Apple announced a trio of major new hearing health features for the AirPods Pro 2 in September, including clinical-grade hearing aid functionality, a hearing test, and more robust hearing protection, The Verge reported.
All three will roll out with the release of iOS 18.1, and they could mark a watershed moment for hearing health awareness. Apple is about to instantly turn the world’s most popular earbuds into an over-the-counter hearing aid.
That also means we’re about to enter an era where we’ll need to get comfortable with people wearing earbuds at all times. There’s a perception that leaving your earbuds in while talking with other people is rude. Transparency mode in many of today’s earbuds sounds totally natural and lifelike.
Did you know that there are people who’ve already been replacing earplugs with the AirPodsPro at concerts? Until this fall, Apple had never endorsed such a use case or advertised its earbuds as hearing protection devices. The company knew people were doing it but kept quiet on the subject.
Engadget reported Apple iOS 18.1 is officially coming next week, bringing hearing aid software for the AirPods Pro 2 and Apple Intelligence across devices, multiple sources report, including The Wall Street Journal and Tech Crunch.
The company previously released a beta version of the update in September.
Let’s start with the hearing aids. Since late 2022, companies have been allowed to sell hearing aids over-the-counter. Apple announced the new feature at its September keynote event with the FDA approving it for use just a few days later. It involve a test that lets people know if they might have hearing loss and, if you do, it recommends going for a professional exam. It will also allow people to set their AirPods up as hearing aids.
As for the hearing aid aspect, the device will boost sounds and allow users to customize dynamic adjustments in real-time. The one obvious issue? Unlike hearing aids, wearing AirPods while talking to someone might look like your not engaging or ignoring them. But if it helps, then it’s worth it.
Hearing aids can cost thousands of dollars, while the AirPods Pro 2 are $249.
TechRadar reported Apple’s AirPods Pro 2’s promised suite of hearing health features which could make the true wireless earbuds a viable alternative over-the-counter hearing aids for mild to moderate hearing loss, is nearly here.
After being unveiled at the technology giant’s September 8 2024 “It’s Glowtime” event, and receiving FDA approval on September 12, 2024, Apple’s now confirmed that the three-features-strong hearing health update will start to rollout as a software update starting next week.
Airpods Pro is the first over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid software device authorized by the FDA in the United States. This was issued after an evaluation that included a study with over 100 participants all of whom experienced mild to moderate hearing loss.
In my opinion, Apple is doing a very good thing with their AirpPods Pro. This will help a lot of people who have been struggling with hearing loss.
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