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While the iPhone 16 was the focus of Apple's Monday event, Apple had another announcement to go along with its new $799 smartphone: a free update to the $250 AirPods Pro 2, which Apple redesigned last year, allowing the earbuds to also be used as hearing aids.
“We’re excited to announce that AirPods Pro will feature a clinical-grade, over-the-counter hearing aid feature this fall,” said Dr. Sumbul Desai, Apple’s vice president of health, at the event, specifying that the feature addresses mild to moderate hearing loss.
Related topics: FDA adopts regulation for over-the-counter dispensing of hearing aids
Following a software update this fall, anyone with a pair of AirPods Pro 2 and an updated iPhone will be able to take a five-minute, clinically validated hearing test at home. All users have to do is tap the iPhone screen to respond to acoustic cues. Based on the results of the hearing test, Apple promises that the AirPods will become personalized hearing aids that respond to users' needs.
Apple has also added a Hearing Protection mode that is “on by default for everyone” and actively filters out loud background noises, such as the sound of a lawnmower, to protect your hearing.
According to the World Health Organization, about 20% of the world's population, or about 1.5 billion people, suffer from hearing loss. In the United States, about 36 million people have mild to moderate hearing loss, while 1.8 million people have severe hearing loss.
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Hearing aids can be expensive, costing between $2,000 and $7,000 per pair, although some over-the-counter devices can cost as little as $30. The price disparity emerged in 2022 after the FDA passed a rule allowing over-the-counter, lower-cost hearing aids. Although the quality and fit of over-the-counter options may be less satisfactory than prescription options, “very few” insurance policies cover the cost of prescription devices, so over-the-counter devices may be the affordable alternative.
The Apple AirPods Pro 2. Photographer: Nic Coury/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Apple isn't the first to offer affordable hearing aids. Sony offers several self-fitting, FDA-approved hearing aids ranging in price from $799 to $1,099, with the first two models coming in 2022. Sennheiser launched its own over-the-counter hearing aids in August 2023, costing $999.
Apple differentiates the AirPods Pro 2 by saying that the device's hearing updates offer “the world's first immersive hearing experience.” Around 100 million people around the world use AirPods, underscoring the wide reach of the hearing updates Apple could introduce in the coming years.
The AirPods Pro 2 have been available since 2022, but the company refreshed the product last year with USB-C charging and adaptive noise control. The earbuds didn't receive any hardware changes this year; instead, Apple announced this free software update.
Related: 5 ways ChatGPT supports people with disabilities
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