Live Listen Coming to AirPods in iOS 12

[MacRumors]

Apple in 2014 introduced a Live Listen feature that's designed to allow the iPhone to pair with hearing aids and then serve as a remote microphone that beams the audio the iPhone picks up to the hearing aids.

As noted by TechCrunch, Live Listen is coming to the AirPods with the iOS 12 update, letting iPhone users position their iPhones as a directional mic and have the audio relayed through the AirPods.

With this feature, an iPhone user could, for example, put an iPhone on the table in a noisy restaurant and then have the voice of whomever is speaking routed to the AirPods as a stand-in for hearing aids for those who are hard of hearing or need a bit of extra help separating voices in a loud environment.

Live Listen with AirPods is not going to replace a traditional hearing aid and people with hearing issues should still get a checkup from a doctor, but this feature is handy for people who need something in a pinch without carrying extra hardware.

Article Link: Live Listen Coming to AirPods in iOS 12

 

[greg624]

Is it available to try right now in the beta or no?

 

[mkvelidadon]

Sounds like a good spy tool.

 

[SqB]

Beware of individuals “accidentally” leaving their phones near you.

 

[AManInACan]

Beware of individuals “accidentally” leaving their phones near you.

They are likely to hear, "Hey! This is a pretty nice iPhone X that someone just left next to me. If nobody claims it I'll keep it for myself."

 

[OzarkMtn]

Great for late night TV viewing when you want to minimize noise and not disturb your partner.

 

[sven3]

Tried it by adding the Hearing button in control center. Has a slight delay, but pretty nifty.

 

[TMRJIJ]

Sounds like a good spy tool.

Literally the first thing that came to mind when I read the article

 

[windywalks]

Since I'm already experiencing hearing loss due to AirPods (not exclusively)...
So unfair. I never abuse the volume slider, while my friends listen to music so loud I can hear their blaring head and earphones and they're not losing their hearing while I have to ask the cashier twice what the bill was.

 

[JGIGS]

Beware of individuals “accidentally” leaving their phones near you.

Like an ex spouse during a divorce settlement.

 

[thisisnotmyname]

Great for late night TV viewing when you want to minimize noise and not disturb your partner.

If you're an apple TV owner they already pair to it using the W1 chip, works great.

 

[44267547]

The technology in these things are awesome. Just the way the they seamlessly pair, the convenience factor of removing one Airpod which will stop or pause the music, the W1 chip, and now the ability to Live listen. If Anyone wasn’t sure about this product, it’s worth the 14 day trial.

 

[Jimmy James]

Great for late night TV viewing when you want to minimize noise and not disturb your partner.

Apple TV really needs to enable separate Audio to Wireless headphones.

 

[macduke]

Apple's focus on accessibility can't be stopped and is really putting other companies to shame. Nobody else cares this much.

 

[NachoGrande]

Looking out for future customers. Way to go Apple.

 

[fairuz]

Maybe I'll finally buy some then. I don't have hearing loss, but it's so noisy in every restaurant in this city that I can't hear anyone talk, mainly cause they all play obnoxious music.

 

[Saturnine]

Tried it by adding the Hearing button in control center. Has a slight delay, but pretty nifty.

How did it work?

I put my AirPods in, press the hearing button and get a screen which just says Garry’s AirPods 100% but nothing happens and there doesn’t appear to be anything else to tap.

 

[AppleMad98004]

Beware of individuals “accidentally” leaving their phones near you.

Yup that guy in the coffee shop across from you isn't listening to music on his AirPods he is picking up your conversation.

 

[Janschi]

How did it work?

I put my AirPods in, press the hearing button and get a screen which just says Garry’s AirPods 100% but nothing happens and there doesn’t appear to be anything else to tap.

Same here

 

[dannyyankou]

This is a cool feature, but I imagine that most people that need it will already have a hearing aid anyway. Good for Apple for caring though.

 

[hlfway2anywhere]

Apple TV really needs to enable separate Audio to Wireless headphones.

You've been able to listen through Bluetooth headphones since the Apple TV 4 came out in 2015.

 

[Saturnine]

Figured it out. Play some Audio first, through your AirPods, then tap the Hearing button in Control Centre. You'll get a Live Listening button underneath.

 

[C DM]

Maybe I'll finally buy some then. I don't have hearing loss, but it's so noisy in every restaurant in this city that I can't hear anyone talk, mainly cause they all play obnoxious music.

It's interesting that we might be at a point where people will be sitting at a table with headphones on talking to each other, while from the outside it looks like they are doing the opposite of that essentially given that they would be wearing headphones.

 

[Mac 128]

Well hopefully they've found a way to increase the battery life. Using it in hearing aid mode would probably drain the battery pretty quickly.
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You've been able to listen through Bluetooth headphones since the Apple TV 4 came out in 2015.

Wonder when they'll let us stream to more than one pair of AirPods at a time? It would sure be nice to share a program or music with someone else at the same time.

 

[profets]

Great for late night TV viewing when you want to minimize noise and not disturb your partner.

Apple TV really needs to enable separate Audio to Wireless headphones.

We’ve been able to do this with the Apple TV since 2015. One of my favourite features when the 4th gen Apple TV launched; I use it quite often.