Apple is working to better position AirPods as a hearing aid

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Apple is prepping major new hearing health and body-temperature features for AirPods, planning cheaper models, a transition to USB-C charging ports, and exploring how it could better position AirPods as a hearing aid, Mark Gurman reports for Bloomberg News.

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The capabilities will come in addition to already-announced software features that were part of iOS 17, as well as plans for new AirPods Pro and Max models.

The company is working on a new hearing test feature that will play different tones and sounds to allow the AirPods to determine how well a person can hear. The idea is to help users screen for hearing issues, not unlike how the Apple Watch ECG app checks for heart problems. The hearing test could “Sherlock” — or make irrelevant — existing apps like Mimi. (Apple held a meeting with its developers a few years ago.)

Separately, Apple is exploring how it could better position AirPods as a hearing aid, a $10 billion-a-year market that’s ripe for reinvention.

Apple has already added hearing-aid-like features, such as Conversation Boost and Live Listen, but they don’t yet have regulatory approval. Last year, the US Food and Drug Administration eased hearing aid purchase rules, allowing for over-the-counter sales without an exam or prescription. That’s created more of an opening, and Apple has hired engineers from traditional hearing aid makers as part of this effort.

There’s also engineering work being done on adding sensors to the AirPods so they can determine body temperature via a wearer’s ear canal.

Via: Bloomberg News