With iOS 18, Apple wants to turn your AirPods Pro into hearing aids, and the implications could be serious.
How to Set Up Your Apple Airpods Pro as a Hearing Aid: Guide & Review 2023
According to insider reports from Apple rumormonger Mark Gurman, Apple is planning to combine several existing AirPods features, turning them into hearing aids. This, combined with a change in U.S. law regarding over-the-counter hearing aids last year, could suddenly help millions of people who need hearing aids but might otherwise never use them.
“This is a real game changer for people with mild hearing loss, for whom it’s not worth spending thousands of dollars on hearing aids,” fitness expert, app designer, and deaf iPhone user Graham Bower told Lifewire via DM.
To see why this is such a big deal, consider a parallel device: reading glasses. If you have trouble reading the words on a page or screen, the next time you’re at the drugstore or wherever, you can easily try out a pair of reading glasses, buy a pair for a few bucks, and the problem is solved. Maybe you really do need a more complex prescription, or maybe you just picked the wrong strength, but at least you’ll have improved things in the short term.
