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Apple's AirPods Pro hearing health features

(www.theverge.com)
282 points elsewhen | 20 comments | 22 Oct 24 00:25 UTC | HN request time: 1.255s | source | bottom
1. gedy ◴[22 Oct 24 01:50 UTC] No.41910392[source]▶
Unless I'm misunderstanding, the news here is Apple is adding a hearing test app, and "officially" stating that you can use your Airpods Pro like hearing aids.

I mention this as you can use these today as hearing aids, you just need to use a third party app to create your audiogram. I have fairly bad hearing loss and use Airpods instead of hearing aids.

replies(6): >>41910423 #>>41910524 #>>41910635 #>>41910711 #>>41910809 #>>41911093 #
2. dagmx ◴[22 Oct 24 01:56 UTC] No.41910423[source]▶
You are missing that these are now cleared as hearing aids by the government.
replies(2): >>41910467 #>>41910525 #
3. gedy ◴[22 Oct 24 02:04 UTC] No.41910467[source]▶
Well kinda in my second point but yes correct. I mentioned as I kept assuming you couldn't use these as such yet, but have been using happily for months now after I realized the functionality was all there.
4. pahkah ◴[22 Oct 24 02:15 UTC] No.41910524[source]▶
Yep, the path for this official recognition was cleared by the executive order two years ago that allowed for hearing aids to be sold over the counter!
5. mmcconnell1618 ◴[22 Oct 24 02:15 UTC] No.41910525[source]▶
As an approved medical device I wonder if you can buy airpods with a HSA now?
replies(1): >>41911085 #
6. wrycoder ◴[22 Oct 24 02:32 UTC] No.41910635[source]▶
Without the new software, there is no boost to external sound in transparency mode, so they are not useful as hearing aids. I’m looking forward to testing the new release.
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7. m463 ◴[22 Oct 24 02:45 UTC] No.41910711[source]▶
FDA approval means you can call them hearing aids, not just some marketing term.
replies(1): >>41910795 #
8. ilt ◴[22 Oct 24 02:53 UTC] No.41910760[source]▶
That’s incorrect. I have been using Airpods Pro for 7 months now for my hearing loss. They do boost sounds in transparency mode if you choose to.
9. grahamj ◴[22 Oct 24 03:00 UTC] No.41910795[source]▶
Either way it's just a label. You've already been able to do the same thing for years. Just use the free Mimi hearing test app, save the audiogram to Health, then apply it in headphone accommodations.
replies(1): >>41911272 #
10. pmcjones ◴[22 Oct 24 03:02 UTC] No.41910804[source]▶
Actually you can set up a good approximation using iPhoneOS>Settings>Accessibility>Audio & Visual>Headphone Accommodations. Under Custom Audio Setup, you can select a audiogram, such as produced by an app like Mimi, or scanned in from your audiologist.
11. grahamj ◴[22 Oct 24 03:03 UTC] No.41910809[source]▶
Yep. I still haven't been able to determine if this "new" feature is any different from what already exists.

I hope so because when you enable your audiogram for transparency it sounds like you're in an ASMR video. There's no way to make it sound natural but louder, which is what I would expect from a hearing aid.

replies(1): >>41910970 #
12. MBCook ◴[22 Oct 24 03:38 UTC] No.41910970[source]▶
The audio gram stuff existed, but wasn’t well known and as mentioned required a third party app.

The hearing aid stuff was only recently certified by the FDA as an OTC hearing aid. Apple has had a mode for a many years where AirPods + iPhone could act like a hearing aid. But it didn’t meat the medical classifications.

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13. an_d_rew ◴[22 Oct 24 03:50 UTC] No.41911025{3}[source]▶
Actually you have been able to import your audiogram for at least the last two versions of iOS (16+), no third-party app required.

But it was simply called "an accommodation". Can't call it a hearing aid until you were approved by the FDA!

14. trollbridge ◴[22 Oct 24 04:04 UTC] No.41911085{3}[source]▶
I suspect the answer is "yes", and probably with an FSA now too. There is a similar situation with the Natural Cycles app, which is cleared by the FDA as a medical device, so you can buy it with an FSA or HSA, or have insurance pay for it - which is mandatory, since it is legally a birth control device, which they have to cover. (It is also a steal for the insurance company since it costs roughly $10 a month.)

I expect that insurance plans that cover hearing aids are going to cover this eventually, as a set of AirPods Pro 2 is $249, which is substantially cheaper than other hearing aids on the market. An open question is if any other manufacturer will be able to get a device that works this well at this price point - the amount of software and chip design engineering that went into H2 and the bridgeOS or RTKitOS that the AirPods run is just not something smaller manufacturers will be able to easily copy.

Now, I wish I could find a better eartips fit for my ears... XS doesn't pass in the app as having a good enough seal, and S is just a little bit uncomfortable for me for all day use.

replies(2): >>41912109 #>>41914103 #
15. alwillis ◴[22 Oct 24 04:06 UTC] No.41911093[source]▶
Here's what's new:

* Air Pods 2 were approved by the FDA in September

* iOS (and iPadOS) 18.1, for which the release candidate was released earlier today, comes with the ability to enable hearing aid mode and with a hearing test

* based on the hearing test, the AirPods can automatically compensate how things sound to you

* Apple has announced that iOS 18.1 will be released next week

Details: https://www.apple.com/accessibility/hearing/

16. m463 ◴[22 Oct 24 04:45 UTC] No.41911272{3}[source]▶
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/hearing-aids/otc-hearing...

Seems like they are regulated for safety, and there are lots of (decent) requirements.

17. mschuster91 ◴[22 Oct 24 07:45 UTC] No.41912109{4}[source]▶
> An open question is if any other manufacturer will be able to get a device that works this well at this price point - the amount of software and chip design engineering that went into H2 and the bridgeOS or RTKitOS that the AirPods run is just not something smaller manufacturers will be able to easily copy.

Well, "classic" hearing aids have two features that I don't see Apple replicating any time soon: longer battery life (AirPods roughly last around 4-6 hours depending on battery degradation and usage, whereas hearing aids run for days) and most especially, support for audio induction loops [1] - basically PA systems for the impaired, you'll find these in churches, conference/meeting rooms, concert halls/stadiums and in the UK also in taxicabs.

Classic hearing aids will have their place for quite the time to come.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_induction_loop

18. yunohn ◴[22 Oct 24 13:34 UTC] No.41914103{4}[source]▶
Highly recommend giving Comply Foam tips a shot - I got them a few years ago, total game changer. I replace them approx every year, since they wear out based on your usage pattern.

https://www.complyfoam.com/products/apple-airpods-pro-ear-ti...

replies(1): >>41916220 #
19. tstrimple ◴[22 Oct 24 16:53 UTC] No.41916220{5}[source]▶
I must be particularly hard on mine, or wear them far too much. A 3 pack of comply tips will only last me six months. The foam starts to tear and flake off after a while. I'm still quite happy to replace them because the sound isolation and comfort are much better than the silicon tips.
20. grahamj ◴[24 Oct 24 01:18 UTC] No.41930957{3}[source]▶
Right but the question is how much - if at all - different hearing aid mode is from what was already there. It's possibly it was already compliant but simply hadn't been certified. Or maybe it's way different, I haven't been able to find any information on any differences.