AirPods 4 are displayed following Apple's It's Glowtime event in Cupertino, California. Photo: AFP
Hearing aids can be expensive and tricky to access. But building them into headphones, such as Apple’s popular AirPods, could improve access to hearing treatment, Apple claims.
Apple said on Monday that its AirPods Pro 2 will soon double as an US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved hearing device.
The long-anticipated move comes two years after the FDA green-lit the sale of hearing aids over the counter.
Some brands such as Jabra already make traditional aids you can order directly online without a prescription, while companies including Sony started making earbuds with hearing enhancement for people with mild to moderate hearing loss.
But Monday’s update from the Cupertino, California, company marks the first time consumer-favourite Apple has added hearing features beyond noise cancellation and adjustable sound levels.
Apple said that after FDA clearance in the fall, the hearing features will be available via a software update. The AirPods Pro 2 will cost $249 (R4465).
To set up hearing enhancement, users can take a hearing test inside the Apple Health app that’s based on the pure-tone test used by audiologists. The results of the test automatically adjust your AirPods’ sound levels, or you can download the test as a PDF to show an audiologist. (You can also input existing hearing test results into the Health app to “tune” your earbuds.)
“Over-the-counter hearing aids are an entry point,” said Sarah Sydlowski, audiology director of the hearing implant program at Cleveland Clinic. “No one is saying they are going to provide the most optimal hearing outcomes. But it’s a way to get started.”
Many hearing aids already come with Bluetooth and can work like headphones. But adding hearing-aid technology to popular earbuds such as Apple’s could expand access to hearing help, said Tricia Ashby-Scabis, a senior director of audiology practices at the American Speech and Hearing Association.
While 15% of US adults say they struggle to hear, just a third of people over 70 who could benefit from hearing aids use them, according to data from the National Health Interview Survey.
Among people younger than 70, that number is just 16 percent. Experts list cost, geography and stigma among the reasons people don’t get the hearing help they need - many are uninsured, don’t see a primary care physician, live too far away from a hearing screening or feel embarrassed to wear aids.
The popularity of AirPods could mean more people get hearing assistance earlier, Ashby-Scabis said.
“I think people are a little more accepting of having something in the ears and having it be visible,” she said.
Over-the-counter hearing aids are best for people with mild to moderate hearing loss, experts say. Ideally, people with more severe hearing loss will realize they need a more powerful option after experimenting with the AirPods, Ashby-Scabis said. Apple says users whose hearing tests indicate severe hearing loss will get a recommendation to see a professional.
Even people with milder hearing loss might need an audiologist to help them set up or fine-tune the AirPods’ hearing features. Hearing aids aren’t like reading glasses, Ashby-Scabis said - you can’t always pop them on and go.
Early treatment helps lessen the negative effects of hearing loss, which include cognitive decline, depression, anxiety and higher health-care costs, according to the National Council on Ageing. If you’ve never had your hearing tested, you should start getting regularly tested by age 50. Ringing in the ear and difficulty hearing when you’re out to dinner are both signs of possible hearing loss, Cleveland Clinic’s Sydlowski said.
Apple says the new AirPods Pro will also come with default loud noise reduction for environments such as concerts.
WASHINGTON POST