iOS 18.1 Release Candidate for Beta Testers Brings Hearing Aid Functionality to AirPods Pro 2

iOS
18.1
Release
Candidate
(RC)
was
rolled
out
by

Apple
to
registered
developer
and
public
testers
in
beta
on
Monday.
The
update’s
feature
set
remains
largely
similar
to
the
previous
iOS
18.1
beta
versions,
bringing
improved
home
and
lock
screen
customisation,
a
new
Control
Centre
with
more
options,
an
enhanced
Photos
app,
and
a
new
Passwords
app,
in
addition
to

Apple
Intelligence
features.
However,
a
notable
new
addition
in
the
iOS
18.1
RC
is
the
hearing
aid
functionality
for
the
AirPods
Pro
2.

Notably,
the
stable
iOS
18.1
update
for
iPhone
is
widely
reported
to
be
rolled
out
later
this
month,
with
October
28
tipped
as
the
most
likely
date
of
its
release.
It
will
bring
the
first
set
of
Apple
Intelligence
features.

iOS
18.1
Release
Candidate
Features

According
to
Apple,
the
iOS
18.1
RC
update
for
developer
and
public
beta
testers
enables
users
to
take
a
hearing
aid
test
when
paired
with
the

AirPods
Pro
2.
The
Cupertino-based
tech
giant
claims
it
is
a
clinically
validated
hearing
test
meant
for
users
with
perceived
mild
to
moderate
hearing
loss.
The
AirPods
Pro
2
can
act
as
a
personalised
hearing
aid
set
to
meet
the
specific
needs
of
the
user.
This
feature
can
be
accessed
on
AirPods
Pro
2
when
connected
to
an
iPhone
running
iOS
18.1
RC
update.

The
update’s
other
features
are
carried
over
from
previous
beta
iterations.
This
includes
health
features
like
Sleep
Apnea
detection
which
records
and
informs
the
user
of
any
breathing
disturbances
that
might
be
considered
moderate
or
severe
Sleep
Apnea
and
may
require
further
action.

There
is
also
a
limited
feature
set
powered
by
Apple
Intelligence
—
the
company’s
artificial
intelligence
(AI)
suite.
A
new
AI-powered
writing
tool
is
available
to
testers,
with
options
for
proofreading
documents
with
spelling
and
grammar
checks
and
rewriting
text
for
different
tones:
Concise,
Friendly
or
Professional.
Additionally,
users
can
also
take
advantage
of
an
object
removal
tool
and
an
automatic
movie
creation
option
in
the
Photos
app.
The
new
Siri
UI
that
glows
around
the
edges
has
also
been
introduced
when
the
voice
assistant
is
invoked.