Apple's AirPods Pro 2 to Function as Hearing Aid, Competing with OTC Options

TapTechNews September 12th news, an upcoming firmware update from Apple will enable AirPods Pro 2 to be used as a hearing aid, which will put it in direct competition with existing over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid products.

According to TapTechNews, most OTC hearing aids offer Bluetooth headphone functionality, so whether using AirPods or OTC hearing aids, both hearing aid and headphone functions can be achieved simultaneously, but AirPods will offer two significant advantages.

First, both AirPods and OTC hearing aids allow users to create personalized hearing profiles to address specific hearing issues. For example, if a user has difficulty hearing a particular frequency, the device can increase the volume of those frequencies to compensate.

However, Wired points out that almost all OTC hearing aids will switch to normal headphone mode when used for streaming media content, meaning that their ambient sound compensation function will be disabled at this time. But AirPods can apply hearing settings to streaming media content, such as phone calls, music, movies, and games, that is, still able to provide volume compensation for specific frequencies when listening to these contents, while most OTC hearing aids will completely shut off their hearing aid functions when listening to streaming media content.

Secondly, AirPods Pro 2 also supports uploading audiograms, similar to prescription hearing aids, while simple OTC devices cannot do this. This means that users can get more accurate hearing compensation without relying on the calibration of a professional audiologist.

Wired points out that compared to the price of most non-prescription hearing aids on the market ranging from $300 to $400, AirPods Pro 2 is only sold for $249, which is undoubtedly a bargain.