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. This is incorrect. Those features will be available in available in more than 100 countries and regions, including the U.S., Germany, and Japan.
We’ve updated the story reflect that Hearing Protection is the only feature limited to the US and Canada.
Apple on Monday shared another glimpse at the new Hearing Health features coming to AirPods Pro 2 with iOS 18.1 next week. However, even if you have compatible hardware running 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 further and include a hearing test for user awareness and clinical-grade hearing assistance. AirPods will then use the results to fine-tune the sound and turn the earbuds into hearing aids.
Top comment by Morten Kaada
I am so fed up with new features only available in the US.. I don't think the majority of US citizens realize (nor care) how long time it takes for these features to trickle down 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 am looking forward to iOS 32 when we finally get to try these features.
The new Hearing Health features are only compatible with the second-generation AirPods Pro. However, there is another requirement between the lines. According to a footnote on Apple’s website, the new Hearing Protection feature will only be available to users located in the US and Canada.
The Hearing Test and Hearing Aid features, however, will be available in more than 100 countries and regions, including the U.S., Germany, and Japan.
After you update your iPhone or iPad to iOS 18.1, you can head 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 the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2.
iOS 18.1 will be released to the public next week. An RC (Release Candidate) build is now available for developers and public beta testers.
Read also
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