AirPods Pro Earbuds In Hand
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Apple is aiming to make hearing health more accessible with AirPods Pro 2, introducing a tool to protect, test, and improve your hearing. The company reveals the development process behind these features.
The company is making a major leap into personal health technology with the launch of its comprehensive hearing health solution, now officially announced for AirPods Pro 2. The news follows earlier coverage on October 22, which provided a glimpse into Apple's state-of-the-art audio lab in Cupertino.
With the official release, Apple confirms that its new features — hearing protection, at-home hearing testing, and clinical-grade hearing aid functionality — are now available via a software update. Apple is delivering a comprehensive hearing health experience, marking the first time a consumer technology company has done so to address a growing global health issue.
Helping Hearing Health
The need for accessible hearing health solutions has never been greater. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 1.5 billion people worldwide suffer from hearing loss.
Apple's largest anechoic chamber, Longwave, features a specially designed setup to evaluate how sound behaves as it hits the human body. Image courtesy of Apple
Despite its prevalence, hearing loss often goes unnoticed, especially among young people who are often exposed to loud noise in places like concerts and nightclubs. Apple’s latest features aim to address this issue by integrating proactive solutions into everyday devices, making hearing health more accessible and routine.
AirPods Pro 2 takes a holistic approach to hearing health. With Hearing Protection, the earbuds monitor ambient noise levels and promptly alert users when they encounter potentially harmful sound levels, protecting their ears in real time.
The Home Hearing Test allows users to self-assess their hearing without the need to visit a doctor, offering users a convenient and affordable option for monitoring their hearing health. AirPods hearing aid functionality includes built-in microphones to amplify and clarify speech, making everyday conversations more understandable for people with mild to moderate hearing loss.
Apple’s Audio Lab in Cupertino, California, is at the center of developing these features as a state-of-the-art facility. It houses cutting-edge equipment, including anechoic chambers and sound simulation environments that allow engineers to replicate real-world acoustic conditions.
The engineering team conducted extensive research to simplify the hearing test on AirPods Pro 2, identifying areas to optimize the test for home users. Image credit: Apple
The company’s careful tuning allowed it to fine-tune features like Conversation Boost and Transparency mode in noisy environments. The lab simulated a variety of soundscapes to test and refine these groundbreaking features.
Achieving this level of innovation required collaboration across multiple Apple teams, including hardware and software engineering, health, accessibility, and design. The resulting interface is intuitive and user-friendly, making clinical assessments simple and accessible to users undergoing a hearing test for the first time.
“People can wear AirPods to protect their hearing at concerts and monitor their hearing health over time. AirPods meet the needs of each individual or themselves,” said Heather Daniel, a producer in Apple’s design studio, which manages the design of health features. “They really are an interface for the ear.”
To experience Apple’s new end-to-end hearing health features, users need AirPods Pro 2 and the latest software update. The new functionality is available through a free firmware update that can be installed through the Settings app on a paired iPhone.
After the update, users will be able to access the hearing test features by going to the Hearing section of the Health app on iPhone, where they can set up a hearing test, turn on hearing protection, and activate the hearing aid feature.
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