 updates to iOS 18 since. Surely it’s just a toggle of a switch in software? What gets me is I can add an audiogram, I can select it in the APP2 settings, activate transparency mode with the custom settings which does boost ambient sounds quite a bit only to have that mode shut off without any input from me. Some bugs no doubt to fix…

David Mundy wrote:

In Australia no need for doctor visit to use airpods feature but I would imagine for a standard hearing aid even though here no doctor’s prescription is required you should be referred by someone like an audiologist or doctor etc.

Thanks for the info. Canada considered them a medical device when used with the Hearing Aid feature. That was a contention point where even after the Health Authority approved them for use as a Hearing Aid in December, it was still true that for most Provinces that a prescription was required for a Hearing Aid and Over The Counter(OTC) Hearing Aids could not be sold. If they allowed the AirPods to be sold with an OTC feature, then they also need to allow other devices too. Prescription Hearing Aids in Canada costs $2000 - $10,000 a pair, so you can imagine the bureaucracy.

https://www.hearingdirectory.ca/help/hearing-aids/otc-hearing-aids

Anyway's it sounds like you guys are on track for the feature, so that is good news.

Thanks Kit for providing the long awaited update concerning the TGA approval. Now it’s up to Apple to release the software.

TGA have now approved Airpods2 for hearing aid but does anyone know why iOS release the update for Australia will be in? Wasn’t in 18.2.1

Apple to catch up with tga decision

Hearing test just approved in UK and announced by UK government as a major step forward. So Australia will likely be in next batch of countries with Usk

My sister and I pooled our resources to purchase the AirPods Pro 2 for our father. He has been unable to afford a hearing aid. We had hoped this would help him to be more involved in conversations without the frustration of misunderstanding people. Particularly his grandchildren. I feel that withholding a devices feature that has no potential to cause harm is quite absurd. My frustration is more with the TGA dragging its feet than with any other party involved. That is presuming Apple has made a submission for approval by the TGA. It has not been a problem in NZ.

I suspect this has been blocked by Cochlear Ltd lobbyists, there is a lot of money involved. I hope it can be resolved sooner rather than later, my elderly father could really use it, his hearing aids perform very poorly, and they are very expensive.

This seems still to be the case! TGA exceeded expectations and approved the functionality on 23 December 2024. I have just installed IOS 18.2.1 which many hoped would include the necessary software but nope! We wait for Apple to get around to making the upgrade available in Australia. I ask Apple “what’s the problem? Surely the upgrade is an easy add-in. It’s 2 weeks since TGA approval. Apple can’t hide behind that as an excuse for further delay any more!”

The TGA approved these features back in December and they still do not work a month later. Apple support would only tell me there would be a software update ( sometime in 2025)

I bought my Airpod Pro 2s back in October specifically because of all the Apple Hype and ads saying they could b e used as hearing as as did may others here.

I have now submitted a complaint to the ACC and suggest if enough others follow suit Apple may do the right thing

We won't have to wait long for IOS 18.3. 9TO5Mac reports release is likely next week following IOS release notes published yesterday. A closing remark in the article: " .... If Apple follows its usual pattern, which is not a guarantee, iOS 18.3 will be released to the general public next week. ". FINGERS CROSSED. Lets hope the Hearing Aid functionality is included in this update!