The UK's department of health and social care has approved the sale of over-the-counter hearing aids, which has prompted Apple to announce

An Apple AirPods Pro 2 upgrade is the capability to use the earbuds as hearing aid. Changes in U.K. regulations mean Apple will upgrade the software imminently.

The H2 chip at the heart of these earbuds delivers twice the active noise cancellation power of the original AirPods Pro, making them significantly better at blocking out unwanted background noise. Whether you’re trying to focus in a busy office or find some peace during your commute, the difference is noticeable.

To start the hearing test, make sure your AirPods are charged enough and you're in a quiet room. Once connected with a paired iPhone/iPad, head over to Settings > your AirPods. You can also start the Hearing Test from the Health app by tapping 'Take a Hearing Test' and following on-screen instructions.

The Hearing Test can identify if you have hearing loss and can show your hearing ability at different frequencies of sound measured in decibels hearing level (dBHL).

Last fall, Apple released an AirPods Pro update that brought an impressive new set of hearing protection features to the AirPods Pro 2. However, due to the regulatory approval process, some countries, including the U.K., missed out on certain features, including the ability to use the AirPods Pro as a hearing aid.

Fun fact: you can read this in reverse to make sure you’re using every smart AirPods Pro 2 feature. Personally, I prefer to run my AirPods Pro like it’s 2019. Apple has steadily made AirPods Pro smarter over the years,