On September 9, 2024, Apple hosted their annual September Keynote virtual event to unveil their latest products. Although we are always interested in Apple’s tech offerings since they have been at the forefront of working with heairng aid manufacturers to increase accessibility for the hard of hearing, this Keynote was of particular intereste as there had been rumours circulating earlier in the year about a potential ‘Hearing Aid Mode’ in the works for the AidPods. We eagerly tuned in to see if Apple would confirm this product and if so, to better understand what they had planned.

As anticipated, during their coverage of their AirPods lineup, Apple announced three innovative hearing-related features that were soon to be introduced for users of their existing AirPods Pro 2. In fact, Apple spent more than 5 minutes of their launch event specifically focusing on their new hearing related functionality! They broke these down into 3 areas: Protection, Awareness & Assistance.

• Protection: Apple has been focused on hearing protection for a while now, and their headphones, watches and phones have been able to alert the user when they are in environments which have enough noise to be damaging to their hearing. With the AirPod Pro 2 headphones occluded design, Apple has been able to integrate some hearing protection for extremely loud sounds while wearing them.
• Awareness: In their launch event, Apple cited some staggering stats on the prevalence of hearing loss globally, while also stating that more than 80% of adults have not had a hearing test done in the past 5 years. With their upcoming updates to the AirPod Pro 2 devices, you will be able to complete an accurate, pure tone screening of your hearing right through your headphones and iOS devices.
• Assistance: This new software update will allow Apple to provide “Over-The-Counter” (OTC) level hearing aid assistance through their AirPod 2 headphones. With a battery life of just 3.5-4.5 hours of streaming, these devices will not take the place of a traditional hearing aid, but for those with mild losses, they may prove to be an accessible solution that provides situational help from time to time.

At the end of the announcement, it was revealed that the new technology would be launched in the United States, Germany, Japan, and over 100 other countries. Within minutes, details about the new AirPods appeared on Apple’s websites for the US, Germany, and Japan, but they have yet to be listed on the Canadian site as of now.

Given that the USA has an Over-The-Counter Hearing Aid Act, it makes it easier for Apple to develop a product that complies with these regulations. However, since Canada lacks a similar act, it’s likely that Apple will need to adapt its technology for the Canadian market.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on this and will provide updates as more information becomes available.

Is Apple Focusing on Hearing Health Good or Bad News?

One of the biggest challenges of the hearing care industry has been how long people often wait before having a hearing test done. While people regularly have their eyes and teeth checked and are routinely seen for an annual physical, very few people regularly have their hearing tested.

Apple’s entrance into the hearing care market could change that. If every iPhone user soon had the ability to conduct a basic hearing test through their mobile phone, it could result in hundreds of thousands of more people having the opportunity to easily evaluate, monitor and become educated on their hearing abilities.

Based on my experience, many people believe their hearing is normal, and it’s only when they have their hearing tested do they realize just how much they have been missing. This is largely because we don’t lose our hearing for all sounds at the same rate. Oftentimes, people maintain their ability to hear the low pitch bass sounds even while they have developed a fairly significant hearing loss in the high frequency, treble sounds. This new Apple hearing screening feature could highlight this to more people, and normalize the identification and treatment of hearing loss.

The stigma of hearing loss is also a major obstacle for many people. A few years ago we were called out for stating “hearing aids are cool”  in an advertisement. We acknowledge that the idea of having hearing aids may not be cool, but as we discussed in our subsequent blog post “Are Hearing Aids Cool?“, the technology that they pack inside of them is really quite impressive, with many of the features being close to something you might have seen in a sci-fi film a decade ago. Breaking the stigma of how we view products and categories is another area that Apple has been very successful at, so having a “Hearing Aid Mode” in the AirPods might certainly help with that. This might be an easy way for people to feel more comfortable with the idea of using amplification.

The potential downsides that I see for this is the potential lack of audiological support for those who decide to skip having a complete auditory assessment done. In our hearing tests, we perform many different tests beyond just responding to sounds that you hear. From measuring the function of the middle ear to checking the clarity that one is able to understand speech and even how well you can separate speech from background noise. By looking at the complete test battery, we are able to provide the individual with the right guidance and recommendations for what would help them perform better in their daily hearing environments.

Final Thoughts

While this news is unfolding rapidly, Apple’s introduction of the “Hearing Aid Feature” is set to highlight the importance of hearing healthcare worldwide, regardless of when this technology makes its way to Canada.

There are still many questions to be answered, but we’ll be your reliable source for updates on this topic. If you have any inquiries about what this means for you, feel free to reach out—our team is here to help!