AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Aids not available in Canada

This will probably depend on if/when your province also approves their use. I know that in BC there are regulations that require a licensed tech to dispense “medical devices” such as hearing aids. I’ve emailed our BC minister of health to learn of the timeline for approval but no response yet.

rodp wrote:

However, they go on to explain that it is now up to each individual province whether a prescription is required for them. This is an example of ridiculous bureaucracy. If it comes down to each province or territory, why would Health Canada need to be involved in the first place?

Canada is a confederation. Provinces have significantly more power than states do in the U.S. I believe Health Canada certifies for safety and efficacy.

Going to repost this info from rasg detailing how you can use your iPods as “unofficial” hearing aids now as long as you use an older iOS version for set up. This worked well for me.

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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 that much if your hearing loss is severe or profound.

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 do do a hearing test OR you can download your audiogram by taking a photo of it.

Assuming you have set them up using Bluetooth after you have taken a hearing test. Go to Settings/Accessibility/Audio Visual and click on Headphone Accommodations. Click on Audiogram and it will ask you which one to use. If you used the Mimi app the test will appear with todays date. Select it. In the next menu you can hear a sample of music and toggle between music with your Audiogram applied and without it so you know your Audiogram is working.

Go to the bottom and click on Transparency Mode and also switch Conversation boost on.

With the Airpods connected to your phone or iPad, your Airpods will appear close to the top of the Settings menu. Click on it. Switch Conversation Awareness on. Switch Loud Sound Reduction on. Go almost to the bottom and do an Ear Tip Fit Test to make sure you have a good seal in your ears.

That's about it but there are loads of settings you can play around with. In the last menu I mentioned you can simply set them to Adaptive Mode which will automatically set Noise Cancellation volume according to your surroundings. Otherwise you tinker with the Background Volume and Hearing Aid Volume manually independently of each other.

Hope this helps. Copy it quick!

I’m in Canada. I have an iPhone 15 Pro and an old iPad, both with 18.3.2. Also have Air Pods Pro 2.

As widely reported by others, the Hearing Assistance features are not visible.

Last month, I went to Florida. Upon arrival, I turned on the IPhone, took Air Pods out of the case, put them in my ears, and opened iOS Settings. The AirPods item had appeared in the list. Opened it, and as if by the magic, the Hearing Assistance functionality had been enabled! I was able to do a Hearing Test. The test reported “little to no loss”. (Odd, since my wife insists that I often don’t seem to hear her very well…). After completing the test, I was able to activate Media Assist mode, which I assume applies some equalization to the audio output when listening to music, videos, or calls. However, there is no button to enable Hearing Aid mode. I surmise that’s because the amount of my hearing loss, per the test, was insufficient.

Out of curiosity, I put the iPhone to sleep and woke up the iPad. Once the AirPods had paired with it, the Hearing Assistance features were enabled on the iPad as well.

i did a second Hearing Test, using the iPad. The results of the second test were almost identical to the first. The two tests results then got synced between the two iDevices (via iCloud), and can both be viewed in the Health app.

Upon return to Canada, I checked to see if Hearing Assistance functionality persisted after crossing the border. It did🥳. Further, I subsequently updated the iPad to 18.4, and was surprised to see that HA is still enabled. I’ve not yet updated the iPhone. That’s on my ToDo list, after doing a backup with iMazing.

I'm in BC. I managed to activate the hearing aid function yesterday on the ferry between Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island and Tsawwassen on the mainland.

There's a point for about 15-20 minutes before you get to Tsawwassen when the ferry passes through US territorial waters. I followed the ferry position on Maps and put in my airpods when we got to US waters. They showed up in my iPhone settings with both the hearing aid function and the hearing test active.

When I got home I opened up iPhone mirroring on my iMac and they showed up there too.

I think you can purchase the Airpods Pro from Canada. What is important is to get the most recent firmware on the Airpods Pro.

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.

I recently received an AirPodsPro and would appreciate the OS software update as soon as possible.

Hi, I have the AirPods now and you offered to help me set them up for as hearing aids. I am still using the IOS 17. Looking forward for your instructions.

Thanks. Maybe I should go to US for a day and instal the update there. Did you use the Canadian Apple ID?

Yes, that worked for me. I happened to be in California when 18.1.1 was released. I updated and the hearing capability was added.

Wondering is someone has taken their Canadian iPhone and AirPods Pro 2 down to the States and see if the hearing functionality works there.