AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Aids Not in Canada

I have been fortunate in my life to never have had my freedom taken away from me...until now. And it doesn't feel good. I purchased my AirPod Pro2 devices after reading a New York Times article about the upcoming launch of their ability to be hearing aids. I am beyond distraught because I had a brief three minutes of seeing how great they were at improving my hearing and then "poof", the button I had pushed--Accessibility on the Airpod App on my phone--disappeared and I literally heard it go back to just plain non-hearing aid status...never to return again. I found out the hard way that my GPS was used to block any access to be able to hear better.

To think that in Canada, a seemingly free country, we are unable to purchase something and have it work the way we want it to is blocked is a really, really bad realization. Think of all the lower income people who this would benefit and Health Canada is opting for the Hearing Aid companies (Big Hearing, like Big Pharma in the US) instead of it's citizens who are in need is sobering at the least.

Please let us know if travelling to the US works - thinking to try the same.

I tried everything you described above. I upgrade to 18.1 on my phone in Canada. Thinking of getting a used phone and upgrading the IOS while in US or when it thinks it's in US.

Remember that iPhone models before the Model X are incompatible with IOS 18.

I appreciate that rasg has taken the time to try to be helpful. You’re correct in much of what you say Luckster but your observations shouldn’t be directed at rasg.

Me too. I contacted them and they cannot be returned after 10 days.

I think it’s unfair that Apple wasn’t clear that it was not available in Canada.

I tried it. I even set up a new American apple ID. Doesn't work :(.

All this info should be sent to a news agencies. One of their consumer reporters.

Great idea. I thought about that. But unlike an app that's available in the US but not Canada, this is a feature set that is in the ipod settings. I'm willing to give it a try though. It makes sense.

are you sure that OTC hearing aids are not allowed? There are all kinds of them advertised and available on Amazon Canada. I don’t know who the main manufacturers are so I can’t comment on the lobby.

thanks

g

The update to IOS and the AirPods firmware is not blocked in any way, shape, or form in Canada. What is blocked is the hearing aid functionality of the AirPods Pro by Apple because the sale of OTC hearing aids is still banned in Canada. We must assume that Apple considers the hearing aid functionality introduced with IOS 18.1 to qualify the AirPods Pro as a hearing aid under Canadian law. Therefore, because the sale of OTC hearing aids is still banned in Canada, Apple prevents Airpods Pro users from using this functionality.

I did just that to install the Sony app for iOS that must be used with their OTC ITE hearing aids. I created a US Apple ID, used a VPN, and downloaded the Sony app. I then used the Sony app to configure my hearing aids. The problem is that you can’t do this from a location in Canada with the Airpods Pro. We must assume that Apple determines your area based on GPS data extracted from your iPhone.

I believe someone could configure the AirPods Pro's hearing aid functionality from a US location. However, I’m not sure one would have to create and use a US Apple ID or perform this process using their Canadian Apple ID while in the US. For my part, I want nothing to do with the US since November 5, 2024...

I have updated my iPhone 13 Pro to IOS version 18.1 and the AirPods Pro firmware to version 7B21, the most recent version for IOS and the AirPods Pro firmware. In the configuration window for the Airpods Pro, I get Hearing Protection, but the Hearing Test and the Hearing aid functionality are nowhere to be found. ‘Many others have reported the same and realized that the reason is because we are located in Canada.

[Edited by Moderator]

I have iOS 18.1 on my iPhone, automatically updated by software update. I tried to find the hearing aid options but they are not there. Perhaps Apple iOS 18.1 updates to Canada don’t include the code for hearing, but everything else is normal?

The issue that needs to be clarified is whether Apple looks at GPS data to determine where you are located when you attempt to configure the AirPods Pro. I could log in to my US Apple ID using a VPN and then download the Sony app and configure my hearing aids—all that from my location north of Montreal. But I don’t know if the Apple process is the same. Remember that when you log in to a different Apple ID on one iPhone, you must first log out of your Canadian Apple ID. If you have the lockdown feature set, you have to wait an hour before being able to log in to your US Apple ID. It’s better to turn off lockdown mode before you begin this process. You can reactivate lockdown mode after you’re done.

I am pretty certain that it's to do with your Apple ID.

It's would have been so much easier if nobody had updated to IOS 18.1 and that's the foirst thing they did often after buying the Airpods specifically to use them as hearing aids.

The Airpods do a great job as hearing aids running any IOS as long as it's not 18.1 and they are not geographically locked. The other "lock" they have is that they will not work as hearing aids at all if your hearing test shows severe or profound hearing loss. It's something to be aware of and I think Apple has had to use the locks in order to get FDA approval in the US.

If you haven’t updated your iPhone to IOS 18.1 you can still use the Airpods as hearing Aids with an older IOS without the geographical lock and for me with mild to moderate hearing loss they work really well. I've been using them for five or six weeks. They won't help you if your hearing loss is severe or profound BUT I do know of a few people with severe loss using them for the music, TV, Facetime and phone call features simply because the sound quality is so good. They might just want a break from their normal hearing aids.

If you are not on IOS 18.1 you can set them up straight away. If you have an iPad or an older iPhone that is running an older IOS you could set them up on that. You will need to download the free Mimi app to take a hearing test OR you can download your audiogram by taking a photo of it.

I have read that rolling back to and older IOS is no longer possible as Apple is no longer signing the backdate but I would love to put it to the test by restoring a back up of my iPhoine but I don't want to mess things up.