AirPods Pro 2 now also available as hearing aids? Here’s what you need to know

In September, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a “hearing aid feature” for Apple’s AirPods Pro 2: the version that fits snugly in your ears with rubber tips. The earplugs now offer a hearing test and the ability to amplify ambient sound for mild to moderate hearing loss. This feature requires a free software update on iOS 18-compatible iPhones and iPads.

Thirty million Americans have done that hearing lossaccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many go undiagnosed and never use hearing aids. For some, hearing aids are essential to everyday life, especially for people with disabling hearing loss. Traditionally, getting a formal diagnosis of hearing loss and getting conventional hearing aids means seeing an audiologist, who performs a hearing test called an audiogram, prescribes custom-programmed hearing aids, and then makes sure they are optimized.

Think of technology companies, which in recent years have steadily improved the functionality of earbuds for listening to music, making phone calls and watching Netflix. The same listening technology helps amplify sound for the hearing impaired.

Are Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 good hearing aids?

In 2018, Apple released the “Live Listen” feature, which uses the iPhone’s microphone to amplify sounds directly to AirPods. In 2021, “Conversation Boost” was added, which uses beam-forming microphones and computational audio to focus the sound for the wearer.

This begs the question: could Apple’s AirPods – a popular and well-known device – be a viable, affordable alternative to conventional hearing aids?

The answer is complicated. AirPods deliver and amplify sound, studies show to perform remarkably good compared to hearing aids, especially for a multifunctional device. Yet in many cases they are not as good as professionally programmed, specialized devices.

This makes them an adequate option for mild to moderate hearing loss, but not a good choice for severe or disabling hearing loss or more complicated hearing problems. Conversation Boost improves speech clarity in the presence of background noise, but does not match the adaptive processing capabilities of conventional hearing aids, especially in challenging auditory environments.

The pros and cons of AirPods 2 as hearing aids

One advantage of AirPods is their cost, with a retail price of $250 recently dropping to $170. This is a fraction of conventional hearing aids, which can set you back $1,000 to $6,000 per pair. Hearing aids are sometimes not covered by insurance plans. Coverage may also depend on the degree of hearing damage. Therefore, AirPods can be a cost-effective alternative for people with mild to moderate disabilities where insurance does not cover conventional hearing aids.

AirPods are also accessible to anyone who can afford them. No interaction with the medical system is required: no appointments, no prescriptions and no waiting for the hearing aids to be programmed.

Another important feature of AirPods is the built-in hearing test. Positive test results may prompt people to seek medical advice. In some cases, hearing loss can be caused by more serious problems, such as an acoustic neuroma, a non-cancerous brain tumor, which, if left undiagnosed, can grow and affect other parts of the brain. Hearing loss can also be the result of earwax buildup, which can be easily removed.

The appearance of conventional hearing aids also carries a stigma for some users. Using AirPods can help overcome some of this. Yet AirPods can also create a socially awkward situation if people think wearing them means someone isn’t listening, for example during a phone call or listening to music.

People usually wear hearing aids all day long. Battery life and comfort are important issues. Conventional hearing aids have long battery life, lasting several days per charge, or use disposable batteries. AirPods last about 6 hours before needing to be recharged. When it comes to comfort, the rubber tips of AirPods can irritate the ears, especially with prolonged use.

Another problem with AirPods: long listening at high volumes is possible cause hearing loss. Now that the AirPod has a hearing aid, it may be the only consumer electronics on the market that can cause and solve a health problem at the same time.

A major reason that AirPods can now be marketed as hearing aids is that the FDA has introduced a new category of over-the-counter hearing aids in 2022. Other options in this category are produced by Jabra, Audien and Eargo and others, each offering different options – including consultation with an audiologist in some cases – with variable prices ranging from $200 to $2,000 per pair.

Do AirPods as hearing aids signal a new consumer electronics trend?

Ultimately, AirPods and other over-the-counter hearing aids cannot fully replace all the functions of conventional hearing aids, especially for people with complex hearing problems or severe hearing problems. Yet they do point to a future where technology companies will continue to blur the lines between consumer electronics and medical care when it comes to diagnosis and treatment.

For example, Apple’s Watch (Series 4 or later or the Ultra model) has an electrocardiogram function to detect atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder. The Oura Ring can monitor heart rate, blood oxygen levels, temperature, activity and sleep. As consumer technology like AirPods and others evolve and powerful new artificial intelligence algorithms are integrated, there will be more and more ways to monitor, diagnose and treat health problems.