U.S. FDA authorizes first OTC hearing aid software to be used with Apple’s AirPods Pro 2
The first-of-its-kind, software-based Hearing Aid feature helps make access to hearing assistance easier than ever.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday authorized the first over-the-counter hearing aid software that is intended to be used with compatible versions of the Apple AirPods Pro headphones.
Reuters:
New hearing health features will be available this fall for AirPods Pro 2 users in more than 100 countries and regions, Apple had said.
Once installed and customized to the user’s hearing needs, the software enables versions of the AirPods Pro to serve as an OTC hearing aid, that is intended to amplify sounds for 18 years or older people with perceived mild-to-moderate hearing impairment, the health regulator said.
Apple’s Hearing Aid Feature, authorized on Thursday, is a software-only mobile medical application and is set up using an iOS device like an iPhone and the user’s hearing levels are accessed from the iOS HealthKit to customize the feature.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple disrupts yet another market, this time from a bunch of rip-off artists. The average price of one hearing aid can cost between $1,000 and $3,500. Apple’s AirPods 2 cost $249 ($189 currently at Amazon). Have a nice day, legacy hearing aid peddlers!
Please help support MacDailyNews — and enjoy subscriber-only articles, comments, chat, and more — by subscribing to our Substack: macdailynews.substack.com. Thank you!
Support MacDailyNews at no extra cost to you by using this link to shop at Amazon.
The post U.S. FDA authorizes first OTC hearing aid software to be used with Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 appeared first on MacDailyNews.
