Apple’s AirPods hearing aid feature could be a game-changer

• Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 now offer FDA-approved hearing aid capabilities.
• A hearing loss expert predicts the technology will do well as people test it.
• Priced at $249, the AirPods Pro 2 offer a cost-effective alternative to traditional hearing aids.

Apple is adding hearing aids to its ecosystem and it could be a game changer.

The hearing aid feature in Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 is designed for people with mild to moderate hearing loss, and Apple said it can amplify voices, phone calls and media sounds.

While the Food and Drug Administration approved the hearing aid feature on September 14, I was skeptical about how well the technology would work in the real world. Your boss might wonder why you’re rudely wearing headphones during a team meeting, for example, or people might think you’re listening to music or on a call when they want to talk to you.

So we sought out an expert in the hearing loss community to better understand whether we should expect Apple’s hearing aids to be a hit or miss. Katherine Bouton, an author who works with the Hearing Loss Association of America, helped shed light on how the tech giant’s target audience received the announcement.

Spoiler alert: I was wrong and it sounds like something hard to hear that people need.

Apple offers a more affordable option

Bouton, who herself lives with hearing loss, said she paid $3,000 for her first hearing aids about 30 years ago, and they haven’t gotten any cheaper. AirPods Pro 2 are available now for $249.

“I think it should probably do really, really well. The price is great,” Bouton said.

The Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Act of 2017 allowed the FDA to regulate the sale of hearing aids that do not require a prescription or a trip to the audiologist. Federal officials approved the sale of OTC hearing aids in 2022. As a result, companies like Costco, Walmart and Bose have capitalized on the new market.

Bouton said OTC hearing aids can save thousands of consumers. AirPods Pro 2 retail for a fraction of the cost of prescription hearing aids, which can cost over $3,000 for each ear.

And if they don’t work for you, you can easily return them to Apple.

“Up until this point, if you paid $249 for something that was called a hearing aid, it was very likely not something you should put your ear to,” Bouton said.

Available hearing tests are also a plus

In May 2023, there were just over 13,000 audiologists in the US, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For comparison, there were over 40,000 optometrists at the same time.

It’s a problem Bouton said makes it difficult for adults to get hearing tests as often as they should, if at all. Apple’s “accurate, fast and easy” test using the AirPods Pro 2 plays a range of sounds, it says, and can be done at your leisure.

AirPods could be a good first step for those dealing with hearing loss

“Hearing aid stigma is really completely related to age stigma,” Bouton said.

When I asked about how the headphones might be perceived as a sign of not bothering a person, Bouton said he finds them more welcoming than over-ear headphones.

As the daughter of a woman with hearing loss, I witnessed my mother’s denial of her struggles.

Talking with Bouton helped me realize that people under 60, like my mom, might feel more comfortable trying the hearing aid feature on their new AirPods as a first step in hearing healthcare.

With these new AirPods, Bouton said hearing-impaired people can “buy a pair of headphones and look like they’re 18, and then they can hear better again.”