Apple taking hearing loss seriously is an industry win
11 Sep 2024
Alongside the iPhone 16 announcement (faster A18 and A18 Pro chips, new camera control button) Apple said that its AirPods Pro 2 will soon feature a software-based Hearing Aid capability. While the US device maker isn’t the first to market with consumer hearing testing, the Cupertino-based company is the first to explicitly state that it is designating a hearing aid feature in its existing product portfolio. This is part of an industry wide initiative by consumer electronics makers to make hearing assistance more accessible.
Apple is taking hearing loss and hearing health seriously, which is a big win for society.
“At Apple, we believe that technology can help you live a healthier life, and we’re excited to enable incredible new health capabilities for serious conditions that affect billions of people around the world, while continuing to keep user data private,” said Dr Sumbul Desai, Apple’s vice president of health.
“With Apple Watch, we continue to offer our users the ability to uncover important health conditions with new sleep apnoea notifications. And on AirPods Pro, powerful features put users’ hearing health front and centre, bringing new ways to help test for and receive assistance for hearing loss.”
Apple is providing the world’s first all-in-one hearing health experience by making use of the existing AirPods Pro 2 hardware, and aggregating software features like loud sound reduction, insights from its new, clinically validated, hearing test feature, and the new over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid feature.
OTC approval
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled in favour of selling OTC hearing aids at the end of 2022, adding many devices to the range of existing hearing devices, including conventional prescription hearing aids, hearables, personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) and consumer audio devices such as earphones like AirPods Pro with amplification features
Apple says its software-based hearing aid feature helps make access to hearing assistance easier than ever at an approachable price point – R5,500 vs dedicated OTC products that can come in at R15,000+.
These new hearing test and hearing aid features are expected to receive marketing authorisation from global health authorities soon and will be available in more than 100 countries and regions.
South Africa has also now been designated as a first wave region and will be receiving Apple hardware and software on the same timelines as the US and other major global regions.
This growing awareness and innovation in the hearing health sector is a welcome diversion away from commodifying the personal audio market where some device makers have little regard for hearing safety.
Research leadership
South Africa has been at the forefront of the consumer hearing health research
South Africa has been at the forefront of a lot of consumer-facing hearing health research with University of Pretoria Professor of Audiology, Dr De Wet Swanepoel, leading the charge.
Swanepoel is the editor of the International Journal of Audiology, but his company HearX developed a Consumer Ear Disease Risk Assessment (CEDRA) tool called HearZA which is a great way for Android and iOS users to get a handle on their hearing health.
Following the FDA approval, Korean electronics giant Samsung was quick to have its own Galaxy Buds2 Pro evaluated as a hearing aid solution.
The research results suggest that the ambient sound feature of Galaxy Buds2 Pro has the potential to help people with mild-to-moderate hearing loss.
The ambient sound feature is useful for watching TV at home or having conversations in a quiet place. However, unlike traditional hearing aids, the ambient sound feature did not help much in a noisy environment, possibly because both the target sound and noise were amplified to the same level. Despite these limitations, the ambient sound feature can serve as a budget-friendly option for those with mild-to-moderate hearing loss.
Adaptive sound
Samsung has long recognised the need for better hearing accessibility on mobile devices, offering a suite of features built on top of Android first in its TouchWiz interface and recently its One UI since as early as 2015.
These features, found under accessibility settings of Galaxy phones and tablets, are designed to augment sound quality and notification systems for users with varying degrees of hearing loss.
Amplify ambient sound: This allows users to increase the volume of conversations around them through their headphones.
Adapt Sound: Users can choose from pre-set sound profiles based on age or create a personalised sound profile tailored to their hearing loss.
Mono audio and left/right sound balance: These features optimise audio output for users who may have difficulty hearing in stereo or require adjustments for specific ears.
While not intended to replace dedicated hearing aids, Samsung's features highlight an industry-wide trend toward integrating hearing support into everyday technology.
Still significant
Apple's foray into the hearing aid market with its AirPods Pro 2 is great because it will force many other smartphone and personal audio makers to consider hearing health in their product design.
By integrating hearing aid functionality into a popular consumer product, Apple potentially removes the stigma and cost barriers traditionally associated with hearing aids.
Apple's entry into this space, coupled with the ongoing efforts of companies like Samsung and research initiatives like the HearZA app, signals a promising future for accessible and innovative hearing health solutions.
