Australia misses AirPods hearing aid feature despite TGA approval

Australians hoping to use AirPods as an affordable hearing aid alternative were left disappointed by its omission from Apple’s latest iOS 18.3 update.

Apple launched hearing aid functionality in more than 100 regions last year for the AirPods Pro 2. Australia wasn’t among the initial rollout, with hopeful users lamenting the missing feature on Apple’s discussion forums.

As reported by Information Age, Apple secured approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration for two separate medical devices on 17 December 2024. One was for a “hearing aid” device, the other for “hearing aid fitting” software.

See Also

28/01/2025

iOS 18.3 is live and lets you identify your pets

Both listings refer to Apple’s Hearing Test and Hearing Aid features respectively. Using a pair of AirPods Pro 2 and an iPhone, you can take a guided test to assess for potential hearing loss. Meanwhile, Apple claims its in-ear headphones double as a “clinical-grade” hearing aid, replete with several feature-specific settings.

Since iOS 18.3 launched overnight, users have taken to Apple’s accessibility discussion forums to ask why the feature isn’t available yet. Australia and Canada are among the countries without AirPods hearing aid functionality, while the United Kingdom currently only has the Hearing Test feature.

Specialised hearing aids can cost thousands of dollars, compared to the $399 price tag of the AirPods Pro 2. It explains why Australians are so keen to try an alternative from a major tech company.

Overseas reviews, including one from the audiologist-run HearAdvisor, suggest that Apple’s earbuds work reasonably well as hearing aids, albeit after some fine-tuning. Wirecutter reported similar sentiments, praising the AirPods as an over-the-counter solution but expressed concern about the limited battery life impacting all-day usefulness.

Fingers crossed Australia doesn’t have to wait much longer before Apple flicks the switch on its hearing assistance features.

Read more phone news on GadgetGuy

The post Australia misses AirPods hearing aid feature despite TGA approval appeared first on GadgetGuy.

About admin

This is a short description in the author block about the author. You edit it by entering text in the "Biographical Info" field in the user admin panel.