Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the hearing test and hearing aid features would only be available in the United States and Canada. That's incorrect. The features will be available in more than 100 countries and regions, including the United States, Germany, and Japan.
We've updated the story to reflect that hearing protection is the only feature limited to the United States and Canada.
On Monday, Apple shared another preview of the new hearing health features coming to AirPods Pro 2 with iOS 18.1 next week. However, even if you have compatible hardware with the latest software, the hearing protection feature will only be available in the United States and Canada.
Hearing protection feature for AirPods Pro 2 will have limited availability
Apple announced the AirPods Pro 2 features at its September iPhone event. Impressively, the new capabilities take hearing protection to the next level, including a hearing test to educate the user and clinical help for hearing loss. AirPods will then use the results to fine-tune the sound, turning the earbuds into hearing aids.
Top comment from Morten Kaad
I'm so tired of new features only being available in the US.. I don't think most US citizens understand (or care) how long it takes for these features to roll out to the rest of the world. In Norway, we got predictive text on the keyboard with iOS18 (!) Don't get me started on Apple Intelligence.. I'm looking forward to iOS 32 when we can finally try these features.
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The new Hearing Health features are only compatible with the second-generation AirPods Pro. However, there's another requirement between the lines. According to a footnote on Apple's website, the new hearing health feature will only be available to users in the US and Canada.
However, the hearing test and hearing aid features will be available in more than 100 countries and regions, including the US, Germany, and Japan.
Once you update your iPhone or iPad to iOS 18.1, you can go to the AirPods menu in the Settings app to view the new hearing health features. It's worth noting that the new features work with both Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2.
iOS 18.1 will be released to the public next week. The RC (Release Candidate) build is now available to developers and public beta testers.
Read also
- How to Use the Clinical-Grade AirPods Hearing Aid and Take a Hearing Test
- This Special Case Adds a USB-C Port to AirPods with Lightning
- AirPods 4 vs AirPods Pro: Apple's Wireless Earbuds Compared
- AirPods Are Much Better: How to Use All the New Features
- The New iOS 18.1 Build for AirPods Pro 2 Has This Firmware Number
- AirPods 4 Review: The Best Apple Product for the Price/Quality Ratio [Video]
- Do's and Don'ts of Cleaning Dirty AirPods Pro and charging case
