Gurman: AirPods Pro to Gain 'Hearing Aid Mode' in iOS 18

AirPods Pro will gain a new "hearing aid mode" with the release of iOS 18 later this year, according to the latest report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

AirPods Pro
Writing in the subscriber edition of his regular Power On newsletter, Gurman claims that the "big news" for AirPods Pro in the near term will be support for a hearing aid-style function when iOS 18 drops in the fall.

To be clear, this isn't the first time we have heard a potential hearing aid feature for AirPods Pro. The first rumor appeared in a 2021 Wall Street Journal report, but it was previously framed as a feature that would be exclusive to a next-generation model of AirPods Pro. However, Apple in September 2022 released the second-generation AirPods Pro, while the company more recently released a refreshed model with a USB-C port.

AirPods Pro already offer a Conversation Boost feature, which boosts the volume and clarity of people directly in front of the wearer, but Apple has not advertised the earbuds as a hearing aid device, because this would require FDA regulatory approval.

As per the FDA, a hearing aid is defined as "any wearable device designed for, offered for the purpose of, or represented as aiding persons with or compensating for, impaired hearing." This definition encompasses both air-conduction and bone-conduction devices in a variety of styles (for example, behind-the-ear, in-the-canal, or body worn).

Notably, in August 2022 the FDA approved a new category of over-the-counter hearing aids that do not have to adhere to the same strict legal requirements. The new category is called Personal sound amplification products (PSAPs). PSAPs are defined as any "electronic product that is intended for non-hearing impaired consumers to amplify sounds in certain environments, such as for hunting or other recreational activities, and is not intended to aid persons with or compensate for impaired hearing."

Unlike hearing aid devices, PSAPs are "not intended to treat, cure, mitigate, or prevent disease, and are not intended to affect the structure or function of the body." As such, there is no regulatory classification or product code for these products, and there are no requirements for legal registration by manufacturers or listing of these products with the FDA.

It is not yet clear whether Apple will need FDA clearance in order to make explicit or implicit claims about the rumored "hearing aid mode," which may not even adopt this exact name. If, for example, Apple subsequently suggests that AirPods Pro are for users with certain types or severity of hearing loss/impaired hearing, or for use as an alternative to a hearing aid, then they will require FDA regulatory approval to be marketed as such.

Apple is set to preview iOS 18 in June at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, and will inevitably release the major software update when the iPhone 16 series is launched, which is likely to be sometime in September.

Related Roundups: AirPods Pro, iOS 18, iPadOS 18
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Pro (Caution)
Related Forums: AirPods, iOS 18, iPadOS 18

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.4 Will Be Released in April With These New Features

Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April. From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Latest iPhone 17 Series CAD Images in Line With Redesign Rumors

Friday February 28, 2025 2:51 am PST by
Apple is expected to embrace a new camera system design for some models in its upcoming iPhone 17 series, and the latest purported CAD images don't deviate from what we have been hearing lately about Apple's new lineup. If you do not like the sound of an iPhone with a Google Pixel-style camera bar, look away now. Seasoned leaker Sonny Dickson shared the following images in a post on X...
iphone 16e usb c feature

Apple Provides Reason for iPhone 16e's Lack of MagSafe

Friday February 28, 2025 4:39 am PST by
Apple has offered a reason why the iPhone 16e doesn't include MagSafe, one of the more notable omissions from its latest entry-level smartphone. According to Apple representatives who spoke to Daring Fireball's John Gruber, MagSafe is not included in the iPhone 16e because "most people in the iPhone 16e's target audience exclusively charge their phones by plugging them into a charging...
apple intelligence black

These New Apple Intelligence Features Are Coming in iOS 18.4

Friday February 28, 2025 3:17 pm PST by
iOS 18.4 was supposed to bring new Apple Intelligence Siri features, but Apple ended up needing to pull those capabilities from the update to continue testing. There are fewer new Apple Intelligence additions now, but there are still some new features that will make the update worth installing when it comes out in April. Priority Notifications Apple introduced Priority Notifications back at ...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Rumored to Include These New Features for Your iPhone

Saturday March 1, 2025 11:00 am PST by
iOS 19 is still around three months away from being unveiled, but there are plenty of rumors about the upcoming update. Below, we recap iOS 19 rumors so far. Redesigned Camera App A leak earlier this year allegedly revealed a redesigned Camera app coming with iOS 19. On his YouTube channel Front Page Tech in January, Jon Prosser shared a video showing what the new Camera app will...
cook trump

Trump Responds to Apple Keeping Diversity Policies

Wednesday February 26, 2025 6:32 am PST by
In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017 "APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote. Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
airpods pro purple

Here's When AirPods Pro 3 Are Rumored to Launch

Monday February 24, 2025 9:14 am PST by
According to a post on X today from a leaker known as Kosutami, Apple plans to launch AirPods Pro 3 in May or June this year. The leaker also claimed that an AirTag 2 will launch around the same time. Kosutami is best known as a collector of prototype Apple hardware, but they have occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future product plans. For example, they accurately...
apple c1

How Fast is Apple's First-Ever 5G Modem? The Results Are Surprising

Friday February 28, 2025 10:08 am PST by
iPhone 16e reviews are now out, and Apple's custom-designed C1 modem has been put to the test. The results so far are quite surprising, as the C1's speeds are not as slow compared to Qualcomm modems as originally expected. While the C1 does not support ultra-fast mmWave 5G in the U.S., it appears to offer comparable 5G performance to Qualcomm's Snapdragon X71 modem found in the iPhone 16,...

Top Rated Comments

gsurf123 Avatar
13 months ago
This is grim news for the hearing aid companies. I am always happy when old line businesses, who have been gouging customers because of lack of competition, start feeling the heat. There is slow growing bow wave that is going to take out the medical device companies. It is not the case here, but when you see lawyers backing the medical supply companies the writing is on the wall.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JonnyMacx86 Avatar
13 months ago
I know of at least a few people in my life that would benefit from this. I don't know that AirPods would replace hearing aids, but they'd certainly be a welcome addition for a lot of people.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gregory_H Avatar
13 months ago
Agree with gsurf123, this is great news and hopefully will exterminate the predator like hearing aid companies.
They have gouged and robbed those with hearing issues for decades!
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lozion Avatar
13 months ago
Interesting..
I have tinnitus. Wonder if with an uploaded audiogram, the new version could generate a tone out of phase to mitigate the frequency feedback..
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
uptownjimmy Avatar
13 months ago

I know of at least a few people in my life that would benefit from this. I don't know that AirPods would replace hearing aids, but they'd certainly be a welcome addition for a lot of people.
"Real" hearing aids are expensive, and insurance companies love to not pay for them. Apple would be doing the lord's work if they made real inroads into this market, it would be a blessing for a lot of people.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
stevemiller Avatar
13 months ago
reasons why i don't have a lot of faith in any new features from apple:

-will it be limited to airpods pro 2 with usb c because of the upgraded h2 chip? (having two versions of airpods pro 2 with differing functionality is not great)
-conversation boost is so convoluted to set up, apple doesn't make things straightforwards anymore.
-apple is buggy as all get out with absolutely everything these days. after finally setting up convesation boost, i hit the option to enable and disable it - i can hear the audio change, but the checkmark doesn't turn on or off. no way to keep track of whether its actually active.



Attachment Image

Attachment Image
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)