Apple claims the Airpod hearing aid feature is “clinical grade.” Is it?

Apple this week officially released a range of new health features for AirPods Pro that allow users to test their hearing and use the popular wireless headphones as a hearing aid for milder forms of hearing loss.

After they were announced in September, audiologists and other experts immediately praised Apple’s efforts. Many people with hearing problems never get tested or seek treatment, so new tools from one of the world’s largest tech companies could help raise awareness and possibly improve the quality of life for some.

But with the features now available, Apple may face confusion over its lofty marketing and how doctors and users should interpret it. The company has labeled the technologies, and in particular the hearing aid software, as “clinical grade” and wrote in a white paper that some data from the study is “comparable to results obtained with conventional prescription hearing aids.”