How Do I Use AirPods Pro 3 as a Hearing Aid and Hearing Protection?

What this helps with: Using the free hearing features on Apple AirPods Pro 3 (or AirPods Pro 2): the Hearing Test, the Hearing Aid feature, Conversation Boost, and Hearing Protection.

This guide shows where the settings are and how to turn them on. It isn’t medical advice. AirPods don’t replace a visit with a hearing professional. If you have ear pain, a sudden change in hearing, dizziness, or one ear much worse than the other, see a doctor first.

What you need

• AirPods Pro 3 or AirPods Pro 2. AirPods Pro 3 are $249 at Apple in the U.S. as of Oct 20, 2026. Other AirPods don’t have these features.
• An iPhone or iPad with iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 or later. Apple says to use the latest update. See How to Update Your Phone (and Why It Matters).
• The latest AirPods software. It updates by itself while your AirPods charge near your iPhone.
• You must be 18 or older. The Hearing Aid feature is for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss. That means you notice some trouble hearing, but it isn’t severe.
• Where you live matters. The Hearing Test and Hearing Aid features are allowed in the U.S. and many other places, but not everywhere. Check Apple’s list of countries.

Step 1: Take the Hearing Test (about 5 minutes)

1. Charge your AirPods. Sit in a quiet room. Turn off fans and the TV.
2. Put your AirPods in your ears. Make sure they’re connected to your iPhone.
3. Open Settings. Tap the name of your AirPods near the top.
   • What you’ll tap: A gray gear icon, then a line like “Pat’s AirPods Pro.”
4. Tap Hearing Health, then Take a Hearing Test.
5. Follow the steps on screen. It may ask you to check the fit or try a different size of ear tip.
6. Tap the screen each time you hear a tone. Each tone plays three times. You only need to tap once. It’s OK to miss some.
7. At the end, you’ll see a number for each ear and what it means. Tap Show Details to see more. Your results are saved in the Health app.

Already have a hearing test from a professional? You can use those results instead. You’ll see how in Step 2.

Step 2: Turn on the Hearing Aid feature

1. With your AirPods in, open Settings and tap the name of your AirPods.
2. Tap Hearing Health, then Hearing Assistance.
3. Tap Set Up Hearing Assistance.
4. Choose your results:
   • Tap Take a Hearing Test if you haven’t done one yet.
   • Or tap Use a Prior Test Result. Pick your test, then tap Next. To add a test from your hearing professional, tap Add Hearing Test Result and follow the steps.
5. Tap Set Up Hearing Aid, then Get Started, then Next, then Turn On Hearing Aid.

Good to know: If your test shows little or no hearing loss, your iPhone may offer Media Assist instead. It makes music, shows, and calls clearer.

Give it time. Apple says it can take time to get used to it. Make small changes over a few days. The settings are saved in your AirPods, so they keep working even when your phone isn’t nearby.

Step 3: Adjust the sound

1. Open Settings, tap the name of your AirPods, then Hearing Health, then Hearing Assistance.
2. Tap Adjustments. You can change how loud sounds are, the left-right balance, and the tone.
3. Turn on Conversation Boost. It helps you focus on the person talking right in front of you. It works best with one person at a time.

Quick way: Open Control Center (swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen). Tap the Hearing control (an ear icon), then Hearing Assistance. You can turn Conversation Boost on or off here, too.

Hearing Protection for loud places

Hearing Protection lowers loud sounds around you, like at a concert, a ball game, or with a lawn mower. It’s on by default whenever your AirPods are in a listening mode. Here’s how to get the most from it:

1. Check the fit. Open Settings, tap the name of your AirPods, then Ear Tip Fit Test. A good seal blocks more noise.
2. Pick a listening mode. Press and hold the stem of an AirPod to switch modes:
   • Transparency: You still hear people around you, like at a concert.
   • Adaptive: For noise that comes and goes, like traffic.
   • Noise Cancellation: Blocks the most sound all the time.
3. Keep them charged. Hearing Protection doesn’t work when the battery runs out. You’ll hear a tone at 10 percent battery, and again just before they turn off.

Don’t turn off Loud Sound Reduction. It’s under Settings, then Accessibility, then AirPods. If it’s off, Hearing Protection is off too.

Make it easier to use

• Text too small? See How to Make Text Bigger on Your Phone.
• Captions on calls: See How to Hear Calls Better: Captions and Hearing Aids.
• Battery: With the Hearing Aid feature on, AirPods Pro 3 last up to about 10 hours. Charge them each night in their case.

Stay safe when you shop

• Buy from Apple or a store you know. Cheap “AirPods Pro” on auction sites or social media ads are often fake. Fakes don’t have these features.
• Hearing Health is built in and free. You don’t need to pay for an app or a “hearing aid activation.” Anyone who asks for that is a scammer.
• Not sure about a website? See How to Spot a Fake Shopping Website.

When to see a hearing professional

The Hearing Test is not a full exam. See a doctor or an audiologist if your hearing changes suddenly, if you have pain or ringing in one ear, or if the test shows severe hearing loss. They can tell you if AirPods, regular hearing aids, or something else is right for you.

Official sources

• Apple: Use the Hearing Aid feature on your AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods Pro 3
• Apple: Take a Hearing Test with AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods Pro 3
• Apple: Use Hearing Protection with your AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods Pro 3
• Apple: Customize Transparency mode and Conversation Boost
• Apple: Hearing Health feature availability by country or region
• Apple: Buy AirPods Pro 3

Last checked: Oct 20, 2026

This is general help, not personalized tech support, and not medical advice. Feature names can change with software updates. For hearing concerns, talk with your doctor or an audiologist.