Apple didn’t refresh the AirPods Pro range at the iPhone event in September, but it announced new hearing health software for the AirPods Pro 2. It recently confirmed how these new accessibility-based features will be included with the iOS 18.1 update that is set to roll out next week.
This week, during an early preview of the AirPods Pro 2’s (review) new hearing health features with a select group of testers, Apple affirmed that the iOS 18.1 rollout will be accompanied by the AirPods firmware sometime next week. The update will also enable the new capabilities, including hearing protection, hearing aid, and hearing test. Here is a detailed look at how these will function.
New hearing protection feature
While the AirPods Pro earbuds have worked fairly well as hearing protection devices through loud sound reduction, Apple has not fully advertised them to be used in cases like concerts and industrial complexes. This will soon change with the new hearing protection tool.
Apple described the feature to protect users’ ears from loud environmental noise while also preserving the sound profile of what they’re listening to. This was tested by The Verge’s Chris Welch who found it worth having enabled at all times and its compatibility with ANC, transparency, and adaptive audio modes.
Hearing test through your AirPods and iPhone
The hearing test is another exclusive AirPods Pro 2 feature that will let users use their headphones and an iPhone or iPad to run a quick hearing test and view the results immediately. Subsequently, results will arrive in the form of personalized hearing profiles and are recorded and presented in a summary and charts which can also be referenced by audiometrists and specialists.
The hearing test will be tucked under the new hearing health section in the AirPods app. The test will run for around 5 to 10 minutes per session and users can run several tests. However, for optimum results, it requires a few checklists before the procedure such as ensuring you are in a quiet room and you’re using the proper ear tips before beginning.
Over-the-counter hearing aid
Along with the update is Apple’s first over-the-counter hearing aid feature designed for persons with mild to moderate hearing loss. It will utilize the hearing aid results from the hearing test to provide dynamic volume level adjustments based on these personalized profiles.
Apart from working as a hearing assistant to boost ambient sounds, the hearing aid is also compatible with calls and media playback like music and video. Users can still adjust the hearing aid’s amplification level.
Do you look forward to test out these new AirPods Pro hearing health features? Which one do you think is the most important addition? We’re listening. Let us know in the comments.
