Surprise Discovery Shows AirPods Can Work as Well as Expensive Hearing Aids

New research shows that Apple's higher end earbuds have the potential to act as hearing aids for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss.

The findings could change the lives of millions of people who don't currently use hearing aids because of the high cost or because of the social stigma that comes along with them.

"These wireless earbuds are not perfect, but they would be a good starting point for many patients who don't have access to professional hearing aids."

Even with these earbuds, they will see a rise in quality of life.

21 people with mild to moderate hearing loss were tested with premium hearing aids, basic hearing aids, and AirPods Pro earbuds. The Live Listen app was installed on the Apple iPhones.

Volunteers were told to repeat the short sentences they were given.

If the noise wasn't coming from in front of the hearer, the AirPods Pro was comparable to the premium hearing aids. The basic hearing aids and premium hearing aids were about the same in quiet environments.

The hearing aids were better than the basic AirPods 2, but they were not as good. When the noise source was in front of the volunteers, neither model of AirPods helped them hear better.

The Live Listen technology in both the AirPods 2 and the AirPods Pro can amplify sounds, but only the Pro model has active noise cancellation, which blocks out some external sounds. The discrepancy between the two sets of earbuds could be explained by this.

There are two reasons for the difference between the two scenarios. It may relate to the sound waves travel with premium hearing aids.

Engineers will hopefully be inspired to design hearing aids that are more sensitive in certain directions.

The high price of hearing aids can make them look old. They need multiple visits to health professionals to fit and tune. Most people with hearing loss don't use hearing aids.

Wireless earbuds are a more accessible alternative, and their numbers are growing, with features being packed in with every update to these products.

The researchers think they can encourage manufacturers to include features to help those with hearing loss and improve the sound of music and podcasts. The earbuds that would help and those that wouldn't need to be labeled with a regulatory procedure.

The global wireless earphone market is growing fast. Some companies want to design earbuds with sound amplification features. The idea is plausible.

IScience has published the research.