Your Apple AirPods Pro Can Test Your Hearing In Five Minutes, But Are They Accurate?

Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 and Pro 3 include a built-in hearing test introduced in October 2024 with iOS 18.1, which Apple markets as a “clinical-grade” assessment that can be completed in about five minutes. The feature, paired with hearing-aid functionality, is aimed at users who may be experiencing hearing loss or want to monitor their hearing without visiting a specialist. The article questions how accurate the earbud-based test can be, noting that consumer health devices such as heart rate monitors vary widely in effectiveness. It concludes that while the AirPods test is no substitute for an audiologist, the available evidence supports its usefulness as an accessible first step. What to watch next is how Apple’s hearing features perform against professional audiology testing and whether they encourage more users to seek follow-up care.