Apple AirPods Pro 2 First All-in-One Hearing Health Device

The Apple AirPods Pro 2

Today, Apple revealed ground-breaking sleep and hearing health features for the Apple AirPods Pro 2, improving users' lives and showcasing the company's commitment to wellness. For billions of people worldwide, these new functionalities on various gadgets offer practical and effective ways to enhance sleep and hearing health.


Ingenious new Breathing Disturbances measure adds more health-guarding features to Apple Watch by sending sleep apnea alarms. This month, sleep apnea warnings are expected to be approved for commercialization in over 150 countries and territories, including the United States, the European Union, and Japan, by the FDA and other global health regulators.

The first comprehensive solution for hearing health is AirPods Pro, which comes with an over-the-counter hearing aid, an active hearing protector, and a clinically validated hearing test. The first-ever software-based function for hearing aids lowers their cost and increases their accessibility. If global health regulators authorize marketing, the Hearing Test and Hearing Aid features will be available this fall in more than 100 nations and regions, including the United States, Germany, and Japan.


Stop breathing disturbances and sleep apnea alerts. Apple Watch monitors nocturnal health metrics including heart rate and breathing rate, tracks sleep over time, and assists users in reaching their sleep goals.

The First Complete Hearing Health Experience in the World

According to WHO estimates, 1.5 billion people are deaf. Hearing loss and social isolation are linked to dementia.

Apple is providing customers with a comprehensive awareness, prevention, and assistance experience to help them understand the state of their hearing.

Avoidance

One in three people are routinely exposed to loud environmental noise that can harm their hearing, according to the findings of the Apple Hearing project, a virtual, longitudinal public research project carried out in association with the University of Michigan School of Public Health and the World Health Organization. Taking the train to work, mowing the yard, attending a game, and other activities are typical instances.

With Apple AirPods Pro 2's hearing protection feature, users may listen to their music while being shielded from loud surroundings. At 48,000 times per second, the H2 chip actively decreases stronger, more intermittent noise, while the ear tips lessen passive noise. Hearing protection is helpful in noisy surroundings and is turned on by default in all listening modes. Concert sounds are maintained bright and realistic thanks to a novel multiband high dynamic range algorithm.

Consciousness

Due to the gradual worsening of hearing loss, many people are unaware that they have it. The American Association for Speech-Language-Hearing In the last five years, 80% of Americans have not had their hearing evaluated. To obtain more information about hearing health, Apple is launching a simple, clinical-grade pure-tone audiometry-based hearing test that users can complete with their Apple AirPods Pro 2 and an iPhone or iPad that is compatible.

The five-minute test can be taken at home by users. The interactive Hearing Test makes use of contemporary acoustics. Following the test, users will receive an understandable summary of their findings that includes recommendations, categories, and the amount of hearing loss in each ear. The data, which include an audiogram, are safely stored in the Health app and can be shared with a physician for more in-depth talks.

The Hearing Test was informed by extensive real-world data as well as the Apple Hearing Study. The clinical gold standard, pure-tone audiometry, was used to confirm the trait.

 
The state of one's hearing is critical to their general health. According to Rick Neitzel, chief investigator of the Apple Hearing Study and professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, safeguarding and maintaining one's hearing enhances one's quality of life both immediately and over time. Apple is pleased to provide essential tools for maintaining good hearing health. With the use of these technologies, people will be able to shield their ears from noise pollution, keep an eye on changes in their hearing, and have crucial conversations with healthcare providers when they require more support.

 

Assistance

Acquiring knowledge about hearing loss is crucial for obtaining assistance, which can be costly and challenging. Globally, research indicates that hearing loss is frequently left untreated. Seventy-five percent of those with hearing impairments do not own assistive technology, according to the Apple Hearing Study.

For those with mild to moderate hearing loss, AirPods Pro provide a novel over-the-counter hearing aid. With the help of this new feature, which makes use of the Hearing Test's distinct hearing profile, Apple AirPods Pro 2 can now be used as clinical-grade hearing aids. Once configured, the feature applies customized dynamic modifications to enhance sounds in real time. They facilitate communication and foster a sense of community and surroundings. Users' customized hearing profiles are automatically applied to music, movies, games, and phone calls across all of their devices without the need for any settings thanks to the excellent audio quality of AirPods Pro. For the Hearing Aid function, audiograms can be created by hearing health specialists.


The Hearing Aid feature and its customized settings were compared to an audiologist-assisted setup in a controlled, randomized study, and it was clinically validated.

More customers, including those with little to no hearing loss who can benefit from frequency-specific adjustments, can have their Apple AirPods Pro 2 listening experience personalized based on their hearing profile following the completion of the Hearing Test. A new feature called Media Assist improves phone call voice and soundtrack elements so that more people can hear you well.

Constructed to Promote Privacy

Apple considers privacy when designing and developing any health function. When a device is locked using a passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID, all health and fitness data from the Health app—aside from Medical ID—is encrypted. Apple servers employ encryption, as does the process of backing up health data to iCloud. On iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS, health app data saved to iCloud with the default two-factor authentication and a passcode is secured from beginning to end. Apple is unable to access the information.

Accessible

• This month, sleep apnea warnings are expected to be approved for commercialization in over 150 countries and territories, including the United States, the European Union, and Japan, by the FDA and other global health regulators. The Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 are compatible with this feature.
• This autumn, AirPods Pro 2 owners with the most recent firmware and an iPhone or iPad that is compatible will be able to use the Hearing Test and Aid features in over 100 countries and regions, including the United States, Germany, and Japan. It is anticipated that global health authorities would shortly approve marketing.
• In the fall of 2024, Hearing Protection will be supported by AirPods Pro 2 running the most recent firmware on a compatible iPhone, iPad, or Mac running the most recent operating system. The US and Canada will get the functionality soon.