Last fall, Apple released an AirPods Pro update that brought an impressive new set of hearing protection features to the AirPods Pro 2. However, due to the regulatory approval process, some countries, including the U.K., missed out on certain features, including the ability to use the AirPods Pro as a hearing aid.
That’s finally about to change. In the coming weeks, users in the U.K. will get the hearing aid feature, presumably as part of the iOS 18.3 update, which is expected in late January or early February. Previously users in the U.K. could access the hearing test but weren’t able to use their AirPods Pro 2 as a hearing aid.
In a statement to The Telegraph, Apple said: “With the new policy guidance from the UK Department of Health and Social Care, we look forward to bringing the hearing aid feature on AirPods Pro 2 in the coming weeks to help improve the daily lives of so many UK users.”
To use the AirPods as a hearing aid, U.K. users will likely need to run the hearing aid test again, which will open the Hearing Assistance menu. Apple will suggest using the AirPods Pro as a hearing aid only if you have mild-to-moderate hearing loss when listening to spoken-word frequencies.
The Hearing Protection feature, which can reduce exposure to loud sounds, is still only available in the U.S. and Canada. You can learn more about how to use the AirPods Pro 2 as a hearing aid in our how-to article.