AirPods approved as hearings aids with Therapeutic Goods Administration tick

AirPods have been given the tick of approval to be used as hearing aids in Australia.

Each country’s medicines regulator has been required to approve the use of Apple’s hearing aid and hearing test technology, which is embedded in the AirPods Pro 2 and software updates which have sporadically been released around the world.

Using the AirPods Pro 2 version of the earphones, users can conduct a hearing test and use the speakers as a hearing aid.

However, the technology requires a software update which has not yet been released in Australia.

Documents from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) show AirPods were classified as a medical device on December 17.

The actual earphones have been approved as devices “adjusted by the user to meet their hearing needs without the assistance of a hearing professional”.

“The feature is intended to amplify sound for individuals 18 years of age or older with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment,” the TGA says.

The actual software, which Apple has created to test hearing, has been approved as an official medical device in Australia too.

“The feature is an over-the-counter air-conduction hearing assessment intended to profile hearing ability and to produce an audiogram without the assistance of a healthcare professional,” the TGA says.

“The Hearing Test Feature is intended for use by individuals 18 years of age or older.”

Apple now has to release the requisite iOS update in Australia, but a select number of countries are already using the tech for hearing impairment treatment.

Hearing Australia says the feature is being used by the public in New Zealand.

Australian consumers have stumped up for the $330-plus headphones only to find out the auditory features are not available, Hearing Australia says.

Apple told Channel 9 approval from Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration was an “important first step toward making these features available in Australia”. NewsWire has approached Apple for comment.

Former competitive shooter from NSW, 71-year-old Kit Laughlin, told Australian tech news outlet Information Age, he opted for the AirPods over more-expensive hearing aids only to find out the features were not available.

“Everyone wears AirPods these days, so they’re not considered any kind of a stigma,” he said.

“But wearing a powerful hearing aid — especially one that sits behind the ears — is still (stigmatised).”