opine what Canada , France , Spain , China , the United Kingdom , Mexico , and 100 other country have in common ? None are able to take advantage of theApple AirPods Pro 2‘s best new listening health feature film .
sit in my home office in Toronto , I find out this the hard way : After upgrading my iPhone and AirPods Pro 2 to the latest software this week , I was offered the hearing auspices feature , but I still could n’t see thehearing test and hearing aid optionsslated toarrive with iOS 18.1 .
WhenApple announced these AirPod Pro 2 feature film , I had a spirit that something like this might fall out . “ Apple is still waiting on clearance from the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) and other regulators , ” we note , “ but after that the AirPods Pro should serve as a more right hearing assistance . ” Apple eventually receive FDA headroom ( and approvals from regulatorsin 103 other countries ) , but authorities in other major markets have yet to rubber - stamp Apple ’s pick up health claims .
Part of the reason could plainly be resource - based . For some jurisdictions , the FDA ’s green light is considered sufficient as proof of efficacy and refuge . In countries that prefer to test product claims independently , it can take prison term for the necessary evaluation .
The case of the AirPods Pro is further complicated by Apple positioning of the gimmick , with its new powers , as an over - the - return ( OTC ) hearing aid . TheOTC hearing aidcategory ( which is intended for those with “ mild to restrained ” listening loss ) is comparatively new in the U.S. The FDA okay it in 2022 , but many commonwealth , Canada include , do not recognize this category of medical twist .
In fact , in some Canadian provinces , like Ontario , where I live , it ’s illegal for someone to sell you any kind of hearing aidwithout a prescription from an authorized medical professional .
Canada is widely expected to fall out the United States ’ wind on OTC sense of hearing aids , but Health Canada ( the Canadian FDA combining weight ) has n’t say when or if that will materialise .
Given the regulatory frameworks , it ’s alone graspable that Apple has withheld the auditory modality psychometric test and try tending options in state like Canada . It sure ca n’t commercialize the AirPods Pro as OTC hearing help if doing so would place the company in sound jeopardy .
And unremarkably , I ’m very much in favour of this approaching . When apply with the necessary checks and balances , regulations can act as an independent verification of health claims , while also reducing the likelihood of harm . However , the AirPods Pro are already own by millions of people . It should be possible for those in Canada and elsewhere to try the hearing health features on a tentative foundation — with the discernment that their country ’s respective regulator has n’t control or approved the use of thewireless earbudsfor these purposes .
In preparation for what I assumed would be an opportunity to try the Modern feature article , I had my yearly hearing tryout on October 22 . I do n’t see why I ca n’t at least try Apple ’s hearing trial to see how closely the two outcome equal .
Alas , that ’s not going to materialise anytime soon . It ’s potential that if you live in one of the regions that does n’t have access yet , you may be able to get around the restriction bychanging the country associated to your Apple ID , but that ’s not a recommendation — in fact , it can derive with a whole innkeeper of headache you probably require to avoid .
