Apple’s hearing aid feature for AirPods Pro 2, prominently featured in this year’s holiday ad, will expand to nine additional countries with the release of iOS 18.2 later this month.
The feature, already available in the U.S. and select regions since late October, will roll out to Cyprus, Czechia, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. iOS 18.2 is expected to launch as early as next week.
Introduced in September, the AirPods Pro 2 hearing aid feature offers two key modes: a default hearing protection mode with passive noise cancellation for loud environments and a “clinical-grade” hearing aid mode.
Users can take a clinically validated hearing test in under five minutes using their AirPods and iPhone, with results securely stored in the Health app. If hearing loss is detected, the hearing aid mode activates, enhancing environmental sounds and applying a personalised hearing profile for audio, including music and podcasts.
