Apparently, the AirPods Max 2 and AirPods 4 are not the only ones slated for release later this year - Apple is also reportedly working on a new "hearing aid mode" for iOS 18 that will work with the current generation AirPods Pro 2

News of this feature was mentioned in Mark Gurman's latest Power On newsletter on Sunday, and follows years of rumors about this proposed accessibility feature; Gurman said that Apple is working on "second and third generation models (which are older or inferior) and new low-end and mid-tier AirPods to replace them, and a tweaked AirPods Max headphone that swaps Lightning for USB-C" after reiterating that those looking for the new AirPods Pro hardware are out of luck

Instead, Apple is planning new features through software updates, Garman added: "The big news will be a major new hearing aid mode, coming with iOS 18"

If realized, the hearing aid mode would build on the work Apple did in iOS 15 to add a conversation boost to true wireless earbuds - a feature that was relatively well received in 2021

iOS 18 is expected to launch alongside iPhone 16 this September, a date that would also potentially line up with the release of AirPods 4 and AirPods Max 2 However, Apple typically releases beta versions of major iOS updates at its Worldwide Developer Conference We expect to see a preview of iOS 18 at WWDC 2024

However, Apple's introduction of additional audio processing software will not be the end of the story: the company will need to receive some sort of certification from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before it can market its earphones as a hearing aid replacement

In 2022, the FDA approved a new type of over-the-counter hearing aid called Personal Sound Amplification Products

Sony has recently shown interest in this area, and it makes sense that Apple would try to follow suit as soon as possible

Whether or not this feature will help the AirPods Pro meet FDA regulations, the additional accessibility features built into the AirPods lineup at no extra charge seems like a win for users who need it But as with any feature, we'll reserve final judgment until we can hear it for ourselves at some point later this year