Hearing test not available in Australia after iOS update this morning

Also terribly disappointed by this! Been waiting for this feature. We just have to keep making our voices heard. Hopefully the TGA will stop dragging their feet. Hearing aids should be easily available to all and not just those who can afford super expensive devices

Darn it - I was afraid that was the case. It was my solution to a Christmas Present for someone - but will have to think of something else now. Hopefully it will be resolved before too long (maybe by a birthday in March)

Peter— wrote:

I saw the multiple YouTube videos talking about this feature.

This is an excellent example of why you should not rely on YouTube for your shopping research. You need to actually go to the manufacture's site or into a store. Or call them. YouTube is not a reliable source of information (except possibly the knitting videos).

Thanks for the heads up when I purchased these Apple. NOT

Did you ask Apple before you bought them?

Set them up on an Apple device running an older IOS than 18.1 and you will be able to do that.

I am pretty certain you cannot roll back your iPhone IOS to a previous version but an old iPhone 12 will do the job.

I bought it today and was setting it up, when found that its not available in Australia 😡

@apple should do something about it.

It's not Apple you should be complaining about. It's the governing body in your country that hasn't approved them.

Do you have an iPad or old iPhone running IOS 16 or 17? If you do, you can set them up using Headphone Accommodations in settings. I have been using mine since September and they work really well for my mild to moderate hearing loss.

if you check the TGA website, Apple only made its application for approval on the 17th December (4 days ago). So if there is a question, it may be more fairly squared at why didn’t Apple make its application ‘way back’ when it went for FDA approval, or way sooner, as it would have known these things always are some time…

Hi Kit. I just updated to iOS 18.2.1 and am wondering where you found the Hearing Test in the settings menu. Do you mean the Hearing Aid function and test that we Australians have been waiting for? I certainly can’t find it.

I live in Australia and now have the hearing aid feature. I had to go to NZ to get it set up. Can I tell you just how amazing it is. I have mild hearing lost according to Apple. This device has changed my life. All the sounds are crisp and clear. My god. Wait till you try it. When I

take them off the World goes quiet. Amazing product. Note that once I downloaded the NZ software it took about three hours for the product to automatically register. It now just pops up when I put the Airpod Pro 2 on. I tell you it’s worth the wait.

I hope you have switched the IOS Auto Update off your iPhone. If Apple push a new update to your iPhone in Australia you will lose the hearing aid feature.

I have been using my AirPods Po 2s in the UK as hearing aids since September running IOS 17.7.1, (the hearing aid feature has been available since September 2022). With Auto update off the reminder to update to 18.1 or newer was constant for the first couple of weeks but the notifications finally disappeared before Christmas.

TGA has approved

https://ia.acs.org.au/article/2025/airpods-as-hearing-aids-a-step-closer-for-australians.html#:~:text=Australian%20users%20of%20Apple's%20AirPods,Therapeutic%20Goods%20Administration%20(TGA).

It’s frustrating! Easy to criticise the TGA but it seems Apple is stricken by its own bureaucracy. Now more than a month since TGA! Nothing but silence from Apple. Ironic given it’s about a “game changing” hearing innovation

Thanks for the info. Yes, TGA seems a bit tardy, but you are being very kind to Apple. There have been two updates since approval, and since it’s available in over 100 countries already, surely it wouldn’t be difficult to have included it in one of these updates.

Armedeus wrote:

I got the following from TGA today.

Thank you for your enquiry to the TGA.

The supply of Apple’s in-the-ear hearing aid has been approved for supply by the TGA in Australia since 17 December 2024.

That is correct. Based on previous approvals by the TGA for the ECG feature, it was 2 months after approval before it made its way to the device. The roadmap for iOS updates are several months out where multiple point updates are in the works at the same time. Currently the 18.4 update is being beta tested by users with any improvements to that version being added prior to it being released to beta testers. There has been no indication on which iOS version back in December it would have been added to.

Don't forget that back in September when the feature was released that over 100 countries had already approved it. In addition, the sleep apnea feature released back in September had already been approved by over 150 countries and that still has not been approved by the TGA. There is an obvious delay in getting these features to Australian users, but there is also a clear reason why that is the case.

I have a real trust problem here with your information. The feature was on my iPhone here in Australia and working very well until I upgraded to 18.3 where it disappeared. So, Mac Jim ID, as interesting as your response is, it still wouldn't pass the "Pub Test" here in Aus. What I'm learning is that Apple doesn't sell its features, it just shares them as it suits their purposes with a strong bias towards the US market. In regard to global public relationships, Apple comes across as a selfish little child when he prioritises the US above all others. "Ultimate power corrupts, ultimately".