A study published Tuesday in the journal iScience found that a sound amplification feature on Apple’s AirPods Pro helped adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss hear speech nearly as well as two prescription hearing aids.
Dominique Mosbergen for The Wall Street Journal:
A $249 pair of Apple Inc. earphones might help some people hear almost as well as hearing aids that cost many times more.
“They won’t replace hearing aids but it’s a good way for people to experience what the world would be like if they could get some help, an upgrade for their hearing,” said Yen-Fu Cheng, an ear, nose and throat specialist at Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan, who co-wrote the study.
In the new study, the AirPods Pro didn’t meet Food and Drug Administration standards for hearing aids. But they amplified sound as well as some less-advanced devices that help people hear better, the researchers said.
Apple said it hasn’t advertised AirPods as hearing assistants but has added some features to help people with hearing loss. One feature, Live Listen, allows AirPods users to use another Apple device such as an iPhone or iPad to help tune out background noise and better hear conversations, Apple said. Users can also upload hearing-test results to customize the sound on their iPhones, AirPods and other devices.
MacDailyNews Take: You can amplify sound with Live Listen. Place your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch near what you want to hear, then listen through your AirPods. This can help you hear better in some situations — for example, when having a conversation in a noisy environment.
How to use Live Listen with AirPods:
- Wear your AirPods, and make sure they’re connected to your device.
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Open Control Center on your device, tap the Hearing Devices button, tap the name of your AirPods, then tap Live Listen.
If you don’t see the Hearing Devices button, add it to Control Center — go to Settings > Control Center, then choose Hearing.
- Position your device near the sound source.
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As someone involved with the hearing loss community (my wife is late-deafened), simple amplification isn’t good enough for most users. Ideally, hearing aids are configured to provide amplification in the frequencies used by human speech, and/or those frequencies where the user struggles most. There are many types of hearing loss, and rarely involves simply losing volume across all frequencies.
Amplifying everything the same amount — like cheap hearing aids and (presumably) the “Live Listen” feature on AirPods — is not the answer for the vast majority of those suffering hearing loss. Yeah, it’s helpful, but it’s not as helpful as modern hearing aids calibrated for an individual.
A shame MDN did not mention Conversation Boost, which works with AirPods Pro 1 and 2.