Expert Review: AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Aids

Advancements in today’s hearing technology are often focused on making things more affordable and accessible to people with hearing loss and encouraging more people to evaluate and manage their hearing healthcare. Apple's Airpods Pro 2 earbuds have paved the way for more people to do just that. With the recent introduction of Apple's Hearing Aid Mode and Hearing Health features introduced with iOS 18, these devices can now be easily converted into OTC hearing aids.

In this article, we'll show you how to set up AirPods Pro 2 as OTC hearing aids and provide lab testing data from our partner, HearAdvisor, about their effectiveness. Additionally, for those who own older-model AirPods Pro earbuds, we've included a section at the end for how you can convert those devices into hearable listening devices.

Here in the UK, about 6.7 million people could benefit from hearing aids, but fewer than one-third (about 2 million people) use them. A similar percentage of the population in the United States—about one-third of those over age 70—who could benefit from hearing aids actually use them.

If you've seen any of my other recent product reviews, such as the Lexie B2 Powered by Bose or the Sony OTC hearing aids, you know how passionate I am about bringing hearing aid technology into as many people's ears as possible—even if it's not the typical process of having hearing aids fitted by an audiologist like me. While I still strongly recommend seeing an audiologist, I understand that hearing aid costs can be prohibitive. If you're interested in addressing your mild-to-moderate hearing loss or are curious about how tailored amplification might help you, a good start might be with AirPods Pro 2—a device you may already own!

Before we discuss using AirPods Pro 2 as a OTC hearing aids, it’s worth noting that this functionality is suitable only for people with mild to moderate hearing loss—the lion’s share of hearing aid users. However, for more severe hearing losses (i.e., about 65 dBHL or more on a hearing test), the amplification just isn’t strong enough.

How to set up Apple AirPods Pro 2 as OTC hearing aids

Apple has embedded OTC hearing aid functionality into Apple AirPods Pro 2 earbuds, so all you'll need is these devices and iOS 18.1 or later update for your iPhone or iPad. You can find the iOS version (and update it) by opening the Settings app (gray app with a gear on it), then tapping General and, if necessary, Software Update.

If your AirPods Pro 2 are new, you'll first need to pair them with your iPhone and iPad. To do this, follow the setup instructions after you take the earbuds out of their charging case.

After doing that, you can go back to the Settings menu, where you'll see your Airpods Pro listed near the top. Clicking on it gives you access to the devices' main controls.

There are two ways to set up your AirPods Pro 2 as OTC hearing aids: taking the Apple Hearing Test (see Step #1–Easy Way) or by using an audiogram from a hearing care professional (see Step #1–Best Way).

Step #1 (Easy way): Take Apple's hearing test

With your Airpods Pro 2 earbuds in your ears, go to the "Settings” menu and click on “Airpods Pro.” Next, click on "Take a Hearing Test" (see above far-left screenshot in blue text).

This will initiate the test that starts with instructions that ask you to move to the most quiet place possible. This is important! The hearing test is based on you being able to hear the very softest sounds possible, and all the subsequent "tuning" or personalization of your Airpods—and compensation for your hearing loss—relies on this test. A passing truck, computer fan, air conditioner, or other noise can easily mask the soft tones and skew the results. So, be sure to find a very quiet room free of noise, as well as anything else that might distract you during the test-taking (people, pets, etc.).

Before taking the test, Apple will ask you a few questions that are required as part of their FDA clearance (e.g., making sure you're over age 18+ and don't have any "red flags" that should instead warrant a visit to a doctor). The test also runs you through a couple of screens to ensure you're in a quiet place, have the devices in the correct (left/right) ears, and the earbuds are fitting snugly in your ears.

Once you're cleared to take the test in a noise-free environment, follow the on-screen instructions and run through the hearing test. It takes about 5 minutes to assess each ear's hearing status individually. You'll listen for a series of tones and then tap the screen when you hear them.

After the test is completed, you'll see the results for your left and right ears, along with a graph of your audiogram showing the tones/frequencies (in Hertz) presented during the test and the softest sound levels (in decibels) at which you heard them. The test results can then be automatically downloaded to the Apple Health app, where you can view and monitor your tests and see how or if your hearing is changing over time.

The results of the test will automatically be used to adjust the sounds and compensate for your hearing loss. This applies to both your general listening to ambient sound like speech and your environment, as well as streamed audio when listening to music, videos, podcasts, etc., while you wear your AirPods Pro 2 earbuds.

Audiologist's note: Be safe! Hearing loss is sometimes related to other serious health problems. The Mayo Clinic and Northwestern University have developed the Consumer Ear Disease Risk Assessment (CEDRA) questionnaire, which gives you a risk score to help you determine whether to see a physician or audiologist before purchasing hearing aids to rule out other ear diseases.

Step #1 (Best way): Upload an audiogram from a professional

Although most people will use Apple's Hearing Test, the most accurate way to tune your AirPods Pro 2 earbuds is to obtain a hearing test and audiogram from a licensed hearing care provider. The provider will test your hearing in a soundproof booth with calibrated audiometric equipment and check for wax buildup and any other potential problems. Some providers may offer this test for free (although they may also try to sell you a hearing aid), while others will charge for the service.

Once you receive a copy of your audiogram from them (which they're required to do), you can photograph it using the iPhone camera. You can enter the information from the audiogram directly into your Apple Health app by tapping:

Hearing—> Hearing Test –> Add Test (blue text at the top right of the screen).

This will take you to the Add Your Hearing Test Results screen, which allows you to Add Manually the audiogram data or Scan with Camera your audiogram.

Bonus: Get your Hearing Number!

You can use either Apple's Hearing Test or an audiogram from a hearing care provider to calculate your Hearing Number at the Johns Hopkins website. This is a good way to monitor your hearing status through the years. (Here's more information about why you should know your Hearing Number.)

Step #2: Turn on Hearing Aid Mode

After you get the results from your hearing test or have entered data from your audiogram and hearing test results, you'll see the Hearing Test Results screen. There will be recommendations on what to do next, and if warranted, you can select the option Learn About Hearing Aid at the bottom of the screen.

This will bring you through some screens that inform you about using the AirPods as OTC hearing aids, until you see the option Turn on Hearing Aid. Once this is pressed, you're good to go; you can use the AirPods Pro 2 as an OTC hearing aid, with the devices tailored to your individual hearing loss for both listening to conversations and listening to music and audio on your phone.

Step #3: Adjust the sound to your personal preferences

Once you've completed Step #2, go back to the AirPods main control screen, tap on Hearing Assistance, and then use the Adjustments screen to further fine-tune the sound of the AirPods Pro 2 to your own liking.

In the Adjustments menu you can modify:

• Amplification: Increase or decrease the volume
• Balance: Place more or less emphasis on the left or right ear
• Tone: Adjust the tone from Darker (more bass) to Brighter (more treble or sharpness/clarity)
• Ambient Noise Reduction: Use slider for less or more aggressive noise filtering
• Conversation Boost: Activate the directional microphones for greater clarity of speech in conversations

Play around and find your audio preferences in the Control Center

You can also easily access many of the functions for your AirPods Pro 2 by tapping on the Ear icon in the iPhone Control Center (swipe downward on your iPhone screen from the top right to the bottom left). In the Headphone Accommodations section, you can designate if you want your hearing test settings applied to your phone, media, and in transparency mode, along with most of the options found in the Adjustments screen. (Note: There are several other ways to get to the Headphone Accommodations section, including Settings--> Accessibility --> Audio/Visual.)

Live Listen mode: A table-top microphone

Additionally, a helpful menu item in the Control Center is Live Listen, where you can essentially turn your iPhone into a table-top directional microphone. You can set your iPhone in front of the person you wish to hear and then adjust the volume control of your device for better comfort.

What does independent lab data say about the effectiveness of Apple AirPods for improving hearing?

When configured using Apple's new Hearing Aid Mode software, Apple AirPods Pro 2 earbuds received a "B" SoundScore (a score of 3.3 out of 5) and were found to be in the middle of the pack of OTC hearing aids tested by HearingTracker's partner audio testing lab, HearAdvisor. AirPods Pro 2 were average on speech in quiet and below average on speech in noise, and terrific in handling feedback. While they are among the best for music streaming, the tradeoff there is that the closed eartip can make your own voice sound somewhat occluded, as if you're talking inside a barrel.

When weighing all the factors involved in wearing an OTC hearing aid, including cost, comfort, value, etc., we arrived at a similar HearingTracker Score of 3.6, placing them in the top-45% of all products tested. AirPods Pro 2 excel in design, Bluetooth connectivity, app features, and value. However, they lag in comfort and handling (touch controls) and have a battery life of only 6 hours when used as hearing aids, whereas most OTC hearing aids can be used for 16+ hours.

What does this mean? There are some better OTC hearing aids on the market, but only a few at the same or lower price outperform AirPods Pro. In general, AirPods Pro 2 perform as good OTC hearing aids when configured using the Apple Hearing Aid Mode for a mild-to-moderate hearing loss. Because of their limited battery life, they're not cut out for an all-day hearing solution.

Note that the "Tuned" fitting scores (i.e., if you were to visit an audiologist who uses best practices for fine-tuning the devices) are substantially better for speech in quiet and noise. However, this service might cost you almost as much as the AirPods, and only some hearing providers will offer it. But we encourage you to contact a local audiologist or hearing aid specialist and explore your options.

How to set up older Apple AirPods Pro earbuds as hearing aids

If you own a set of older Apple Airpods and not the newer AirPods Pro 2, you can still use them as hearables to hear better in a variety of listening situations.

First, let’s go over each of the essential features of AirPods Pro earbuds if you wish to use them for hearing enhancement. To access these features on your iPhone, follow this bread-crumb trail:

Settings app > Accessibility > Audio Visual

When you get to the Audio Visual screen, you'll discover some of Apple’s hearing-related features, such as:

Background sounds: Plays background sounds to mask environmental noise and may be helpful for people with tinnitus.

Mono audio: Useful if you have hearing only in one ear.

Sound balance: Helps balance the level of volume between your ears.

However, the best features are located within the Headphone Accommodations section at the top of the menu, and we’ll focus on these later in this article.

How to get and/or upload your hearing test

To get the most out of your AirPods Pro 2 hearing features through the 'Headphone Accommodations' section, you’ll first need to share your hearing test results with your iPhone.

Starting with iOS 14, Apple allows you to enter your hearing test results using two basic methods, both of which are found in the Apple Health App which comes with your iPhone.

You can then use this bread-crumb trail on your Apple Health App to get to the Audiogram section:

Browse (at the bottom of screen) > Hearing > Audiogram

There are two methods for obtaining and entering your hearing test results:

Method #1 (best way): Upload an audiogram that you already have.

As we've explained above, visiting a hearing care professional and getting your hearing tested is by far the best method for getting an audiogram. However, if you don't wish to visit a hearing care professional, then follow the steps in “Method #1 (easiest way),” below.

Method #1 (easiest way): Test your hearing using the Mimi App, and share your results with your Apple Health app

There are several free online apps that allow you to test your hearing. One of the best and most popular is the Mimi Hearing Test , which can be found toward the bottom of the “Hearing Test/Audiogram” screen. Once you download this app, you’ll see a button that allows you to share your hearing test information with the Apple Health App. You can then take the hearing test in a very quiet place, and the information will be transferred to your iPhone for customized hearing. (Note: We've reviewed other good online hearing tests that can generate an audiogram.)

Because it’s probably the most common way for users to set up the Airpods Pro 2 as a hearing aid, I also plan to provide a mini-review of the Mimi Hearing Test app. In a nutshell, I have some reservations about recommending online hearing tests for customizing your AirPods Pro and other OTC hearing aids and hearables, because you’ll benefit so much more by seeing an audiologist. However, it is certainly better than doing nothing!

What happens after uploading your hearing test

If your test results show the same hearing loss in each ear, the headphone accommodations will take the average of the two ears and apply that profile to the appropriate audio channels. However, if you have an uneven hearing loss, the left and right audio channels will be positioned towards your better ear. So, once your hearing test is uploaded into your iPhone's health area, it will display neatly in the Headphone Accommodations, instantly boosting sound reproduction.

How do your test results affect the sound of the earbuds? When you stream sounds from your phone to your AirPods Pro—such as phone calls, music, videos, the radio, or podcasts—your phone will automatically adjust the sound at the specific pitches (frequencies) to compensate for your hearing loss.

Hearing-aid-like features of the Airpods Pro

When wearing the AirPods Pro, you can switch between Active Noise Cancellation and Adaptive Transparency (on and off). You should know that both of these modes work best when the devices fit well and you’re using the optimal-size eartips supplied with the earbuds.

I won’t go into detailed instructions about how to employ these features because there are several different ways they can be accessed in your AirPods Pro menu using Apple’s own instructions. For example, you can gain access to several of the listening and Headphone Accommodations features by pressing AirPods in the Accessibility screen and then choosing Audio Accessibility Settings. You can also go to the Bluetooth menu and click on the blue “information” icon to access the Ear Tip Fit Test, quickly turn on/off Noise Cancellation and Adaptive Transparency, etc.

Note that some of these areas could change soon with the introduction of AirPods Pro 2 (or whatever name Apple chooses for their second-generation product line).

Active Noise Cancellation

The most prominent feature is Active Noise Cancellation, which detects external sound using the AirPods Pro's outward-facing microphones. Your AirPods then counter this noise by a process called “phase inversion,” which essentially means they generate a sound wave that is the mirror image of the noise. This effectively cancels out external noises before you can hear them. After that, there's an inward-facing microphone that listens within your ear for undesired internal sounds, which are subsequently canceled, leaving you with only a limited range of sounds from your surroundings.

Adaptive Transparency provides personalized amplification

In a way, Adaptive Transparency is the opposite of Active Noise Cancellation; it lets environmental sounds into your ears, allowing you to hear everything that's going on around you. And, to be honest, it's a little strange when you first hear it because your brain tells you that your ears are blocked, but you can still hear everything!

As you click on and move into the Customize Adaptive Transparency setup, you can further change the volume or different facets of the sound. You can adjust the left or right balance, and place greater emphasis on the bass or treble of whoever's speaking in front of you while wearing the AirPods. The bass contributes to the fullness and richness of a person’s voice, while the treble accentuates the clarity of their voice.

Finally, you can set the ambient noise reduction, which lets you control the amount of background noise picked up by the AirPods Pro from the world around you.

Better loud noise handling

The Adaptive Transparency feature offers better listening comfort and protects against sudden, intense noises. This is a feature most advanced hearing aids possess. According to Apple Senior Engineer Mary-Ann Rau, this will dynamically reduce environmental noise—like sirens, construction jackhammers, or even loudspeakers at a concert—for more comfortable everyday listening, with the sound being analyzed at 48,000 times per second to react instantaneously to any loud noise.

Conversation Boost

Conversation Boost is tucked down at the bottom of the menu, but I believe it should be at the top! Apple claims that this feature focuses your AirPods Pro on the person in front of you by using computational audio and directional beamforming microphones—features we've traditionally seen in hearing aids. This provides forward-facing directionality with an ultra-narrow beam, isolating sounds coming from in front of you so you can hear more clearly in noisy environments.

How to enable Conversation Boost:

1. Settings app > Accessibility > Audio/Visual
2. Tap and Enable Headphone Accommodations
3. Tap Adaptive Transparency
4. Enable Conversation Boost

Are the Apple Airpods useful for people with hearing loss?

Some pretty intriguing objective studies have been published by audiologists evaluating the effectiveness of the AirPods Pro in boosting conversations and helping people hear better in noise.

For example, a recent study (March 2022) was published by a group of respected researchers from the National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) in Australia. They found that both the Conversation Boost and Ambient Noise Reduction features of AirPods Pro improved hearing in background noise by around 7 decibels when measuring speech in front a listener in a noisy environment. In other words, it works quite well!

The researchers concluded: “With these hearing aid-like features, AirPods Pro have the potential to help some people with hearing loss understand and communicate during conversations.” (Also see NAL’s earlier review of Apple’s Headphone Accommodations feature.)

What are the key disadvantages when using AirPods Pro 2 as a hearing aid?

The Airpods Pro might be sounding pretty good to you right now, but there are a few things to keep in mind if you're thinking about using them as hearing aids.

Battery life

First and foremost, the AirPods Pro have a very limited battery life. They are only good for about 6 hours of use, and less if you use spatial transparency, adaptive transparency, conversation boost, or hands-free calling. While this is 1.5 hours more than AirPods Pro v1, it's still not really sufficient for hearing aid use. You don't want to start wearing a hearing aid at 8 AM and have it die before lunchtime.

Traditional hearing aids are far better in this regard: a 3-4 hour charge typically done overnight should provide for around 16-24 hours of use based on that full charge.

The AirPods Pro's batteries are also non-replaceable. So, after a couple of years of heavy daily use, your battery life will be significantly reduced. Hearing aids with rechargeable batteries will also gradually lose power in the same way; however, you can usually get the batteries replaced, often without cost depending on the warranty and your HCP. There are also many hearing aids that use disposable button-cell batteries, and these are simply replaced as needed.

Own-Voice Issues

Another issue with using headphones to manage hearing loss is the occlusion effect, which relates to how you hear your own voice when talking. With age-related hearing loss, the user often has good low-pitch (low-frequency) hearing and will wish to have their ear canals as open as possible for a more natural listening experience. With the AirPods Pro blocking your ears, my concern is that it will feel like you have your fingers jammed in your ears all the time, which may not be ideal. For example, when speaking or eating, you'll perceive your voice to be “boomy” and confined inside your head; chewing might sound much louder than normal. Depending on your hearing ability, this could limit the benefit of using the AirPods Pros as hearing aids.

However, the Adaptive Transparency is beneficial in this regard. For the first time in any analogous technology I've evaluated, the occlusion effect is significantly reduced when the transparency option is enabled. This is likely the result of Apple's use of Active Occlusion Control (AOC), which measures the user's voice using internal microphones, and uses phase inversion to reduce the boominess often experienced with closed-canal hearing aids. Apple also uses physical vents to improve the own voice effect.

No lossless audio, and no mention of Bluetooth LE Audio or Auracast

Apple made no mention of support for lossless audio in their AirPods Pro 2 launch event or press release. Implementing lossless audio would allow the new earbuds to reproduce streamed music bit-for-bit the same as the original audio file, resulting in extremely high-quality sound. As Apple Music currently offers lossless audio, it’s possible AirPods Pro 2 may offer it via its Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) codec at a future date.

And while Airpods Pro 2 use Bluetooth 5.3 wireless technology, there was no mention of Auracast, a Bluetooth Low-Energy (LE) Audio technology released in June that is expected to become the “next generation” assistive listening technology. The Auracast platform will enable an audio transmitter, such as a smartphone, laptop, television, or public address (PA) system, to broadcast audio to an unlimited number of nearby Bluetooth audio receivers—including hearing aids, earbuds, and similar Auracast-enabled devices.

Although Bluetooth is becoming prevalent in hearing aids and Auracast could ultimately replace the venerable telecoil, we anticipate the telecoil will coexist with Auracast for many years to come. As with lossless audio, Apple could be planning to announce Auracast compatibility at a future date.

Improvements in 2nd generation AirPods Pro

In a press release Apple said that AirPods Pro 2 “offer richer bass and crystal-clear sound across a wider range of frequencies” thanks to a “new low-distortion audio driver and custom amplifier.” Substantial improvements in sound quality could mean improvements in speech clarity for those attempting to use AirPods Pro 2 as hearing aids. And Apple’s new H2 chip—which replaces the H1 chip found in the original AirPods Pro—delivers twice as much Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) with the help of optimally-placed microphones and acoustic vents. And as discussed above, Apple has also improved battery life and handling for loud noises while in Adaptive Transparency.

My verdict on using Airpods Pro 2 as hearing aids

In conclusion, I believe that the Airpods Pro 2 is a great “first foray” into managing hearing loss. Still, they should be fitted with caution because the hearing testing process using external apps is not currently as accurate as it should be. The best thing to do would be to have a complete hearing evaluation with an audiologist and then use that audiogram for the fitting procedure.

I'm also not convinced that the world is ready for people to walk around with their headphones on. Would people think I was being disrespectful or rude—believing I’m listening to music instead of them—when wearing headphones and sitting down for dinner with them? If they knew I was wearing hearing aids, I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t be. However, I suppose this new idea of using headphones as hearing aids must begin somewhere. So we may be marching toward a new perception of what headphones are and when/where they’re acceptable.

While I don't believe AirPods Pro 2 will be as effective as traditional hearing aids for all of the reasons I've discussed, I'm thrilled that Apple is making waves in hearing technology. And I would advise anyone with hearing loss to try amplification instead of doing nothing.

So, if you're not sure a regular hearing aid is for you because of the cost or you just aren't ready to wear a hearing aid, the Airpods Pro 2 is a low-risk way to dip your toes into the waters of hearing amplification—especially since they're only $249 versus thousands of dollars for professionally fit hearing aids. In my opinion, they are an excellent first intermediary step toward acquiring regular hearing aids.