Apple AirPods Pro Will Soon Be Able To Act As Hearing Aids
Today, Apple announced a host of new updates to AirPods Pro, not the least of which is the ability to double as an over-the-counter hearing aid, along with a number of other features geared towards hearing health. Hearing aids can be remarkably expensive, and having a more affordable option (furnished by Apple) has the potential to make a huge splash in the market, especially for existing iPhone owners.
This feature joins the AirPods Pro's Hearing Test feature, which allows you to get an idea of how well you can hear, or potentially how impacted you are from hearing loss. New functionality allows you to share these results with your doctor and audiologist, which could potentially streamline any hearing specialist appointments. During the presentation, Apple noted that upwards of 80% of adults haven't had hearing test within the last five years, so clearly Apple thought it was an important addition.
To further protect users' hearing, the new AirPods Pro will have the Hearing Protection feature on by default to prevent you from damaging your ears from loud content.
A personalized listening experience and testing
When acting as a hearing aid, the AirPods Pro uses the aforementioned hearing test and hearing metrics to further augment what you are able to hear, offering a more personalized user experience outside of basic amplification. This personalization extends to listening to phone calls, music, audiobooks, and other content you may be listening to. On the privacy end, the metrics from the hearing test are all stored on the Apple Health app, and are only shared when you give prerequisite permission.
Along with the hearing health-based apps, the new AirPods Pro update will also boast the same straightforward pairing and setup AirPods users are accustomed to, along with features that can allow you to better hear the outside world when necessary. The Hearing Aid feature and Hearing Test functionality are coming to AirPods Pro this Fall, pending the blessing and certification of the FDA — as well as from similar organizations worldwide. As such, Apple did not give a firm release date for the health updates coming to AirPods Pro 2.