AirPods Pro officially get hearing aid mode

Apple announced new hearing health features at its annual event on Monday, with the biggest one being that AirPods Pro are officially getting a hearing aid mode.

After a hearing test, your AirPods Pro will transform into a personalized hearing aid. Apple expects this hearing aid feature to be available this fall. Like other over-the-counter hearing aids, we can expect this feature to be intended for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss.

Apple has already built hearing health features into its AirPods, making it almost a matter of time before the hearing aids become officially available.

Hearing aids are notoriously expensive, in part because many people don’t cover them through their insurance. When hearing aids became available over-the-counter and without a prescription in late 2022, many people praised the rule because it could help remove some of the barriers to getting a hearing aid, including the high cost and perceived stigma of wearing one. However, the adoption of hearing aids is still nothing compared to the number of people who need them.

The fact that people can use their AirPods as hearing aids, instead of buying a whole new device, can help break down barriers in everyday communication for the It is estimated that 1.5 billion people worldwide have hearing lossmost of which have milder symptoms.

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