Originally published at: Apple Releases AirPods 4, Adds Hearing Aid Mode to AirPods Pro 2 - TidBITS
The new AirPods 4 introduce an updated industrial design that Apple says will fit more ears and include a more expensive model with Active Noise Cancellation. However, the more exciting news may be the addition of hearing tests and a Hearing Aid mode for the current AirPods Pro 2.
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I have Beats Fit Pro earbuds which I use when working out (and occasionally at other times; when I’m doing some boring chores like painting for example) and wasn’t otherwise in the market for AirPods, but the hearing aid approval is making me consider getting Pro 2 earbuds just for that. I can get by without hearing aids right now, but I know I’ll need them at some point, and this may be good enough for a while at $250 a pair rather than the expense of real hearing aids.
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I’m really curious how similar the actual in-ear bud is on the new 4s compared to the previous 3s.
My wife would like ANC, but she can’t stand the fit and feel of the Pros. She does prefer the fit and feel of her work 3s over her old personal 1s. The buds on the new 4s look very much like those on the 3s, stalk too in fact. So if the new buds, in spite of all of Apple’s schmoozing about laser scanning 50 gazillion ears to achieve best fit, are essentially the same as the 3s, that would probably be a perfect upgrade for her old 1s (and finally, die Lightning, die!).
The AirPods Max “upgrade” is just sad. I really want to like them, and in principle I’d be happy with a switch to USB-C, but I’m afraid I just can’t justify such a trivial upgrade. I had hoped for at least a new signal processor, perhaps with the upgraded transparency controls that the Pro have. But alas.
Speaking of which, you can already, as alluded to in the article, customise transparency mode to increase amplification, in effect giving you makeshift hearing aids. But bugs make them a risky proposition that only a fool like me would entertain. (But I must say that it does work well, when it works.) If they can make those bugs go away so the mode stays on correctly, and loud sounds are not improperly suppressed (a pelican warning, for instance) then we might just be onto something.
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This potential development has been covered in previous Tidbits discussions such as:
Since they become a “medical device” all sorts of approvals are needed in various regions and countries but the US FDA approval is a giant step.
As I read on another website, this could revolutionise the hearing aid industry with significant price competition.
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The biggest thing to me is the ability to do regular clinical-grade hearing tests at home. Even if I don’t have hearing loss now, it is so gradual, it will be great to have a baseline to look back on in 5-10 years and see how my hearing has changed. (Just like having years of watch heart data could help with future heart trouble.)
I definitely have hearing loss. Would like to track it. Curious as to how good the AirPods will be.
There are apps that can do hearing tests now if you want to start. I’ve used this one:
I do a test once a year or so. What’s been good about this app is that it can create an audiogram that you can apply in the accessibility settings that will boost specific frequencies during media playback. And its results also can be recorded in the health app. But, yes, I still like that Apple will have their own built-in testing app.
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So will Apple’s hearing test actually be saved to an archive of sorts so I can follow deterioration over time? I know I have hearing loss. What I don’t know is how it’s progressing.
Yes, there is already a section in the Health app for it. (Audiogram under hearing). And Apple said as much in the keynote on Monday.
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I’m going to try to keep this as short and to the point as possible. My hearing loss broke my heart. As a musical wind instrument performer, when I became aware 2 years ago that my hearing loss was preventing me from performing at an acceptable level, I chose to end my performance participation rather than wait to be asked to leave. I am an owner of some of the most expensive commercial hearing aids that are available for consumers. They help, but they can’t allow me to continue to perform on my primary instrument, partly because the loudness level of the instrument overdrives the input section (microphone) of the hearing aids, making it impossible to use them while playing. When I purchased my AirPods Pro 2 a few months after purchasing my latest pair of hearing aids, I was immediately aware that the hearing aid options mentioned in Apple’s recent announcement should be possible. I don’t expect for my specific impairment to ever be artificially remedied to the extent needed to allow me to resume performing at the level to which I was accustomed when I stopped. I do hope, however, that these advances in Apple’s technology may contribute to consumers’ options toward overcoming some of the feelings of helplessness that can encompass efforts to find an effective remedy.
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Isn’t the somewhat short time between charges going to be an impediment to widespread use of AirPods as hearing aids for slight-to-moderate hearing loss?
Users of the popular Oticon rechargeable prescription hearing aids say they easily run the entire waking day on an overnight charge.
Surely Apple can do better than AirPod’s 4+ hours between charges (albeit fast) if they hope to break into this medical hearing aid market.
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For casual use as a hearing enhancement device for my mild hearing loss, I don’t anticipate needing to use them for hours at a time. Also you can wear one while you charge another; I believe you get an hour or so of listening time after 5 minutes in the case.
And it will be interesting to see how long they last on a charge while you are not listening to media but instead are using them to augment hearing. Apple hasn’t said - they just say 5.5 to 6 hours of listening time (to media) or 4.5 hours of talk time. I’m guessing that “hearing aid” time will be the same, but maybe not.
I do wonder if Apple will someday offer a more targeted hearing aid device that has something like all-day battery.
Not if you buy two pairs of them! 
And in my experience this is practical, albeit not as convenient as either all-day battery life or replaceable batteries. The battery life is about the same regardless of whether ANC or transparency is in use. Also, because I had both Lightning and USB-C variants, I observed the (very slight, but real) difference in audio output between the pairs of models that Apple have decided not to designate different generational identifiers even though the hardware is in fact different. Another very obvious difference is the range supported: the older variant is much shorter.
I love my Pros, but there is no chance in hell I want to wear them all day long regardless of battery life or how many pairs I could buy. Just not comfortable enough. After a 12-hr flight to Japan, where I try to wear them as much as possible because of ANC, my ears hurt until next day. There I put up with it because quiet rules on a long flight, but no way I’d do that in everyday life unless I’d otherwise actually be fully deaf perhaps.
I would hope that the looser seal of the 4s would make them more comfortable to wear for extended periods of time (though, do I look forward to adults wearing buds all the time like gen-z kids?), but I would also assume NC suffers on the 4s due to the lack of a tight seal.
I’d assume hearing aids have been specifically tailored to be worn all day, both in terms of battery life and comfort. I doubt Apple has the same priorities for their consumer headphones. OTOH, you can probably get about a dozen pairs of AirPods for the price of a real hearing aid.
“…when paired with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac running iOS 18, iPadOS 19, or macOS 15 Sequoia…”
But some iOS 18 features (like AI) don’t work on all the phones that otherwise support iOS 18. I can’t find anything definitive that says the hearing aid/test features work on all of them?
As a “bucket-list wannabe musician,” I would be curious what hearing aids you’ve tried. The two brands (Widex and EarLens*) I’ve tried were not helpful. But at least I don’t play a wind instrument (I suppose, a violin, etc. could have a similar issue).
My hearing isn’t affecting my performance, yet, but I doubt I am performing at your level anyway.
*In fairness, my EarLens issue may have been particular to me. I definitely heard things I never heard with Widex.
You might want to look at the Akuson Aircord which has a battery on a cord that charges AirPods while you wear them:
The link is to an Indigogo campaign. I just received mine and it seems to work well.
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I currently use Miracle-ear Energy 5. It seems obvious to me, due to all the new developments in hearing aid technology, that the Miracle-ear business model will soon only be viable for users who have the absolute minimum ability to manage technology. That will almost certainly cause diminishing resources to Miracle-ear customers, such as fewer locations, fewer available trained hearing specialists. There are now simply too many options for self help that come at a fraction of the cost. I have no intention of berating the services to which I’ve availed myself at Miracle-ear. I tried 4 other options before deciding on Miracle-ear. However, I have relatively early significant hearing loss at age 67, almost certainly because of repeated performing environmental issues in the late 80s - 90’s, and consider myself fairly capable in the area of technical expertise related to audio technology. I used hearing protection intermittently during that period, but not effectively, because I succumbed to demands of competition, convenience, peer pressure, etc. I will again become eligible for insurance benefits next year, and I’ve decided that I will insist on the ability to directly control my own hearing aid settings to the extent that I’ve worked with hearing specialists to accomplish, and that appears to conflict with Miracle-ear policy. The reason for that is that it’s simply too time consuming to set appointments with a hearing specialist every week or two to request a small incremental adjustment in settings that may or may not achieve improvement. I need to be able to make the adjustment myself, try it for an hour or two, or even only a few minutes, then try another adjustment in order to fine tune the devices to attain optimal results.
The 2nd best solution that I’ve considered are the Bose Sound Control Hearing Aids, now handled by Lexie Hearing, which I tried and returned because I wasn’t able to achieve the level of programming success that the Miracle-ear specialists have been able to achieve through repeated appointments. But it’s also true, of course, that I had to make the financial commitment with Miracle-ear before the repeated appointments with hearing specialists were made available. I want to add that I might have had more success with the Bose devices if not for the time constraints that I was under to be able to return the devices for a refund. Miracle-ear would, I’m sure, respond “Of course not” to my suggestion that I wasn’t able to achieve as much success all by myself, but I’m still far enough from ideal success that I am now leaning toward convenience above expertise for reaching my perceived goals for success with hearing aids. I have not tried Widex and EarLens, so thanks for providing those suggestions, because I’m certainly interested in more possible options.
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