The FCC has announced new requirements for all smartphones to be compatible with all Bluetooth hearing aids, and one quirky impact is that this will include AirPods Pro 2.
It will also require iPhones to support all Bluetooth hearing aids, not just MFi ones …
New FCC hearing aid rules
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today formally adopted the new rules.
100% of all mobile handsets—such as smartphones—must be compatible with hearing aids. With this change, the 48 million Americans with hearing loss will be able to choose among the same mobile phone models that are available to all consumers.
Apple’s support page notes that iPhones support MFi-certified hearing aids.
You can use MFi hearing aids or sound processors with iPhone and adjust their settings. See the Apple Support article Made for iPhone compatible hearing devices for a list of models that work well with iPhone.
But the FCC requirement will require support to be extended to all Bluetooth hearing aids, whether clinical grade or over-the-counter (OTC).
The Commission also established a Bluetooth coupling requirement that will benefit consumers by ensuring more universal connectivity between mobile handsets and hearing aids, including over-the-counter hearing aids, by encouraging handset manufacturers to move away from proprietary Bluetooth coupling standards.
Includes AirPods Pro 2
As AirPods Pro 2 now qualify as OTC hearing aids, Engadget notes that this will require Android smartphone makers to ensure that the AirPods Pro 2 can be used with them in hearing aid mode.
The rule even applies to the recently approved over-the-counter hearing aids, which now include AirPods Pro 2.
Apple last month announced that a hearing aid mode is coming in a software update later this year.
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