Australian users of Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 earphones are a step closer to being able to use the device’s hearing aid and hearing test features after the technology was approved for use by Australia’s medical devices regulator the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

The features, which were released in dozens of countries with a free software update in October and are now available for use across more than 100 nations, were approved by the TGA on 17 December, as first reported by Information Age.

However, the technology is yet to be switched on for Australian users, pending what is likely to be a further software update from Apple.

It comes after Australian owners of AirPods Pro 2 expressed disappointment that the features were not available domestically upon their initial October release.

Hearing tech available 'as soon as possible', Apple says

In a statement to Information Age, Apple said receiving TGA approval for its hearing aid and hearing test features was “an important first step toward making these features available in Australia”.

“We are working through the other necessary steps to make these experiences available as soon as possible,” the company said.

Apple would not comment on exactly when the features would be enabled for customers in Australia.

It was also unclear when Apple first submitted the technology for approval by the TGA.

Apple’s hearing health features have appealed to consumers due to the relative affordability of AirPods compared with many typical hearing aid products, which can cost thousands of dollars.

Apple says its clinical-grade hearing aid technology can assist people who experience mild to moderate hearing loss and allow individuals to track their health using an at-home hearing test.

The company’s separate hearing protection feature — which Apple says helps minimise users’ exposure to loud noises — has only been approved for use by the United States and Canada at the time of writing.


Former competitive shooter Kit Laughlin says he purchased the AirPods Pro 2 to help with his hearing difficulties. Photo: Kit Laughlin / Supplied

Apple Watch users still missing sleep apnoea feature

Many Australian Apple Watch users are also waiting for the ability to use the device's sleep apnoea notifications feature, which has been available in more than 150 countries since mid-September 2024.

The feature, which also requires TGA approval, notifies a user when their Apple Watch notices an increase in breathing disturbances during sleep, alerting them to a potentially dangerous health condition.

While the TGA would not disclose whether Apple had submitted a sleep apnoea system for regulatory approval, its rival Samsung — the first company to gain approval for such a system in the US — is also yet to have its technology approved for use in Australia.

Apple Watch users in Australia previously waited more than two-and-a-half years for some of the device’s heart health features to be approved by the TGA and enabled for domestic use.

After launching the features in the US and its territories in December 2018, the device's electrocardiogram (ECG) and irregular heart rhythm notification features were made available to Australian users in May 2021, around two months after they were approved by the TGA.