iOS 27.2 and iPadOS 27.2 enable Apple's clinical-grade Hearing Aid feature on the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 in five Canadian provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan. The feature is still not available in any other provinces, but Ontario is reportedly set to hold a meeting to change a law that will pave the way for it to launch there, hopefully in the near future.
iOS 27.2 and iPadOS 27.2 were released today, a few hours after we published this story, and Apple has since made an official announcement.
With the Hearing Aid feature, AirPods Pro 2 and later can amplify the sound around you. Available at no additional cost, Apple says the feature is intended for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss. Apple said it is "working with" additional provinces to receive approval to offer this feature "as soon as possible."
Nearly one in five Canadians report hearing difficulties, according to Statistics Canada.
In its announcement, Apple said a related Hearing Test feature is available across Canada on AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 starting today. The five-minute test allows adults to identify if they have hearing loss by measuring their ability to hear different frequencies of sound, and it then provides recommended next steps if necessary.
The two features first launched in the U.S. and select other countries in October 2024.
A third Hearing Protection feature on AirPods Pro 2 and later was already available in Canada.
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