Apple’s $249 AirPods Pro clinical-grade hearing aids can greatly help people with untreated hearing loss
The first-of-its-kind, software-based Hearing Aid feature helps make access to hearing assistance easier than ever.
On Tuesday following Apple’s announcement that AirPods Pro 2 can be used as clinical-grade hearing aids, hearing aid manufacturers experienced a decline in their stock prices. Apple revealed that its AirPods Pro 2 can be customized to function as personalized hearing aids through an upcoming software update. The update will enable real-time amplification of specific sounds, such as speech or environmental elements, tailored to individual user preferences.
Close to 30 million US adults have some degree of hearing loss, but only about one-fifth of those people seek assistance for the issue, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.
For people with untreated hearing loss, using hearing aids can reduce the rate of cognitive decline and may lower the risk of depression, according to the FDA. However, experts have said that the high cost of doctor visits and hearing aids kept some from seeking treatment.
To access the new hearing aid feature, AirPods Pro 2 users will have to take a test that will analyze their hearing loss by playing a series of tones…
Apple said it expects to receive FDA clearance “very soon,” meaning the AirPods Pro 2 would become a regulated medical device. This fall, the hearing assistance features will become available through a software update in over 100 countries, including the United States, Germany and Japan, the company said.
Barbara Kelley, the executive director of Hearing Loss Association of America, said… she hoped Apple’s new product would encourage more people to address hearing loss.
“There’s still a stigma attached to hearing loss coming with aging,” Kelley said. “But my goodness, I see elementary school kids with these AirPods in their ears. If it can also serve as a hearing aid, I think that’s really exciting.”
MacDailyNews Take: We know some parental units who will very soon be receiving new AirPods Pro gifts! Shh!
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