I Tested Apple’s Hearing Aid - Exploring AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Health Software

**The Future of Hearing Loss Prevention and Management with Apple Watch**

The Apple Watch is not just a stylish accessory, but also a tool that can help prevent and manage hearing loss. With its built-in decibel level meter, it can detect loud sounds and alert you to take action to protect your ears. In this article, we'll explore how the Apple Watch can help keep your ears safe in noisy environments.

**Passing Sound Waves Through the Apple Watch**

When sound waves pass through the Apple Watch at a lower frequency, they are designed to retain all the details of the original sound wave. This is particularly helpful for loud music, as it allows you to enjoy your favorite tunes without sacrificing any sound quality. However, this feature may not be effective for extremely loud impulse sounds, such as those found at shooting ranges or during fireworks displays.

To demonstrate its capabilities, I had my husband help me test the Apple Watch's decibel level meter while he was practicing piano near our living room. The results were impressive - we observed decibel levels ranging from 90 to 100 dB near the piano, which is equivalent to the sound of a Beethoven concerto at its most intense. Prolonged exposure to such high sound levels can cause temporary hearing loss, so it's essential to take steps to protect your ears.

**Using AirPods with Apple Watch**

One of the innovative features of the Apple Watch is its ability to reduce decibel levels while still preserving the quality of sound. When I wore AirPods during this test, the Apple Watch detected a reduction in decibel levels of around 7-10 dB compared to my own observation. This was achieved without making the sound seem muffled or compromised.

Wearing earplugs is also an effective way to protect your hearing. While they may not offer the same level of convenience as AirPods, they can provide significant protection against loud sounds. For those who want a more hands-free solution, there are devices like Loop that can adjust to different scenarios and provide customizable sound reduction.

**Testing in Noisy Environments**

I decided to test the Apple Watch in a noisy environment - New York's noisiest salsa bar - to see how well it performed. The decibel level meter showed readings of around 80 dB, which is within a comfortable range for everyday conversation. In this scenario, the Apple Watch didn't need to make any adjustments to lower the decibel levels, as they were not excessively loud.

However, I also had the opportunity to try out another hearing aid feature called Conversation Boost. This feature focuses on a person speaking in front of you, making it easier to hear them clearly even in noisy environments. During my test, I was able to hear my producer Richard's voice more clearly than before, as if his voice had been "pulled forward" from the surrounding chatter.

**Real-Life Applications and Experiences**

To gain a deeper understanding of how this technology can be used in everyday life, I spoke with someone who has firsthand experience with hearing loss - Tara Brown, my teammate. Her mother Nancy has been using hearing aids for 10 years, and Tara shared her insights on the benefits of these devices.

Nancy's experience is typical of many people who have struggled with hearing loss due to prolonged exposure to loud sounds. While traditional hearing aids can be cumbersome and require regular maintenance, newer models like the Jabra Enhanced Pro offer more convenient and high-tech solutions.

Tara also taught me about her mother's experiences with these hearing aids, including how she uses an app to control them remotely. This technology has been a game-changer for Nancy, allowing her to take charge of her hearing health in ways she never thought possible.

**The Future of Hearing Loss Prevention and Management**

As we look to the future, it's exciting to think about how this technology can revolutionize the way we approach hearing loss prevention and management. By making it more accessible and convenient, devices like the Apple Watch may encourage people to take steps to protect their ears and seek help if needed.

For many of us, the idea of wearing a hearing aid or using noise-cancelling headphones is still a foreign concept. However, with technology like this on the horizon, we may soon be able to easily track our hearing health and take proactive measures to prevent damage.

As I reflect on my own experiences with the Apple Watch, I'm reminded that hearing loss is a common concern for many of us. While some people may not need to worry about their hearing health, others will benefit from tools like these to protect their ears and preserve their hearing.

By sharing our stories and insights, we can work together to raise awareness about hearing loss and promote a culture of hearing health. Whether you're an avid music lover or simply someone who wants to take care of your ears, there's never been a better time to explore the world of hearing aids and noise-cancelling technology.

**The Conversation Continues**

As I conclude this article, I invite you to share your own experiences with hearing loss or noise-cancelling technology. How have you used these tools in your daily life? What benefits have you experienced, and what challenges have you faced?

By continuing the conversation around hearing health, we can work together to create a more supportive community for those who struggle with this common issue. Whether it's through sharing tips, resources, or personal stories, let's keep the conversation going and explore the exciting possibilities of technology that can help us protect our ears and preserve our hearing.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthese airpods can be turned into hearing aids and I've tried it out I got Early Access to Apple's FDA approved software that turns the airpods Pro 2 into a hearing a and I've also spent some time testing the new hearing protection software which helps minimize loud sounds that can impact your hearing now Apple says the new features will be available to the public next week with a software update now as for the hardware here the airpods Pro 2 well these came out 2 years ago but this update is going to level it up to a whole new health experience I explore the new features by taking hearing tests and seeing how it compares to a professional audiogram test I learned a bit about hearing aid technology today and how Apple's Tech could make an impact to how people approach the issue of hearing loss and to do a proper airpods test of course I did a bit of rocking out so listen up and I'll tell you all about it I'm Bridget KY and in this week's episode of one more thing I am taking you through a Hands-On first look at Apple's airpods pro2 hearing Health software let me start by showing you what the hearing test is like when you update your device you're going to see hearing Health in the airpod settings and this is where you're going to find the hearing test it's got to be a very quiet room to take that test it takes about 10 minutes and it checks the Seal of the ear tips to make sure you have a good fit for the size of your ears now the test involves you tapping the screen every time you hear these beeping tones and let me tell you it does get very faint at a certain point I needed to concentrate now if if it detects the slightest bit of noise in the room it's going to pause the test to make sure it's really quiet before you begin again and you can take the test again in fact you can take it as many times as you want it's going to keep a record of all your tests my test results showed I did have a little bit of hearing loss and at this point I was able to turn on the hearing aid feature which adjusted to boost the tones that I wasn't picking up on as much if you are familiar with airpods transparency mode where it lets you hear the world around you clearly you can think of the hearing aid as a more enhanced version of transparency now I don't have the level of hearing loss that would need help from hearing aids but I still turned it on to just better understand the tech when it's on you can also make hearing adjustments not just to the outside world but to what you're listening to in your airpods under media assist it's going to apply your hearing aid settings to improve the clarity of music video and calls now when I have it turned on and I'm listening to music I can tell it's putting more of an emphasis on the vocals for me like highlighting those higher frequencies more and if I wanted to make adjustments to the amplification and the balance well I could just dive in deeper into the controls to find tune it all when hearing aid mode is on your volume controls on the phone also change you can slide to adjust the volume of the outside environment noise or just the volume of the media you're listening to a new shortcut menu button will also appear in the control center with this ear icon it can help you quickly make adjustments I wanted to see how this would compare to a professional hearing test from an audiologist I visited the experts at New York Presbyterian Columbia University Irving Medical Center I got a hearing test in a soundproof room at their Audiology Department it was the classic Beep Test where I raised my hand when I heard the tones so it's not too different from Apple's experience but it was much more controlled and quiet now the professionals they're going to do a little more than Apple would for me they tested if I could hear certain words that were said in my ear say the word l Loaf and the results though were pretty close to what I got on Apple's test if you get a test done by a professional you can actually upload your paper printout results into the app you can scan it with your phone's camera Apple nailed this one the data from my chart on paper showed up exactly the same in the app and I could apply this test to my airpod hearing a settings during my visit I met up with Dr Justin gallb at the Columbia University Medical Center to get a better sense of the issues around hearing loss and what other Tech is out there for people to test at home so there are ways that people can do hearing tests at home however it requires some initiative and you have to be techsavvy to a degree you have to find the app and the question is which app so you might want to read about which are good which get good ratings which don't um you have to make sure that the headphones you have will be compatible um and so it can be done but the question is what is the quality some apps are better than others the nice thing about Apple entering a market is typically Apple has good quality products and you can trust it and it's widely available so it just makes it much easier to do there are over-the-counter hearing aids that do not require a prescription but prescription hearing aids can cost anywhere between $2 and $7,000 so many things about it are exciting one is the price $250 for an earphone may be a little on the pricey end but $250 for an over-the-counter hearing aid is very cheap and a lot of people have this already and so the price is free it will just become a hearing Healthcare product through a software update this is like a nice entry-level device that can help people in certain situations the battery life is only something like you know 6ish hours so you're not going to be wearing it all day like you would want to with a regular hearing aid so if you really need a hearing aid get a real hearing aid so to shift gears a bit let's also touch on the improved hearing protection features if it detects harmfully loud sounds it's going to take that sound wave and pass it through to you at a lower level and it's designed to keep all the details of the sound there one example is that it's helpful for loud music now this is not going to help you for Extremely Loud impulse sounds this not going to help you at a shooting range or Big Bangs of fireworks but if you're next to someone banging on a piano then yes it can help I had my husband help me out with this test the Apple watch will give you a reading of the deciel levels around you and when he was practicing I noticed it got anywhere from 90 DB to his high as 100 DB near the piano that's fortisimo baby around 30 minutes of exposure to this level of sound a day can cause temporary hearing loss but playing Beethoven doesn't mean we have to lose our hearing like Beethoven so when I put in airpods the Apple watch now tells me what I am hearing is lowered down sometimes it was about 7 to 10 DB lower from what I observed earlier but it didn't sound muffled it preserved the quality of the music wearing earplugs can also protect your hearing of course maybe you want to use something like these from Loop which can adjust for different scenarios but the idea is that airpods are aiming to keep the details of the full sound signature but it's just delivering it to you in your ear at a safer level so what is it like in just normal noisy environments this felt like an appropriate place to test it New York's noisiest saki bar deciel and of course we packed in our bags a deciel reader after work drinks with my producer Richard showed me that the noise levels at the bar were not too bad it stayed in roughly around 80 in the green range and the airpods were not making any adjustments to lower it for me this was not as loud as the bluring piano so the airpods didn't need to adjust anything but it was fascinating to try hear another hearing aid feature called conversation boost it will focus in on a person talking in front of you making it easier to hear someone in a face-to-face conversation if they are about 7 to 10 ft in front of you and I really did hear Richard so much clearer in a comfortable away almost like making his voice stand apart from the music and the chatter around us it's one thing to have me talk about what it's like but what about someone who actually uses hearing aids every day well in my scet camera crew we have someone who knows this issue well I met up with my teammate Tara Brown and her mom Nancy who has been using hearing aids for 10 years in a quiet library room we took the test and you can see it really showed much more hearing loss for her than with my test if you're used to having these Wireless to listen to your music which I'm not but if you are this is great then you you take your hearing a out plant a real sound put them in your PO the other things in your pocket and then when you don't need the music just switch them out again but it doesn't eliminate for me a real hearing aid and she also taught me a few things about her high-tech hearing aids the Jabra enhanced Pro which she got online without a prescription after getting a hearing test from an audiologist and she also controls all with an app now although she cannot rely on something like airpods which only have a 6-hour battery life and she needs these all the time it was interesting to think about if this technology was around when she was younger would it have gotten her started on hearing aids sooner we're going to hear more about people's experiences when the software does come out next week which you might see in an update on iOS or iPad OS and the hearing aid features also supported on Mac OS Sequoia but it's very interesting to me that we have this item that growing up we were always told it's going to hurt your ears by playing music too loud all the time and now it's become something that's supposed to help prevent hearing loss or even help us manage it but I also think having something so easy for anyone to access might make it easier to show this to a family member and see if they need a hearing test or hearing aid Dr gallb told me that one of the biggest barriers for patients was acceptance that they even needed a hearing aid maybe this now makes it easier to get the conversation started Ed and having people be more aware of their hearing loss will we start to compare in conversation our hearing loss numbers like we do with our iight prescription numbers Apple says I'm a 12 in my right but a six in my left how about you I'm Bridget Cary and I'll see you next time there's one more thing to talk about in the world of Applethese airpods can be turned into hearing aids and I've tried it out I got Early Access to Apple's FDA approved software that turns the airpods Pro 2 into a hearing a and I've also spent some time testing the new hearing protection software which helps minimize loud sounds that can impact your hearing now Apple says the new features will be available to the public next week with a software update now as for the hardware here the airpods Pro 2 well these came out 2 years ago but this update is going to level it up to a whole new health experience I explore the new features by taking hearing tests and seeing how it compares to a professional audiogram test I learned a bit about hearing aid technology today and how Apple's Tech could make an impact to how people approach the issue of hearing loss and to do a proper airpods test of course I did a bit of rocking out so listen up and I'll tell you all about it I'm Bridget KY and in this week's episode of one more thing I am taking you through a Hands-On first look at Apple's airpods pro2 hearing Health software let me start by showing you what the hearing test is like when you update your device you're going to see hearing Health in the airpod settings and this is where you're going to find the hearing test it's got to be a very quiet room to take that test it takes about 10 minutes and it checks the Seal of the ear tips to make sure you have a good fit for the size of your ears now the test involves you tapping the screen every time you hear these beeping tones and let me tell you it does get very faint at a certain point I needed to concentrate now if if it detects the slightest bit of noise in the room it's going to pause the test to make sure it's really quiet before you begin again and you can take the test again in fact you can take it as many times as you want it's going to keep a record of all your tests my test results showed I did have a little bit of hearing loss and at this point I was able to turn on the hearing aid feature which adjusted to boost the tones that I wasn't picking up on as much if you are familiar with airpods transparency mode where it lets you hear the world around you clearly you can think of the hearing aid as a more enhanced version of transparency now I don't have the level of hearing loss that would need help from hearing aids but I still turned it on to just better understand the tech when it's on you can also make hearing adjustments not just to the outside world but to what you're listening to in your airpods under media assist it's going to apply your hearing aid settings to improve the clarity of music video and calls now when I have it turned on and I'm listening to music I can tell it's putting more of an emphasis on the vocals for me like highlighting those higher frequencies more and if I wanted to make adjustments to the amplification and the balance well I could just dive in deeper into the controls to find tune it all when hearing aid mode is on your volume controls on the phone also change you can slide to adjust the volume of the outside environment noise or just the volume of the media you're listening to a new shortcut menu button will also appear in the control center with this ear icon it can help you quickly make adjustments I wanted to see how this would compare to a professional hearing test from an audiologist I visited the experts at New York Presbyterian Columbia University Irving Medical Center I got a hearing test in a soundproof room at their Audiology Department it was the classic Beep Test where I raised my hand when I heard the tones so it's not too different from Apple's experience but it was much more controlled and quiet now the professionals they're going to do a little more than Apple would for me they tested if I could hear certain words that were said in my ear say the word l Loaf and the results though were pretty close to what I got on Apple's test if you get a test done by a professional you can actually upload your paper printout results into the app you can scan it with your phone's camera Apple nailed this one the data from my chart on paper showed up exactly the same in the app and I could apply this test to my airpod hearing a settings during my visit I met up with Dr Justin gallb at the Columbia University Medical Center to get a better sense of the issues around hearing loss and what other Tech is out there for people to test at home so there are ways that people can do hearing tests at home however it requires some initiative and you have to be techsavvy to a degree you have to find the app and the question is which app so you might want to read about which are good which get good ratings which don't um you have to make sure that the headphones you have will be compatible um and so it can be done but the question is what is the quality some apps are better than others the nice thing about Apple entering a market is typically Apple has good quality products and you can trust it and it's widely available so it just makes it much easier to do there are over-the-counter hearing aids that do not require a prescription but prescription hearing aids can cost anywhere between $2 and $7,000 so many things about it are exciting one is the price $250 for an earphone may be a little on the pricey end but $250 for an over-the-counter hearing aid is very cheap and a lot of people have this already and so the price is free it will just become a hearing Healthcare product through a software update this is like a nice entry-level device that can help people in certain situations the battery life is only something like you know 6ish hours so you're not going to be wearing it all day like you would want to with a regular hearing aid so if you really need a hearing aid get a real hearing aid so to shift gears a bit let's also touch on the improved hearing protection features if it detects harmfully loud sounds it's going to take that sound wave and pass it through to you at a lower level and it's designed to keep all the details of the sound there one example is that it's helpful for loud music now this is not going to help you for Extremely Loud impulse sounds this not going to help you at a shooting range or Big Bangs of fireworks but if you're next to someone banging on a piano then yes it can help I had my husband help me out with this test the Apple watch will give you a reading of the deciel levels around you and when he was practicing I noticed it got anywhere from 90 DB to his high as 100 DB near the piano that's fortisimo baby around 30 minutes of exposure to this level of sound a day can cause temporary hearing loss but playing Beethoven doesn't mean we have to lose our hearing like Beethoven so when I put in airpods the Apple watch now tells me what I am hearing is lowered down sometimes it was about 7 to 10 DB lower from what I observed earlier but it didn't sound muffled it preserved the quality of the music wearing earplugs can also protect your hearing of course maybe you want to use something like these from Loop which can adjust for different scenarios but the idea is that airpods are aiming to keep the details of the full sound signature but it's just delivering it to you in your ear at a safer level so what is it like in just normal noisy environments this felt like an appropriate place to test it New York's noisiest saki bar deciel and of course we packed in our bags a deciel reader after work drinks with my producer Richard showed me that the noise levels at the bar were not too bad it stayed in roughly around 80 in the green range and the airpods were not making any adjustments to lower it for me this was not as loud as the bluring piano so the airpods didn't need to adjust anything but it was fascinating to try hear another hearing aid feature called conversation boost it will focus in on a person talking in front of you making it easier to hear someone in a face-to-face conversation if they are about 7 to 10 ft in front of you and I really did hear Richard so much clearer in a comfortable away almost like making his voice stand apart from the music and the chatter around us it's one thing to have me talk about what it's like but what about someone who actually uses hearing aids every day well in my scet camera crew we have someone who knows this issue well I met up with my teammate Tara Brown and her mom Nancy who has been using hearing aids for 10 years in a quiet library room we took the test and you can see it really showed much more hearing loss for her than with my test if you're used to having these Wireless to listen to your music which I'm not but if you are this is great then you you take your hearing a out plant a real sound put them in your PO the other things in your pocket and then when you don't need the music just switch them out again but it doesn't eliminate for me a real hearing aid and she also taught me a few things about her high-tech hearing aids the Jabra enhanced Pro which she got online without a prescription after getting a hearing test from an audiologist and she also controls all with an app now although she cannot rely on something like airpods which only have a 6-hour battery life and she needs these all the time it was interesting to think about if this technology was around when she was younger would it have gotten her started on hearing aids sooner we're going to hear more about people's experiences when the software does come out next week which you might see in an update on iOS or iPad OS and the hearing aid features also supported on Mac OS Sequoia but it's very interesting to me that we have this item that growing up we were always told it's going to hurt your ears by playing music too loud all the time and now it's become something that's supposed to help prevent hearing loss or even help us manage it but I also think having something so easy for anyone to access might make it easier to show this to a family member and see if they need a hearing test or hearing aid Dr gallb told me that one of the biggest barriers for patients was acceptance that they even needed a hearing aid maybe this now makes it easier to get the conversation started Ed and having people be more aware of their hearing loss will we start to compare in conversation our hearing loss numbers like we do with our iight prescription numbers Apple says I'm a 12 in my right but a six in my left how about you I'm Bridget Cary and I'll see you next time there's one more thing to talk about in the world of Apple\n"