From AirPods to Hearing Aids: How Three Indians Outsmarted Apple’s Restrictions
Three tech-savvy innovators from Bangalore have found an ingenious way to transform Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 into affordable hearing aids, bypassing geographical restrictions using household items and creative engineering.
When Apple released its hearing aid feature for AirPods Pro 2 last November, Rithwik Jayasimha faced disappointment upon discovering the feature wasn’t available in India. Instead of accepting defeat, he joined forces with friends Arnav Bansal and Rithvik Vibhu to devise a solution that would help their grandmothers and others in need of hearing assistance.
“Traditional hearing aids in India cost between 50,000 and 800,000 rupees ($600-$9,500),” explains Jayasimha. “AirPods Pro 2, at just 24,900 rupees ($300), could be a game-changer for many people—if only they could access the hearing aid feature.”
The team’s breakthrough came from an unlikely combination: aluminum foil, a cardboard box, and a kitchen microwave. They created a makeshift Faraday cage—a structure that blocks electromagnetic signals—and used the microwave as a Wi-Fi signal jammer. This setup tricked Apple’s location detection system into thinking the device was in California, where the feature is legally available.
The Technical Breakthrough
The team discovered that Apple uses multiple methods to verify a device’s location.
- Wi-Fi networks in the area
- Time-zone settings
- Region settings
- IP address checks
- Device identifiers from nearby routers
In their homemade Faraday cage, they placed an iPad and an ESP32 board, both programmed to broadcast Wi-Fi signals typically found in Menlo Park, California, as their solution. The microwave, operating at the same frequency as Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz), helped block local signals that could give away their true location.
Impact and response
The hack has sparked significant interest within the Indian tech community. “Dozens of people have reached out asking for help with their AirPods,” says Bansal. The team now runs a hearing aid unlocking camp at their Lagrange Point tech collective, helping others in Bangalore access this life-changing feature.
The impact on users has been remarkable. “My grandmother used to struggle with clunky hearing aids full of tiny buttons,” Bansal shares. “Now she uses the AirPods to watch TV without feeling like a patient wearing medical equipment.”
Looking Ahead
While the team believes Apple will eventually launch the feature officially in India, they continue helping others access this more affordable hearing solution. They’ve even built a more permanent Faraday cage for ongoing assistance to the community.
This innovative hack highlights a broader issue: the gap between technological capabilities and regional availability. It also demonstrates how determined individuals can find creative solutions to help their communities access beneficial technology.
“We don’t think it’s Apple’s fault,” Jayasimha notes. “The feature is amazing. We’re just helping people access it while waiting for official support in our region.”
For those interested in replicating this solution, the team has documented their process in detail, though they caution that it requires technical expertise and careful execution to achieve success.
This story showcases how grassroots innovation can bridge the gap between cutting-edge technology and accessibility, potentially improving lives through creative problem-solving and determination.