AirPods Pro 2: hackers unlock Apple's hearing aid with a Faraday cage
On the occasion of the launch of the iOS 18 operating system, Apple announced the deployment of a complete hearing aid solution reserved for AirPods Pro 2. If Apple's high-end headphones are now officially considered hearing aids by the FDA in the United States, this is still not the case in the rest of the world.
Indeed, thanks to its geolocation system, Apple automatically blocks this function in countries whose regulations do not authorize it. If the French are of course concerned by these restrictions, the Indians seem particularly upset at not having access to them.
A solution to overpriced hearing aids
In India, hearing aids are out of reach for most users, with prices ranging between €600 and €10,000 depending on the model. Sold for around €279, the AirPods Pro 2 would therefore be a less expensive alternative to help hearing-impaired people.
These are the types of savings that Rithwik Jayasimha tried to make to solve his grandmother's hearing problems, before realizing the unavailability of the function in his country. But as an engineer and technology enthusiast, he and two friends set out to circumvent Apple's geolocation system in order to unlock the solution.
A Faraday cage and a microwave to unlock Apple's function
Together, they managed to deceive Apple into believing that their AirPods Pro 2 were in the United States thanks to an ingenious system. This was no easy feat, since the iPad used for setup was still located in India despite a masked IP address and changed regional settings. In fact, the iPad also uses the Wi-Fi SSIDs of nearby routers to precisely determine its position despite disabled cellular data.
To isolate the iPad from surrounding networks, the engineering group first placed it in a makeshift Faraday cage, designed with a cardboard box lined with aluminum foil. They also housed a Wi-Fi location simulation card, which scans hundreds of networks located in Menlo Park, California. To strengthen the installation and jam local networks more effectively, they also ran a microwave at full power right above the cage.
To carry out this operation, they used a MacBook to ask the iPad locked in the cage to restart then reactivate its Wi-Fi antenna. After numerous failures and some readjustments of the installation, they finally managed to launch the setting up the hearing aid on AirPods Pro 2.
An experience used for hearing-impaired people
Now mastering the process, the three friends built a real cage in order to repeat it in better conditions. They then deployed this new system in an “unlock camp”, then invited AirPods Pro 2 owners from the Bangalore region to go there to unlock the famous hearing aid solution.
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation)
How the pricing table works
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Also eagerly awaited around the world, Apple's solution could provide relief to many hearing-impaired people who have never had to use traditional hearing aids. In addition to being expensive, the appearance of the latter is often reminiscent of medical devices. More accessible, a consumer product for the general public as a docking station would therefore allow people with hearing loss to be less self-conscious during their care. However, it should be remembered that the AirPods Pro 2 are presented as a complement with no claim to replacing medical aids.
