Apple AirPods Pro 2 was first launched at the launch event in September this year, and included a feature called "hearing assistance". This feature is designed to help people with hearing impairments get clearer, more vivid sound through earbuds. The hearing aids are also approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The hearing aids in AirPods Pro 2 have garnered a lot of praise so far, and the latest person to praise the feature is the world's richest man, Elon Musk.
Apple CEO Tim Cook shared a hearing aid ad on Thursday in which a father with hearing loss uses AirPods Pro2 hearing aids to hear his daughter opening Christmas gifts. In response, Elon Musk said: "This is cool."
"I'm proud of the many teams at Apple that develop powerful technology that improves people's lives. Hearing assistance on AirPods Pro 2 uses your personalized sound profile to let you hear the moments that matter most," Tim Cook said in his tweet.
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), standard hearing tests show that 1 in 8 people aged 12 or older in the United States (13%, or 30 million people) have hearing loss in both ears. Additionally, approximately 5% of adults ages 45-54 have disabling hearing loss.
The hearing test and hearing aid functions of AirPodsPro2 are compatible with iPhone or iPad of iOS18/iPadOS18 and above. Mac devices with macOSSequoia and later also support hearing aids. Apple says the feature is intended for users 18 or older.
At present, the "hearing protection" function has covered more than 100 countries and regions around the world, and dozens of regions have also added the "hearing test" function. Meanwhile, the only countries that support Apple’s hearing protection feature are the United States and Canada.