AirPods: Hearing Aid or Hype? Apple's Bold Move into Hearing Health

Apple recently announced at its event that the new AirPods Pro 2 will soon have over-the-counter hearing aid capabilities. This feature allows users to take a clinical-grade hearing test within their AirPods, which creates an audiogram map of their hearing abilities and activates a 'Hearing Aid' mode with dynamic adjustments for personalized real-time boosting of ambient sounds based on the results of the test. The feature is expected to launch in Fall 2024 pending FDA approval and other regulatory clearances. While this move could democratize access to hearing assistance, it also raises questions about how the accuracy of a self-administered test compares to an audiologist evaluation and whether software can fully replicate traditional hearing aids' complexity and effectiveness. As Apple pushes forward with its bold foray into hearing health, consumers and healthcare professionals alike should carefully consider the implications and limitations of using AirPods AirPods as hearing aids.