Study finds Apple's AirPods Pro may serve as a hearing-assistive device

The results prove that the AirPods Pro can be considered a good option to use by the people who have mild-to-moderate hearing problems

A study published by iScience reveals that Personal Sound Amplification Products (PSAP) like Apple’s AirPods Pro could help people in hearing better. These devices are designed to offer a more comfortable and talking experience. Apple AirPods are not designed as a hearing aid, but the study shows that it can help individuals with mild-moderate hearing loss.  The study compared hearing performances among adults with mild-moderate hearing loss when aided with each hearing assistive device. This was tested on 21 individuals who had no prior experience of using hearing aids.

The AirPods were connected with the iPhone XS Max smartphones with iOS version 13.0 for the study. The research was supported by grants from the National Science and Technology Council, the University System to Taiwan Joint Research Program and the Veterans General Hospitals. The AirPods Pro had features similar to the hearing aids such as the maximum output sound pressure level at 90dB sound, frequency response smoothness, response bandwidth etc. The results prove that the AirPods Pro can be considered a good option to use by the people who have mild-to-moderate hearing problems but they are available at a high cost and also require a medical prescription.