Apple is bringing two of its most useful wellness tools to more people around the world. The company just announced that it is rolling out specific medical updates to users in Italy, Romania, Czechia, and Israel. These new additions transform standard wearable devices into practical tools for managing high blood pressure and dealing with mild to moderate hearing loss without needing a trip to a specialist.
The new updates turn standard devices into custom health monitors
If you live in Italy, Romania, or Czechia, you can now use your AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods Pro 3 as over-the-counter hearing aids. This function makes everyday sounds clearer for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. It actively adjusts voices around you and sets the right audio levels for your music and phone calls. You just need to take a quick digital hearing test first to create a custom profile.
A built-in safety setting also blocks out very loud background noises to protect your ears while using transparency and adaptive listening modes. You will need to update your device to iOS 26 or iPadOS 26 to get started.
Meanwhile, users in Israel are getting a major update for the Apple Watch. The device can now send an alert if it spots signs of chronic high blood pressure. It does this by checking data from the built-in heart rate sensor over 30 days. This tracking feature works on the Apple Watch Series 9 and newer models, as well as the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later versions.
Expanding these features shows that Apple is serious about turning its everyday tech into essential medical monitors. As the company gets clearance from more local regulators, we will likely see these practical tools reach even more regions soon.
