AirPods hearing protection feature limited to the United States and Canada at first
Apple’s hearing protection feature for AirPods designed to shield people from loud environmental noise will have limited availability at launch.
The new Hearing Protection feature is part of Apple’s upcoming hearing health advancements in iOS 18.1. The company wrote in the iOS 18.1 release notes that Hearing Protection “helps users minimize exposure to loud environmental noise across listening modes,” but it’s only available in the United States and Canada.
It’s a safe bet that Apple will eventually expand Hearing Protection to additional countries over time. iOS 18.1 also allows you to test your hearing with AirPods Pro 2 and turn the earbuds into an FDA-approved hearing aid.
These new hearing health features are only available on AirPods Pro 2 with iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1, which will arrive on October 28.
iOS 18.1: Hearing Protection restricted to US and Canada
With Hearing Test, you can take a 5-minute test on the Health app to create an audio profile tailored to your hearing, synced across devices. Apple devices use this profile to enhance certain sounds in real-time so you always get the audio experience tailored to your hearing. Hearing Test is intended for users 18 years or older.
The Hearing Aid feature lets AirPods Pro 2 function as a clinical-grade hearing aid for folks with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss. It makes automatic adjustments designed to help you hear the voices and sounds around you better.
Hearing Protection will reduce louder, more intermittent noise in Transparency Mode while ensuring sounds at concerts and live events remain natural and vibrant. As mentioned, Hearing Protection is only available in the United States and Canada. Another new feature, Media Assist, will boost specific parts of speech or instruments within a soundtrack to increase audio clarity.
New AirPods firmware for new hearing health features
Hearing Protection, Hearing Test and Hearing Aid require AirPods Pro 2 with firmware version 7B19 or later. Your AirPods will get the latest firmware after you’ve updated your iPhone to iOS 18.1. Be sure to leave your AirPods in their charging case and the Bluetooth range of your iPhone that must be connected to Wi-Fi.
Apple devices like the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro work with many third-party hearing aids that are listed on this support page as long as they’re MFI-compatible.
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2024/10/22/airpods-hearing-protection-country-availability-at-launch/
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