Apple says that the AirPods Pro 2, its latest flagship wireless earbuds, can be used as “clinical-grade” hearing aids. The feature hasn’t been FDA-cleared, however, although the company says that it expects approval “soon.” The new AirPods were announced at the Apple “It’s Glowtime” event.
The hearing aid feature, when enabled, boosts specific sounds in real time, like parts of speech or elements of an environment. It also applies a personalized hearing profile (more on that below) to music, movies and phone calls across devices.
Apple says this will allow wearers to better hear their surroundings and engage in conversations.
In a related announcement, Apple previewed a five-minute certified hearing test coming to iOS 18 and AirPods Pro 2 that’ll allow users to check their current hearing health. The test, which has users tap on their smartphone’s screen after they hear a series of tones at different volumes and frequencies, builds on learnings from Apple’s hearing studies, and was developed using “large-scale real-world data,” Apple says.
After taking a hearing test, you’ll get results in a personalized hearing profile (which the aforementioned hearing aid feature uses). The results will be stored in Apple’s Health app, where they can optionally be shared with a healthcare provider.
The hearing profile can be applied in tandem with a feature called Media Assist to boost certain parts of speech on a phone call or instruments within a soundtrack. Apple claims that users with little-to-no hearing loss can still benefit from the adjustments at individual frequencies.
Both the hearing aid feature for AirPods Pro 2 and the hearing test for iOS 18 will launch this fall via a software update in over 100 countries and regions.
