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Apple Gets FDA Authorization for AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Aid Feature
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good question, but as you and probably everyone else knows, Airpods are very visible whereas traditional hearing aids are not, and APPs don't have all day battery life.
I think that more people will do a hearing test and start using APP to assist whereas before they wouldn't have done either.
So there could be the possibility, due to increased awareness, that the market will grow and there is a positive impact to the traditional hearing aid industry, or the opposite.
Only time will tell.
Personally, my hearing is not the best but I don't feel that I need a hearing aid yet (my wife think differently
), but as mentioned before, I will probably get APP2 when they're on sale and then do a hearing test etc etc
My wife in the last year went to an audiologist, got teste, got fitted for $5000 hearing aids, got to take them out on trial for two weeks. She noticed little benefit. Worse yet they kept falling out, nearly losing them. They are not invisible bu a long shot. She returned them and tried a $600 OTC option. They were clunky, hard to operate, ill fitting and performed poorly.
She is very excited about this new Apple option, less money, better control, better support. Sure the battery limitation is a compromise. But she could easily have two pairs and that would work fine. This is a great first step by Apple.
She is very excited about this new Apple option, less money, better control, better support. Sure the battery limitation is a compromise. But she could easily have two pairs and that would work fine. This is a great first step by Apple.
Curious. Does that mean hearing aids are not legal while driving in California? No clue, I am on the east coast
It does work for sounds around you. For example, people talking to you. I don't know if it's added to transparency mode as the implementation.
Some of this capability has already been available for awhile. A couple years ago I saw an audiologist at a local hospital and received a paper report. Some moderate hearing loss. I was able to import this audiology report into the Apple Health App using the iPhone camera and then make a few corrections manually. I was able to apply this profile to my Apple AirPod 2's when using "transparency" mode to improve my hearing by using this customized profile under something called Accessibility > Audio Accessibility Settings > Headphone Accommodations. It has already been a game changer for me. I can actually hear TV and conversation much better. This new hearing aid feature should work even better and be more streamlined.
I think that this is going to be a useful, rather than a killer feature. Traditional hearing aids are usually unobtrusive, either sitting behind or in your ear, and are designed to be worn for extended periods. They also have great battery life. The batteries in mine last for two weeks or more, unlike my AirPod Pro's. I really wouldn't want to use the AirPods continually instead of hearing aids.
Where my hearing aids fall down is in noisy environments. Even with advanced DSP, they still amplify background noise in restaurants and busy places, which makes it hard to hear people (even on their restaurant setting). AirPod Pro's have great noise cancellation and I'm hoping that this might help reduce background noise and focus on speech. I also sometimes forgot to take my hearing aids with me when I go out, so it will really help to have my AirPods as a backup.
Where my hearing aids fall down is in noisy environments. Even with advanced DSP, they still amplify background noise in restaurants and busy places, which makes it hard to hear people (even on their restaurant setting). AirPod Pro's have great noise cancellation and I'm hoping that this might help reduce background noise and focus on speech. I also sometimes forgot to take my hearing aids with me when I go out, so it will really help to have my AirPods as a backup.
I just got hearing aids. I put them in when I wake up and take them out before bed. Can go two days without a charge. So, since the APP can’t come close to that battery life, I will keep my Rexton heading aids.
That's the great thing about this. I'm a middle-aged man and I have the mild high-frequency hearing that is very common for us. It's not bad enough to make me get hearing aids, but it is occasionally annoying. This feature is perfect for people like me, and there are a lot of us.
I work in hearing. Tbh, I’m not too worried about losing share. There are SO MANY people who do not take action towards getting hearing help. The stigma, and cost barriers, are real.
These could become a great device for the majority of people who would not otherwise get help.
There are many advantages to wearing proper hearing aids over AirPods, eg battery life. I suspect that once users are accommodated to wearing devices and see the benefits of assistance, we may end up fitting more hearing aids as a result.
And that’s just the old people. There is a massive cohort of kids who are aided and do not wear their devices. These AirPods mean they may get the help they need without embarrassment at school.
The volume no longer has to be on 80.
Apple will soon allow the AirPods Pro 2 to serve as an over-the-counter hearing aid, and the company has now received FDA approval for the feature.
As noted by TechCrunch, the FDA today announced that it has authorized Apple to add OTC hearing aid functionality to the AirPods Pro 2, and it marks the first product that the FDA has allowed to serve as an over-the-counter hearing aid software device.
An update coming to the AirPods Pro 2 will add the Hearing Aid functionality. Users will take a short Hearing Test using the AirPods and an iPhone, and if hearing loss is detected, a personalized sound profile is created that allows the AirPods Pro 2 to make dynamic sound adjustments to increase sound as needed.
Apple says that the clinical-grade hearing aid feature will help people better engage in conversation and stay connected to the people and environment around them.
Personalized hearing profiles are automatically applied to music, movies, games, and phone calls without the need to adjust any settings. For those with little to no hearing loss, the Hearing Test will also help with specific adjustments at individual frequencies.
Apple plans to roll out the Hearing Aid feature for AirPods Pro 2 this fall.
Article Link: Apple Gets FDA Authorization for AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Aid Feature
Usually Apple has left these kinds of quality of life features to 3rd party app developers, Apple provides a bare bones implementation so they get to advertise the feature and a subscription service provides the actual day to day functionality - like the diving watch functionality on AWatch Ultra. Apple provides the basic function and the Oceanic+ subscription service fills in the actual diving features.
Innovation criticisms are still deserved. Its presented to you like they came up with the idea and execution this year when its likely been on the road map all along and just reached the point to where they are ready to roll it out.
Apple isn't a startup. They have the talent and resources to focus on multiple advances at once but then again they'd be force to outdo themselves each year.
EU nannycrat just read your comment with an evil grin. FDA has no jurisdiction to force any one.
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This isn't remotely the same. This is a software based OTC approval (first ever). This doesn't replace the actual, physical, professionally fit medical hearing aids. If you require medical hearing aid device that cost into thousands, you probably should continue using that. Software OTC hearing aids are for people with mild hearing loss.
Yes, this will push medical manufacturers to slightly drop their prices, but don't confuse software based OTC hearing aid with the medical version.
Just FYI - this means you can likely* use FSA/HSA funds from your insurance to purchase them.
Are Hearing Aids FSA Eligible? - GoodRx
Yes, hearing aids are FSA eligible. You can also use FSA or HSA money for other costs relating to hearing aids, such as batteries and equipment.www.goodrx.com
*YMMV.
Apple is well aware of this, I'm sure.
I wear hearing aids, and I am very thankful that my aids have vastly improved my quality of life. That said, when I watch a movie on TV I take out my hearing aids and put my Air Pods Pro in my ears. Then I put my iPhone next to the soundbar by the TV and turn on Live Listen. It is amazing how well I can hear with the APP. That was a game changer for me. Yes, I could buy a device that would cast the TV sounds to my hearing aids, but the APP do a fantastic job of that.
My son in law has a hearing disability caused by his experiences in the military, so I gave him a set of Air Pods Pro and he was astounded at his ability to hear the TV by using Live Listen and the APP.
The point of this is based on my experiences described above, I feel certain that using the new hearing aid feature of APP2 will be a game changer, especially for the low price. This move by Apple is going to be a big help for millions of people.
My son in law has a hearing disability caused by his experiences in the military, so I gave him a set of Air Pods Pro and he was astounded at his ability to hear the TV by using Live Listen and the APP.
The point of this is based on my experiences described above, I feel certain that using the new hearing aid feature of APP2 will be a game changer, especially for the low price. This move by Apple is going to be a big help for millions of people.
Except it’s not just $200-250. You have to buy a $700+ iphone to get the full functionality of the airpods, very likely including the new hearing aid feature. Not too many people can afford all that around the world, at least not outright.
You are quoting a guy that said the hearing aid cost $7k and think he's going to be upset about a $700 phone?