Apple Airpods Pro 2: New function – now the headphones can be used as a replacement for hearing aids

Hear better with headphones? Apple’s Airpods Pro 2 can also be used as a hearing aid in just a few days. The iPhone group is thus entering a market with established players where better headphones with specialized technology often cost a mid-four-digit amount – or more.

And Apple’s hardware boss John Ternus sets the bar high: “We think it will be the best hearing aid on the market.” The Americans are serious: earplugs instead of classic hearing aids.

The audiometry test to individually adjust your hearing ability can be completed using Airpods and an iPhone. The hearing aid is then automatically configured to amplify sounds in the frequencies where deficits are detected.

However, there is one limitation: the function is intended for mild to moderate hearing loss. Examples: With mild hearing loss, you can no longer hear the ticking of a clock or the rustling of leaves; with moderate hearing loss, you can no longer hear the background noises in residential areas.

If there are more severe restrictions, you will still have to rely on classic hearing aids and the expertise of hearing aid acousticians. The Apple hearing aid is also not the quick solution for every case of hearing loss.

With the hearing aid function, Apple believes it has identified a previously fundamentally underserved market. “There are more than a billion people around the world with mild and moderate hearing loss,” said Sumbul Desai, who leads Apple’s health programs. And what’s more: Three quarters of those diagnosed with hearing loss, she says, don’t get the help they need.

Hearing test with Apple Airpods takes less than five minutes

“Hearing loss is so severe that many people don’t even realize they have it,” the youngest U.S. hearing expert, Andy Sabin, told the New York Times. Experts see another problem in the fact that some people shy away from using traditional hearing aids. With inconspicuous commercially available earphones, this hurdle is eliminated.

After years of preparation, over-the-counter hearing aids were only approved in the US in 2022, which ultimately opened the door to the Airpods feature. The market has been around for a while in Germany.

And how do you adjust the earplugs for music and podcasts to make unheard things audible again? The hearing test takes less than five minutes and is best done in a quiet environment. The function checks this before it starts – and also interrupts the test briefly if it gets too loud all around.

First you have to answer three questions: whether you are already 18, whether you currently have a cold or allergy and whether you have been in a loud environment such as a concert or a construction site in the past 24 hours.

The Airpods then play – first in the left ear, then in the right – series of three tones at different frequencies, starting with 1000 Hz. When you hear the tones, you have to confirm this by tapping on the iPhone screen.

The sounds gradually become quieter at first, they are barely audible at first – and then not at all. The software then switches between different frequencies, with the volume often close to the audible threshold for the user.

Similar to conventional audiometry tests at the doctor, the result is given in terms of the deviation from the usual standard hearing value. A deviation of up to 25 decibels is considered normal hearing. This does not require the Airpods to intervene to amplify the sounds. A loss of 26 to 40 decibels is a mild hearing loss – and a loss of 41 to 60 dB is a moderate hearing loss.

Airpods automatically amplify frequencies

The corresponding values ​​are displayed as test results on the iPhone. If you don’t make your own settings, the Airpods automatically start amplifying the frequencies that the ear couldn’t perceive in the test. In a study with around 200 participants, the results of the iPhone test were compared with traditional audiometry examinations – the agreement was 86.4 percent.

Similar to classic hearing aids, Apple points out that it may take a few weeks to get used to them. The amplification itself is audible quickly. In noisy environments such as restaurants, the Airpods Pro have already helped to emphasize the voice of a conversation partner.

The new hearing functions also ultimately build on the Airpods Pro’s original ability to suppress ambient noise. For all of this, the earplugs calculate the sounds and the reaction to them 48,000 times per second.

Apple has virtually no influence on battery life when using the hearing aid function. They should be able to run for up to six hours at a time – and up to 30 hours with recharging in the case in the meantime.

In addition to the significantly less discreet design compared to the “real” hearing aid, this is another big difference. The Airpods are not a hearing aid for continuous use. This eliminates the need to change mini-small button cells.

Airpods can can also be used as hearing protection

By the way, Apple offers this capability for people without hearing loss: the Airpods can also specifically suppress loud noises in the environment. The company further developed the transparency setting, which mixes ambient noise with the content being played – for example, so that an ambulance siren can penetrate through the music.

“Subway, buses, construction work” – people are constantly exposed to loud noises in everyday life, says Sumbul Desai. Therefore, loud noise reduction is enabled by default. The Airpods can also be used as hearing protection – for example at concerts.

The music, says hardware boss John Ternus, sounds just as good, but you leave the hall without ringing in your ears. He himself constantly uses the function when his children’s bands perform.

The hearing aid function is scheduled to be activated in Germany with a software update from October 28th. The prerequisite for setup is an iPhone or iPad with the latest version of iOS or iPadOS.

And it has to be the Airpods Pro 2 because they run on the H2 chip developed in-house at Apple. Aipods Pro 2 are currently available online for between 235 and 279 euros.

As competition there is a large number of over-the-counter devices from different brands – from well-known manufacturers to the 25 euro device from the Far East. However, Apple has the advantage of self-testing at home, which automatically sets the hearing aid. And ultimately, with the Airpods you still get earphones that are compatible with all Apple devices and you don’t have to change the plugs every now and then.