TUESDAY, Sept. 10, 2024 (HealthDay News) — The latest AirPods from Apple will come with built-in hearing aids, the company announced Monday.
Designed as an over-the-counter hearing aid feature for those with mild to moderate hearing loss, users take hearing tests on iPhones or iPads running iOS 18, and then their AirPods make “personalized dynamic adjustments” to allow them to hear sounds that are boosted to prescribed levels in real time.
“This helps them better engage in conversation, and keeps them connected to the people and environment around them,” Apple noted in a news release announcing the new product.
“Hearing health is a cornerstone of overall well-being. Protecting and preserving our hearing enhances our quality of life both in the short-term and long-term,” Rick Neitzel, a professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Michigan and lead investigator of the Apple hearing study, said in the company news release. “These tools will help people protect their ears from noise pollution, be aware of changes in their hearing over time and have important conversations with their healthcare providers when they need additional support.”