Apple AirPods Pro may get this new hearing feature with iOS 18

Apple AirPods offer multiple features which are related to hearing health and Accessibility. Now, the Cupertino-based tech giant reportedly has bigger plans for its upcoming iOS 18 which is expected to be unveiled at the company’s annual developer conference, WWDC in June. With this update, the iPhone maker is reportedly planning to add a new “hearing aid mode” for AirPods Pro.
According to a report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the AirPods Pro may not get any hardware changes in 2024. Instead, the “big news will be a major new hearing aid mode, coming alongside iOS 18,” he adds.
Apart from this, the Bloomberg report didn’t reveal any other details about the feature that is expected to arrive for AirPods Pro with iOS 18.

In 2023, Gurman claimed that Apple is also working on a hearing test feature that is expected to arrive for AirPods in the coming days.
It's also important to note that the FDA established new guidelines that allowed for a category of hearing aids that can be purchased over the counter in 2022. Hearing aids that fall under this category can be sold directly to consumers in stores or online without a medical exam or a fitting by an audiologist.
In 2018, Apple launched a Live Listen feature for AirPods with iOS 18. This feature turns an iPhone into a directional microphone and enables the device to transmit the audio captured to AirPods in real-time. Over the years, multiple testimonials have shown how useful this feature can be.
In 2021, Apple also introduced another capability called Conversation Boost for the more expensive AirPods Pro. This feature boosts mic pickup for users when someone is talking to them. This feature helps users to better hear others talking directly in front of them,
A study in 2022 showed that some of these existing AirPods Pro features already compare well to much more expensive dedicated devices.