Apple's revolutionary AirPods Pro 2 hearing features come to the UK
The super-popular wireless earphones can now be used as hearing aids too
Last year Apple announced you’d soon be able to use its AirPods Pro 2 earphones as hearing aids, and that feature has finally reached the UK.
The upgrade is coming as part of a software update that has already come to the US, but only started rolling out to UK folks on February 24th.
Here’s how it works. Once the update is installed, AirPods Pro 2 users will be able to take a hearing test in the AirPods area of the Settings menu on an iPhone.
This will take about five minutes, and checks you out for hearing loss, much as an audiologist would. That process generates a hearing profile that can help amplify the frequency ranges you are not able to hear as well naturally.
We’ve heard good reports from folks in the US, who got this AirPods Pro 2 feature earlier, of it helping people to maintain conversations more naturally. Apple claims it’s the equivalent of a “clinical-grade” hearing aid experience.
“We believe that technology can help people live healthier lives, and we’re delighted to bring the Hearing Aid feature to the UK, offering our users an end-to-end hearing health experience with AirPods Pro 2,” says Sumbul Desai, Apple’s Health division vice president.
Price is one of the obvious benefits here. A pair of AirPods Pro 2 earphones will set you back around £230. A pair of Phonak Audeo Sphere hearing aids might cost £2500-3000.
Where are the downsides? Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 aren’t tailor made for long battery life like a good pair of hearing aids, rated for 5-6 hours, just a fraction of the 15-24 hours we’ve seen dedicated aids rated for.
That’s because they will typically use a control/battery housing that sits behind the ear, where AirPods are tiny little things. And that brings up another key difference.
To the onlooker, you’re wearing a pair of earphones, not a hearing aid — which will often try to mask the appearance of the earpiece with transparent of translucent parts. Still, perhaps it’s time for those onlookers to catch up with what Apple’s doing here.