Canada: Still waiting for AirPods as a hearing aid
It's not just in the EU that Apple is groaning under regulatory requirements. Even in Canada, not all functions can be implemented - as with the AirPods Pro.
User with AirPods Pro: In Canada, they are still not allowed to be used as a hearing aid replacement.
(Image: Ivan_Shenets/Shutterstock.com)
Anyone interested in Apple's hearing aid function for the AirPods Pro 2, which was made available last fall, must not live in Canada. The function has still not been activated in the world's second-largest country with a population of just under 41 million, although even Afghanistan, Guam, and the Marshall Islands – and 103 other countries and regions – have access. The function is also active in the EU, where Apple is subject to increasingly detailed regulation. However, Canada has very specific requirements for technical medical devices, which is how the AirPods Pro 2 with the function are classified. However, Apple is now hoping to resolve the difficulties through dialog with the authorities.
From province to province
According to a report in the Toronto Star newspaper, the AirPods Pro 2 hearing aid is still not active due to differences between the Canadian federal – provinces called –. A simple software update that retrofits such functions thus becomes a problem. In Ontario, for example, the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA) is responsible. This states that hearing aids always require a prescription from a doctor or hearing aid acoustician. “If the AirPods Pro 2 were to be sold as a hearing aid in Ontario, it would have to be within the requirements [of this law].”
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In other Canadian provinces, the rules are different. Ultimately, Apple has to work through each one individually. According to the Toronto Star, the company is already working on this. In addition to the hearing aid function, the AirPods Pro 2 also come with a hearing test feature, which is also not approved in Canada. Here, too, Apple must comply with the regulations in Canada. The hearing test function is currently enabled in 114 countries and regions. Canada has a total of ten provinces and three territories, each with their legislation in different areas.
“Over-the-counter” product
Just a few years ago, Apple would have been in trouble in the USA, too. But the responsible regulatory authority, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), changed its rules in 2022 to allow over-the-counter hearing aids. These can now be purchased without a prescription by anyone over the age of 18. The idea was to make hearing aids more affordable overall.
It is not yet clear when the hearing aid and hearing test for the AirPods Pro 2 – will be released in Canada, both free features for retrofitting –. Other features of the earplugs and other Apple products in the field of hearing, including the hearing protection function and ambient volume display with warning, have been released in Canada. Apple is also said to be planning to implement live translations for the AirPods Pro 2 in the near future.
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