Apple
Apple AirPods Pro’s new hearing aid feature could help people face a problem they’d rather ignore
By DEVI SHASTRI, Associated Press
Some Apple AirPods wireless headphones can be used as hearing aids with a new software update available in October. It’s a high-profile move that experts applaud, even if they only reach a small portion of the millions of Americans with hearing loss.
An estimated 30 million people — 1 in 8 Americans over the age of 12 — have hearing loss in both ears. Millions would benefit from hearing aids but most have never tried them, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Countless others have tried them, but don’t use them because of cost, poor quality, poor fit, how they look or for other reasons.