Hearing test not available in Australia after iOS update this morning

I too wish I had seen this thread before buying myself the pro2 purely for the hearing aid feature - seems really unfair that the TGA is withholding permission for thousands of Aussies who suffer from hearing impairment and are refused access to an existing feature of their purchased product - very unhappy 🙁

Ok. TGA approved AirPods Pro hearing aid functionality on Xmas eve 2024. It’s now on Apple to release the update. That seems straightforward and I would be bitterly disappointed if it doesn’t drop with IOS 18.2.1 rumoured for 6 January 2025.

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.

Product Feedback - Apple

i used to work for Apple that is how you tell them.

Wowee22 wrote:

The question is why is the TGA taking so much time to approve the hearing aid capability of the Air Pro 2? Surely it can’t be too hard to make such a decision just as so many other countries have. Is it due to lobbying from those in the audiology industry or just bureaucratic indecisiveness?

When was the last time you got such an explanation from a government agency? ;-)

I also spent an hour or so talking to technical support a couple of weeks ago. The person I spoke to had no idea that there was a problem. I can’t blame Apple for the TGA taking so long but I can blame Apple for omitting to inform us about the situation. Nothing on the Apple website, nothing communicated by Apple staff at point of purchase and technical support that didn’t have a clue that there was an issue. The fact that the technical support person was located somewhere outside of Australia added to the problem. Very disappointing customer service.

Agreed, not Apples fault, but they should have a big red notice on the Airpod Pro page on their web site stating the hearing aid function won't work in Australia. I mean it's not like they don't have an Australian focused web site. :-)

This was the reply I got from the TGA today

”Thank you for your enquiry of 14/11/2024 to theTherapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

Due to confidentiality the TGA does not disclose information about current applications and cannot advise whether an application has been received or is in progress. The information that the TGAcan lawfully provide about a product is publicly available on the TGA website.

You may wish to contact the sponsor or manufacturer for further information about their intentions to submit an application to the TGA for registration of this product.”

not very helpful or informative as tax payers we should be able to see what they are doing with the money we have provided for this service rather than hide behind some dubious confidentiality clause

Yep, same here. Bought specifically for hearing aid feature as I don’t use buds as they don’t stay in my ears so was a desperate purchase, now just a pretty ornament for me without the hearing feature. Talk about grumpy! False advertising when they have advertisements in Australia saying buy them for this feature !

kit laughlin wrote:

Thanks for that. A number of members here have filled in the official "Apple Feedback" form; it's a waiting game now. If the member here who contacted the TGA before could check to see if they have received a request for review from Apple, that would be grand.

I expect that will be unlikely to produce a response. The TGA won't confirm or deny the submission of a request, and Apple also refrains from commenting. The first you will know about it is when the approval is given.

The good news was delivered this morning by 9News. The government has finally given the green light for the hearing aid’s functionality. Better late than never!

https://amp.9news.com.au/article/e49d400f-94f0-4722-8ef8-953a4dfb0c1d

This seems still to be the case! TGA exceeded expectations and approved the functionality on 23 December 2024. I have just installed IOS 18.2.1 which many hoped would include the necessary software but nope! We wait for Apple to get around to making the upgrade available in Australia. I ask Apple “what’s the problem? Surely the upgrade is an easy add-in. It’s 2 weeks since TGA approval. Apple can’t hide behind that as an excuse for further delay any more!”