AirPods Pro 2 are Now Hearing Aids
Could this spell the end of traditional hearing aids for those with mild, but still significant, hearing loss?
Me and my AirPods Pro
Unless you know me personally, you wouldn't be aware of something about me that might surprise you. It's something that can turn everyday social interactions into a mental workout. It's not something you can obviously see, like a limb in a cast or glasses on a face.
It’s my hearing.
Crowded rooms, with their overlapping conversations and background noises, are exhausting. In these situations, I have to zero in on the person I'm talking to, be laser-focused, and watch their lips carefully (though I'm not really lip-reading) to properly catch their words. Sometimes, when I still can't quite hear, I start filling in the gaps with what I think they might have said — a little trick I've picked up to avoid asking them to repeat themselves over and over. But this strategy is risky. There's nothing quite like responding to a comment never made or agreeing to something you didn't realise was suggested. Attending a party is a social minefield with hearing loss and can be mentally exhausting!
I've tried traditional hearing aids, but they add to my frustrations. They're clunky (though admittedly not as clunky as they once were), and I feel them constantly rubbing against my skin, which ends up hurting. They frequently got caught on my glasses, and then everything needed adjustments. And if I wanted to switch to listening to a podcast or music. I'd have to take the hearing aids out and swap in my AirPods, juggling devices like a dull circus act. It made me resent the whole process — a daily reminder that something wasn't quite right with me.
So when I watched Apple's most recent event and saw that Apple's next update for the AirPods Pro 2 would effectively turn them into "clinical-grade" hearing aids, it felt like a revelation. Finally, a solution that doesn't require carrying around more tech or feeling uncomfortable all day. With a simple software update, the AirPods Pro 2, according to what Apple shared, will allow me to conduct a hearing test in the comfort of my home, using nothing more than the AirPods and my iPhone. In just a few minutes, it will create a personalised profile that will adjust sound settings to enhance what I need to hear most — voices, music, or simply the ambient sounds around me.
Image source: apple.com/airpods-pro/hearing-health
The prospect of having all my needs met in a single, familiar package feels like a breath of fresh air. I could wear my AirPods during a conversation without the discomfort described earlier. There would be no more device swapping or adjusting settings for different environments. It should all just … work. And that's the kind of simplicity I didn't know I was longing for!
This feature feels like a leap towards something more significant, a step towards making technology work for us in ways that feel natural and intuitive. Instead of cluttering our lives with more gadgets, it's about enhancing what we already use to make our daily experiences better. Perhaps the future of personal health isn't about adding more devices but getting more out of the ones we already have.
Despite all that I've just written, until folks get used to seeing people they're talking to with AirPods in their ears, they might think the other person is being distracted and rude. They might think they are being tuned out with the wearer more interested in whatever's streaming into their ears than in the words being spoken. But with this new feature, it will be quite the opposite. Wearing AirPods would mean someone like me is making a conscious choice to listen more closely, catch every word, and be fully present in the conversation without struggling or guessing. It won't be about distancing myself but more about bridging the gap between what's being said and what I hear.
So, in the coming months, as more people upgrade the software on their AirPods Pro, and you see someone with AirPods in their ears, don't be quick to judge. They mightnot be zoning out or ignoring you (I mean, we can't say for certain as you might not be very interesting to listen to!). They might actually be trying harder than ever to hear every word you say. And that's a shift in perspective worth considering.
Sometimes, it's not about adding something new; it's about looking at what's already there and seeing it in a whole new way.
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