10 hours Ago By Sean Keach
MILLIONS of pairs of Apple AirPods are about to be upgraded with the ability to offer hearing tests at home. The update will go live next week – and will reveal your levels of hearing loss, if any. Hearing tests are important, but aren't taken enough.
When Apple announced the feature back in June, it reported that most Americans hadn't had their hearing check in the last five years, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Associated. And the same is true for Brits, according to the RNID national hearing loss charity. Now a long-awaited update to the Apple AirPods Pro 2 ($249 / £229) will let you do an at-home hearing test that only takes five minutes.
It's coming to users in the US and Canada after receiving certification. Sadly there's no word on a release date for UK users yet, but it seems likely that Brits will eventually get the feature too. It will very quickly reveal if you've experienced hearing loss and then make some recommendations.
"Millions of people are unaware that they’re living with hearing loss, and even more don’t get tested," Apple explains. "But now it’s faster, easier, and more convenient than ever to get scientifically validated results on your own time." It's part of a free software update coming next week.
The reason why the feature doesn't work in regular AirPods, according to Apple, is because of their design. The AirPods Pro 2 have premium active noise cancellation as well as an in-ear seal that creates the right conditions to properly check your hearing. When you begin the test, the system will automatically check the fit of the AirPods in your ear, as well as assessing background noise levels.
And Apple says it only takes a few minutes to complete the at-home examination. You'll be played tones and asked to tap the screen when you hear them. This can help your iPhone understand which frequencies of audio you can and can't hear.
"Using pure‐tone audiometry built on advanced acoustic science, the test plays a series of tones that you respond to by tapping the screen," Apple explains. "Helpful animations, tap‐back effects, and progress indicators guide you through the experience, which takes about five minutes. The Sun's tech expert Sean Keach had a go with an early preview of the feature back in June.
.. Apple unveiled its grand plans for hearing health at its WWDC event back in June.
And I had a chance to try out a demo version of the feature behind closed doors at Apple Park in California. It didn't give me proper hearing results, but I got to go through the test process to see how it worked. I was amazed then and I still am now.
Most people just don't get regular hearing tests. So the fact that you can easily get one at home – and for free – whenever you like is truly incredible. This is going to be literally life-changing for people who wouldn't have got a hearing test otherwise, and didn't know they had hearing loss.
And the fact that you can then use the AirPods Pro 2 as a hearing aid – which may help deal with issues of stigma – is even better. Then if that wasn't enough, the AirPods will also work to protect your hearing by reducing loud sounds. This is technology at its best: making real differences to your help with products you already own for no extra cost.
The AirPods are moving from a fun and useful gadget to something that might genuinely change the course of your life. Bravo. Now let's get this feature in the hands (or rather ears) of Brits too, please.
"More than 150,000 real‐world audiograms and millions of simulations helped develop a Hearing Test that’s accurate, fast, and easy." Once you're done, you'll receive immediate results for each ear. And if you have hearing loss, you can then set up your AirPods Pro 2 as a hearing aid.
Your info will be stored inside the iPhone's official Apple Health app so you can check it whenever you like. And you can download the test results to share with a doctor if you like. Apple's update will also add active Hearing Protection to help prevent further hearing loss.
"Hearing Protection translates the sound signatures of what you hear to lower levels in environments as loud as 110 dBA," Apple said. "Machine learning on the H2 chip actively reduces louder, more intermittent noise at 48,000 times per second, and the ear tips provide passive noise reduction." For instance, you might want to wear them at a loud concert.
You'd still be able to hear the audio, but extreme noises would have their loudness reduced. “Hearing health is a cornerstone of overall wellbeing," said Rick Neitzel, University of Michigan School of Public Health’s professor of Environmental Health Sciences. Professor Neitzel, who worked with Apple on its hearing research, added: "Protecting and preserving our hearing enhances our quality of life both in the short-term and long-term.
Here are official signs of hearing loss from the UK's National Health Service...
"I’m thrilled Apple is introducing important tools to support people’s hearing health. "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.".
