My Pro 2s still haven’t updated… has anyone’s? Did you try this new feature?
My Pro 2s did update to 7A294 after I followed the usual rigamarole - listen to some music through them, put them back in the case and close it, put the case near the locked iPhone (on iOS 18 RC), and leave it all alone for “a while.”
I have not found a way to initiate a hearing test yet in either the AirPod section of Settings or in the Health app. Perhaps that feature is still to come in another update later this fall.
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I expect this requires iOS 18 too.
My Pros updated but there’s nothing in the Settings section for the APPs and there’s nothing in Health either. I even tried adding an audiogram figuring they might have tucked it away back there, but nope, just the old QR code or file option.
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Apple did say during the keynote that hearing aid and hearing test was coming this fall, not right away. I suspect they were waiting for FDA (and other countrys’ regulators) approval, which for the US FDA happened after the firmware update they published last week (which adds some other iOS 18 features - head gestures to react to Siri, voice isolation, personalized spatial audio for gaming.)
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Laine, I wouldn’t want to recommend Widex to you (although the ones I tried are now a few years old-2018). EarLens is very different tech, and might be worth trying. I first heard of EarLens in an article in Acoustic Guitar about occupational hazards of musicians and how they dealt with them. One swore by his EarLens. (David Crosby swore by his THC… ;-)
“I will insist on the ability to directly control my own hearing aid settings” -LL
I have wanted that too, but when no hearing-aid-dedicated app I am aware of allows the user more than three-band equalization, that’s not really possible. Three-band is really no better than two-band, bass/treble/volume.
Another complaint is that while for years the industry claimed that most speech-distinction was in the 4,000 kHz range, recent studies are showing it to be more in the 8,000 kHz - 10,000 kHz. Finding the frequency response specs of hearing aids can be difficult, but few are trying to address that range. My Widex hit a steep slope at 2000 kHz, and fell off a cliff ~7000 kHz. EarLens claims most hearing aids are in the 800 Hz - 4,500 kHz range, while EarLens is in the 125 Hz - 10,000 kHz. (Of course, with ±THD specs. that could be more meaningful).
When I first came home with EarLens, there was no question that I was hearing much higher pitched sounds. I heard background noises of the house that were literally imperceptible to my wife, that I had never heard before in my 30 years residence. These noises were so distracting, I had my doctor back it off.
How EarLens works. A tiny “lens” mechanism is actually placed on each eardrum. Processors similar to other behind-the-ear devices literally beam “light” at the “lens” mechanism, causing it to vibrate the eardrums.
My problem with them was that when the “lenses” were put in place, I noticed a sensation similar to what mild congestion can do to your hearing - the inside of your head seems unusually loud. Apparently most users experience this to some degree, but it was particularly bad for me. I could be in a restaurant following every word of my wife across the table, until I started chewing my food. The noise in my head, drowned her out. In many situations, the noise in my head was to loud. Otherwise, they clearly had better frequency range. My doctors insisted the severity of my complaint was unusual, and I believe it is plausible. I have a long history of allergy, asthma, chronic rhinitis, as well as “eustachian tube dysfunction.”
I am looking forward to finding out more about Apple’s tech.
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(I wonder if there’s an option to reverse those motions for iPhones in Bulgaria.)
Yes:
(https://youtu.be/WwjHonzRd4E?si=FT2x4iHcXlX0MoE7, 8:15. By the way, you say that “The case for the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation can also charge wirelessly from a MagSafe, Apple Watch, or Qi charger. Again, that matches the capabilities of the AirPods Pro 2 MagSafe Charging Case,” but MKBHD says that there is one difference: the AirPods 4 case doesn’t support MagSafe (as in it lacks the magnet part).)
Also, I look forward to your review of the new AirPods case. Is it as good as the original?
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Thanks, Will_B. Considering your explanation, I’ll admit that I’m reluctant to consider something as seemingly invasive as the EarLens. I suspect I would be very susceptible to the unwanted head sounds you say are magnified. I want to mention, though, that what was unique about the Bose (lexiehearing.com now) in comparison to other self-programmable hearing aids when I tried them 2 ½ years ago was that the adjustment for the equalizer is parametric. Not only is the loudness of a limited number of separate frequency ranges able to be increased or decreased, but the choice of frequency for at least one range of adjustment (I don’t remember the exact specs) is selectable through adjustment also. In other words, not only can the highest frequency, for example, be adjusted in loudness, the user also chooses (within limits) what frequency is managed by that adjustment.
The Pro2s had a loud noise protection option previously, I don’t know how the new hearing protection is different. I tested the noise protection in transparency mode at a rock concert, switching them out with my Loop Experience concert earplugs, and I preferred the sound of the AirPod Pro 2.
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Thanks for the clarifications and corrections—I’ve updated the article to remove the bit about the MagSafe case. I must have just gotten confused with all the variables.
I’m unlikely to buy the AirPods 4 since I have the AirPods Pro 2, and while I don’t love the fit of them compared to the old AirPods, the noise cancellation is great and I could imagine using the hearing health features.
Good review at The Verge
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Note that what you said before was technically correct: It does charge from a MagSafe charger. It just won’t stick to it. Watch the above linked video for a demonstration (and he does show it sticking to a different charger, so I’m a little confused).
The EarLenses didn’t “feel invasive.” I was’t conscious of “something on my ear drum.” Just more volume inside my skull. I have had recent dental work that has changed the sounds in my head… weird. The frustrating thing was there were moments of audio clarity I haven’t had in decades.
Has anyone seen any articles, screenshots, etc. of Apple’s new iPhone hearing software yet?
I have the previous version (with USBc) and it recharges on my MagSafe but it gets really warm/hot, so I just plug it in.
Of course—I wasn’t thinking about the underlying technologies, which are quite similar.
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/if-a-device-can-charge-via-qi-Qrj6.pIRQJmDIjmb35BOxQ
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I’ve got the AirPods Pro 2. I remember reading that the new hearing test will (as before) depend upon complete silence to work. That’s the Achilles heel. It means a good seal and of course a quiet environment. My problem is having a good seal with the pods in my ears. I’ve tried the ones that Apple provides and some CharJen Pro air foams I purchased from Amazon. Each of my ears are different and, according to the Air Pods’ hearing test, no matter what cushions I use, sound leaks in so the advertised self-test’s won’t guide my usage. Another issue for me, one or the other of the pods fall out of my ears so using them while walking is hazardous to losing them. I do like the improved hearing I am getting however, and the sound-reproducing quality is quite excellent. All the other features live up to their hype. Hope this helps!
New bug fix firmware updates for the AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 are out.
I appreciate the updates for APP2, but those release notes are a 
to owners.
If users have no serious way of affecting if/when/how these updates get applied to a device they paid for and own (not rent/lease/license, but own), the least Apple could do is tell us what they’ve changed. At least that way, when something does go sideways, you’d have an idea if it might be related or if you need to look some place else. But with this, everybody is just left 
and at Apple’s graces.