Galaxy Buds hearing aid mode gets South Korean approval
Samsung's hearing aid features for its earbuds have a second regulatory sign-off, this time in South Korea. The Galaxy Buds4 Pro and Galaxy Buds3 Pro are the models covered.
Where and when the features arrive
US users are first in line. The Hearing Test and Hearing Aid are due there in the fourth quarter of 2026. Other countries, South Korea included, come in early 2027.
The Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety gave its approval after the US FDA acted in August 2026. The FDA cleared the feature as a medical device for use in the US. With the Korean decision in hand, the company can release the features in more countries.
Apple got there earlier. Its AirPods Pro 2 and Pro 3 already carry a hearing aid feature with a built-in hearing test and personalized sound amplification.
Two modules, one workflow
Samsung splits the feature into Hearing Test and Hearing Aid. According to its press release, the test is registered as a software-based medical tool. The earbuds themselves are the hardware counterpart of an over-the-counter hearing aid.
The target group is adults, 18 and older, with mild to moderate hearing loss.
How the check works
A wearer starts the test alone, from the Galaxy Buds app on a Samsung Galaxy phone. Samsung describes it as clinical-grade audiometry. A session can last 5 minutes and covers both ears.
The result is an audiogram per ear, which Samsung says is comparable to audiologist results. Hearing is sorted into normal or one of four loss levels: mild, moderate, severe or profound. The Samsung Health app also holds the detailed results and the profile.
What the earbuds do afterwards
Once a profile exists, the earbuds raise sound output on both sides or on one side, depending on the degree of loss. Voices in a conversation and vocals in a track are Samsung's examples of what gets amplified.
Noise reduction aims to help speech stand out in conversation and to help prevent hearing loss. Beamforming sends sound toward the ears. The fitting technology is NAL-NL2, which Samsung says is similar to what standalone hearing aids use.
Samsung also recently won approval for advanced sleep apnea detection in its Galaxy Watches. That AI-based tool is meant to categorize sleep and breathing disorders.
Our take
Only two dates exist so far: Q4 2026 for the US and early 2027 for the rest, South Korea among them. Which other countries are on the list is not stated. Buyers outside the US and South Korea will learn their place in the queue only when Samsung names them.
Source: Android Police