Apple turns AirPods Pro 2 into hearing aids

Australians can now start using Apple AirPods as hearing aids, after the world’s most valuable company won regulatory approval as part of its efforts to combat deafness.

Australians can now start using Apple AirPods as hearing aids, after the world’s most valuable company won regulatory approval as part of its efforts to combat deafness.

Apple – which has a market value of $US3.32 trillion ($5.28 trillion) – released a software upgrade overnight that turns AirPods Pro 2 earbuds into a “clinical grade” hearing aid for mild to moderate hearing loss.

The software upgrade also allows people to perform a hearing test on their AirPods Pro 2 earbuds and an iPhone or iPad.

Apple vice-president of health, Sumbul Desai, told The Australian the company was not aiming to replace conventional hearing tests or audiologists but use its technology to raise more awareness about hearing loss.

Most people delay getting a hearing test for seven to 10 years after suffering some degree of loss. But Dr Desai expected more people to seek treatment sooner after using Apple’s devices to test and improve their hearing.

Apple's vice president of health Sumbul Desai

“We have some audiologists in the markets where it’s been launched who are incredibly supportive and excited about it because it allows them to get their name out there – with people taking hearing tests and going to see them,” Dr Desai said.

“Our goal is to never replace the provider, it’s actually to augment the providers. And then in other markets, there’s audiologists that we met with to show our studies … because obviously, rightfully so, they wanted to make sure that it’s on par with what they offer.

“It’s important to remember that we really cover mild to moderate hearing loss. We don’t cover severe hearing loss, we don’t cover neural hearing loss, so there are a lot of reasons why you’re still going to need to see an audiologist. They’re an important part of the puzzle.”

The World Health Organisation estimates more than 1.5 billion people – or almost 20 per cent of the global population – live with hearing loss. That number is set to rise to 2.5 billion by 2050.

Despite hearing aids being relatively common, Dr Desai said there was stigma associated with them that often prevented people from seeking treatment. This was costing the global economy about $US1 trillion annually and was linked to other conditions, including dementia and depression, according to WHO.

How Apple’s hearing test results are displayed.

But Dr Desai said turning AirPods into hearing aids aimed to help reduce that stigma.

“Because of the form factor and because a lot of people use AirPods, it feels like people can move beyond some of the stigma that may be concerned about and try it,” she said.

The WHO says an annual additional investment of $US1.40 per person is needed to scale up ear and hearing care services globally, saying that over a decade every dollar invested will return about $US16.

“Increasing awareness and addressing a condition that impacts more than a billion people around the world, and we know it has a significant impact on cognition, on depression, on loneliness, quality of life, and so from that perspective, we’ve received amazing feedback,” Dr Desai said.

The hearing test and aid feature – which the Therapeutic Goods Administration quietly approved in December – works only with Apple AirPods Pro 2, which cost $399, because it features Apple’s H2 chip and ear tips. The ear tips help to provide passive noise reduction, while the H2 chip helps to actively reduce louder noise at 48,000 times a second.

Australians can now peforrm a hearing test using Apple AirPods Pro 2 and an iPhone or iPad.

The hearing test uses what Dr Desai described as the “gold standard clinical approach”, which is pure-tone audiometry. This allows people to measure their ability to hear pure tones at different frequencies and intensities to identify the degree and type of loss. A series of tones are played and a user responds by tapping the screen.

Apple says the test was developed using more than 150,000 “real world” audiograms and “millions of simulations”.

The hearing aid function boosts frequencies so sounds are clearer and more vibrant, with the AirPods using machine learning to make “real-time” adjustments to enhance a person’s hearing.

Dr Desai highlighted a conversation boost feature as being particularly helpful for people with hearing loss.

“Hearing aids traditionally amplify all the sounds. But the conversation boost is just the voice because the sensing picks up the voice,” she said.

“One of the other features that we announced was loud and loud sound reduction, which everybody can use – every age group. I use it when I go to concerts and I tell my kids to use it when they’re in loud environments.

“When you’re at a soccer match, or a football match, it’s really one of those things that increases protection of your ear.”

At concerts, Dr Desai said the feature filters out unwanted noise to preserve sounds the way they were intended to be heard without distortion. “It’s a really remarkable feature,” she said.