The AirPods Pro will have a new ‘hearing aid mode’ when iOS 18 gets released this year, according to Mark Gurman.
In his latest ‘Power On’ newsletter, Gurman iterated that the AirPods Pro will have a new ‘hearing mode’ feature when iOS 18 launches to the public. This is supposedly ‘big news’ as a hearing aid function will be added in the fall. The AirPods have been steadily gaining new functions, such as the Conversation Boost which added clarity and volume for users, but Apple has not advertised them as a hearing aid device since it requires the FDA’s approval.
The AirPods gaining ‘hearing mode’ isn’t new- back in 2021, a report from the Wall Street Journal claimed that the feature would be exclusive to the next-generation AirPods Pro. A year later, Apple released the AirPods Pro 2 and another with a USB-C port, but no hearing aid-style functions.