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
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Well I just bought a pair of AirPods Pro 2 from the local Apple Store in the UK. I spoke to the sales people at length about how I was impressed by their inclusion of hearing tests, hearing aid and protection functions. I liked that you wear them in noisy environment to protect your hearing. Clever stuff which closed the sale for me.
At no point did they suggest that none of these features are actually available to UK customers (because of regulations for test and aid, and actually protection is only available in N America). In effect, the product was missold to me. I am therefore disappointed and feel misled.
The AirPods Pro to a UK user are OK as they are, but could have been much better. Bit of a con really.
I think have really dropped the ball on this if the Apple Stores are not warning you that you unable to use the hearing aid feature in the UK yet before you buy them. There is no date for the UK yet and I read somewhere earlier today that Apple haven’t even applied for MHRA approval in the UK yet. I think the person who was posting had contacted the MHRA directly.
If you haven’t updated your iPhone to IOS 18.1 you can still use the Airpods as hearing Aids with an older IOS without the geographical lock and for me with mild to moderate hearing loss they work really well. I've been using them for five or six weeks. They won't help you that much if your hearing loss is severe or profound.
If you are not on IOS 18.1 you can set them up straight away. If you have an iPad or an older iPhone that is running an older IOS you could set them up on that. You will need to download the free Mimi app to do do a hearing test OR you can download your audiogram by taking a photo of it.
Assuming you have set them up using Bluetooth after you have taken a hearing test. Go to Settings/Accessibility/Audio Visual and click on Headphone Accommodations. Click on Audiogram and it will ask you which one to use. If you used the Mimi app the test will appear with todays date. Select it. In the next menu you can hear a sample of music and toggle between music with your Audiogram applied and without it so you know your Audiogram is working.
Go to the bottom and click on Transparency Mode and also switch Conversation boost on.
With the Airpods connected to your phone or iPad, your Airpods will appear close to the top of the Settings menu. Click on it. Switch Conversation Awareness on. Switch Loud Sound Reduction on. Go almost to the bottom and do an Ear Tip Fit Test to make sure you have a good seal in your ears.
That's about it but there are loads of settings you can play around with. In the last menu I mentioned you can simply set them to Adaptive Mode which will automatically set Noise Cancellation volume according to your surroundings. Otherwise you tinker with the Background Volume and Hearing Aid Volume manually independently of each other.
Hope this helps. Copy it quick!
Nope. Does not work. Can do it with my iPad Pro which I’ve had to leave on iPadOS 18.0 now so I don’t lose this functionality.
Dont understand why I can’t see the functionality in 18.2. I’ve tried re-pairing the headphones with the iPhone and I’ve taken a new hearing Test. I have used the latest Hearing Test on the iPad to customise the earbuds and the settings seem to be persistent when I change back to using the iPhone.
I am at a loss to understand why this is such an issue. When I tried to customise the sound on the iPhone I don’t get the option to use an audiogram.
Simply because 18.2 won't allow them to work in the UK until the MHRA approves their use. IOS 18 on your iPad Pro will allow them to work. A bit of a lump to carry around if you want to change settings but they will happily work on their own even if you have no device with you. In 18.2 does the battery level of the AirPods show up?
Yet someone else reports tonight that it does work in 18.2 in the UK with a screenshot of the same screen I see on the iPad in 18.0 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Battery levels are reported. Was there an issue with this?
Yet someone else reports tonight that it does work in 18.2 in the UK
with a screenshot of the same screen I see on the iPad in 18.0
No issue. Just interested to know. If you set up with an older IOS on a different device and you don't carry it around with you, it is handy if your iPhone running 18.1 or newer will let you know that the AirPods need charging. That's all.
The AirPods work as they should on my iPhone and 18.2 bar the audiogram - functions and battery levels. They work as on my M1 MBP too, again bar the audiogram thing. The AirPods switch to the active devices as they should and battery levels are visible.
The custom audio set up on the iPad seems to be persistent unless you do a custom setup on the iPhone which will naturally overwrite it as one might expect.
All I’m missing is the supposed ability to use an audiogram to customise the audio on 18.2 like I can on the iPad on 18.0 - something which someone here reckons is possible. It isn’t AFAICS.
All 18.2 has done is activate the hearing test. Great! 8-(
The AirPods work as they should on my iPhone and 18.2 bar the audiogram - functions and battery levels. They work as on my M1 MBP too, again bar the audiogram thing. The AirPods switch to the active devices as they should and battery levels are visible.
The custom audio set up on the iPad seems to be persistent unless you do a custom setup on the iPhone which will naturally overwrite it as one might expect.
All I’m missing is the supposed ability to use an audiogram to customise the audio on 18.2 like I can on the iPad on 18.0 - something which someone here reckons is possible. It isn’t AFAICS.
All 18.2 has done is activate the hearing test. Great! 8-(
It's not possible and won't be until the Hearing Aid feature is approved by the MHRA in the UK. At least your iPad is giving you the chance to use them and evaluate them to see if they will work for you. I never updated my iPhone and I'm happy to leave it on 17.7.1 for the time being.
rasg wrote:
Yet someone else reports tonight that it does work in 18.2 in the UK
with a screenshot of the same screen I see on the iPad in 18.0
No issue. Just interested to know. If you set up with an older IOS on a different device and you don't carry it around with you, it is handy if your iPhone running 18.1 or newer will let you know that the AirPods need charging. That's all.
My airpods are set up with my iPhone. The audiogram option appeared again with iOS 18.2
I have a MB M2 pro running 15.1.1, second iPhone iOS 18.2 and iPad running 18.1.1. All set to UK region.
The screenshot I posted was from yesterday evening after updating to iOS 18.2 on the iPhone.
I’d like to know what phone that is too. I have 18.2 on a 14Pro - hearing test but no way to use the audiogram in custom sound.
The amplify slider in transparency has always worked.
My pods are customised via 18.0 on my iPad Pro and the setting persists on my iPhone as long as I don’t start a new custom sound session in settings.
It does explain but there's no guarantee it will be anytime soon.
After upgrading to 18.2 I can confirm there is no hearing aid feature in the UK.
I specifically bought AirPods Pro 2 for the hearing aid feature.
I already have the older AirPods Pro so the 2 will be going back tomorrow.
The worst part is there is no timeline from Apple.
Very disappointing and poor communication on their part.
Think that’s just registering the company as a manufacturer: there’s no merino of any associated devices that could see…
Nope. Apple have been registered with Apple for many years. The document they sent me showed they have registered the AirPods with Apple and the email was from the Vice President at Apple Health.
Thanks for the instructions. Might be a silly question. Does that mean I cannot connect the AirPods at all to my ios18 device. Have an old iPad & iPhone but don’t want to carry 2 devices.
by the way most stores in uk have the pro 2 at £179 whereas at apple stores they are £229 & refused to price match.
Very annoyed - I bought AirPods Pro 2 at an airport where all the adverts said they include Hearing Aid feature.
Only after hours of fiddling (with frankly embarrassingly bad user experience) I came across an article that says the advertised Hearing Aid feature is not available in the UK at all!
If there ever was a clear case of false advertising, this is the one.
Really? I don't think that's true frankly. I've updated to 18.2 but no joy. Spent hours trying to get this going with Apple's Kafkian maze of a user interface and no joy. How did you make it work? Is there a link to instructions / announcement you can share?
Click on Settings > Bluetooth > click the i next to your headphones…
underneath the noise control options you should see Take a Hearing Test in blue
if you are not seeing that either your phone isn’t on 18.2 or the firmware on the AirPods is on 7B21 or your AirPods aren’t the Pro v2
As many have stated there is no hearing aid function available in the UK which in my book has been severe false or loose advertising on Apples part
The problem is that your IOS is up to date so to use the AirPods as hearing aids you can wait until they are approved or you can set them up on an older iPad or iPhone with an IOS less than 18.1.
The AirPod Pro 2s have been available to use as hearing aids since September 2022 with no restrictions.
Judith - I'm ready to buy the Apple Pro 2 ear pods but see no point until Apple iron out the appropriate registration with MRSA. Could YOU let Apple know exactly what they need to do to make them available in the UK PLEASE. why are these multinational companies so inept when it comes down to small details ?? Clearly not your fault or problem, but the right info to the right person could make all the difference ?!?! Thanks in anticipation -
jo*******y@hotmail.com
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Why are AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Aid features not available in the UK?
