When Apple released its iOS 18.1 update in October 2024 alongside a firmware update for the AirPods Pro 2, it opened doors to brand-new hearing health features for the flagship earbuds.
The Hearing Aid function is designed to help adults with mild to moderate hearing loss by offering a personalised and supposedly clinical-grade boost to the clarity of music and calls - all customizable from the Apple device connected to their AirPods Pro 2.
But arguably more interesting, and almost certainly more useful for a larger share of Pro 2 owners, is the Hearing Test feature.
This does-what-it-says-on-the-tin feature performs a hearing test to measure your hearing ability and detect any losses, providing you with your personalized results ('audiogram') and any recommended next steps to take.
It takes only a matter of minutes to perform. Here's how...
How to perform the AirPods Pro 2 hearing test
First, find a quiet location to take the test, as background noise can affect the results. It’s also a good idea to fully charge your AirPods Pro 2 earbuds. Finally, ensure your iPhone or iPad is installed with iOS/iPadOS 18.1 or later (at the time of writing, the latest firmware is 18.6, with iOS 26 just around the corner).
Here are the 14 simple steps to take to perform the AirPods Pro 2 hearing test.
Step 1: Put your earbuds in your ears and make sure they're connected to your supported iPad or iPhone.
Step 2: Next, open the Settings app on your device. (Alternatively, you can access the Hearing Test from the Health app.)
Step 3: Select the name of your AirPods Pro 2 near the top of the screen.
Step 4: Choose Take a Hearing Test, then select Get Started.
Step 5: Answer the questions on the screen, such as whether you’re over 18. This information isn’t shared with Apple and is only used to better customize the test for you. After answering the questions, select Next.
Step 6: The app will confirm that you’re in a quiet room on the next screen. (If it flags interruptive noise, turn off any nearby AC units or other noisy machines, or go somewhere in your home that is less affected by road noise.) Choose Next.
Step 7: Finally, you’ll see a message asking you to place each earbud in the correct ear. Once you do, select Next.
Step 8: On the next screen, you’ll be asked to adjust the position and depth of each earbud until the fit is snug. Select Next.
Step 9: Select Start the Check for the system to test whether the earbuds are comfortably in place. During this time, you’ll hear music playing.
Step 10: Assuming there’s a good fit, you can proceed to the test by selecting Next. Otherwise, you’ll be asked to refit the AirPods, in which case you should try a different size of eartip and/or clean your AirPods (the build up of debris can affect your fit).
Step 11: You see a message saying the Do Not Disturb is activated on your device while the test is being performed. Select Next.
Step 12: On the next few screens, you'll be prompted to read messages about the test. Select Next each time to move to the next screen.
Step 13: Choose Start Test to begin the test. During the test, you'll be asked whether you can hear a series of beeps in each ear starting with the left ear. Each time you hear a noise, tap in the circle on the display.
Step 14: The test lasts approximately five minutes. After completion, your results will be displayed on the screen. This information is also saved to the Health app.
Note that the test can only measure hearing loss up to 80dBHL. The higher the number, the louder sounds need to be in order for you to hear them. According to Apple, the following dBHL results mean the following:
- <25 dBHL: little to no hearing loss
- 26–40 dBHL: mild hearing loss, where you can hear words spoken in a normal voice from three feet away
- 41–60 dBHL: moderate hearing loss, where you can hear words spoken in a raised voice from three feet away
- 61–80 dBHL: severe hearing loss, where you can only hear some words when they’re shouted into your ear
How to setup the Media Assist feature
One of the recommendations based on your results might be to activate Media Assist. When activated, your AirPods Pro 2 will use the results to make adjustments to your earbuds' performance to improve the clarity of music, video and calls.
You can adjust Media Assist in the future or turn it off by following these steps:
Step 1: Open the Settings app and select your AirPods.
Step 2: Navigate to the Hearing Health section and select Hearing Assistance.
Step 3: Select Adjustments, then enable the Media Assist option.
To apply audio adjustments based on your test results to music and videos playing on your device, turn on the Adjust Music and Video option.
How to set up and use the Hearing Aid feature
If your hearing test recommends using your AirPods Pro 2 as a hearing aid, you will be prompted to activate the feature.
While the Hearing Aid feature launched in a limited number of countries in October 2024, it is now much more widely available. You can check if the Hearing Aid feature is available in your country.
To set it up, tap on Set Up Hearing Aid, then select Get Started. Select Next and then Turn On Hearing Aid.
Depending on your test results, you may instead be prompted to turn on Media Assist (above) instead of the Hearing Aid feature.
Step 1: You can make adjustments to the hearing aid by going into the Settings app on your device, then selecting your AirPods.
Step 2: From there, choose Hearing Assistance under Hearing Health. Select Adjustments under Hearing Aid. Then follow the onscreen instructions.
It's a big deal that Apple has added these hearing capabilities to the AirPods Pro 2. As anyone who has ever had to purchase hearing aids will know, they are expensive, so being able to use your earbuds as a way to boost clarity instead can save you a lot of hard-earned cash.
Indeed, while audio tech companies such as Sennheiser and Sony have produced dedicated hearing aids, this is the first time we've seen existing hardware become an over-the-counter, FDA-cleared hearing aid via a new software update.
Apple continues to add information about the new hearing capabilities. For the latest information, visit Apple's support page.
