A study finds that Apple’s AirPods can perform just as well as expensive hearing aids

Apple’s AirPods Pro earbuds can act as hearing aids for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss, according to a new study published in the journal. iScience open. The study was conducted by researchers from Taipei Veterans Hospital in Taiwan. The experts looked at 21 participants with mild to moderate hearing loss and tested a variety of hearing aids. This included basic and basic hearing aids, AirPods Pro and Airpods 2 headphones.

For the study, AirPods were paired with an iPhone with an environmental noise amplifier app called Live Listen running. Participants were asked to wear the devices and listen to short sentences read by the researchers. After that, they had to repeat the statement verbatim.

Researchers found that AirPods 2 performed similarly well as basic hearing aids in quiet environments. In noisier environments, the AirPods Pro — which have built-in noise cancellation — had comparable performance to premium hearing aids — specifically when the noise was coming from the participant’s side. However, when the noise came from the front of the participants, both AirPods models failed to help the participants hear better.

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“These wireless earphones are of course not perfect, but they will be a good starting point for many patients who do not have access to professional hearing aids. They will see an increase in quality of life even with these earphones,” said Yen. Fu Cheng, corresponding study author, according to Science alert.

Moreover, Mr. Cheng also explained that many people would be more comfortable wearing Apple’s AirPods all the time than wearing hearing aids due to the social stigma surrounding them. He even noted that people with hearing loss often need to visit health professionals for fitting and fine-tuning, which becomes stressful for many.

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Therefore, according to the Taiwanese researchers, Apple AirPods Pro could offer an accessible alternative for patients.

“Globally, the market for wireless headphones is growing rapidly. Some companies are interested in exploring the possibility of designing earphones with sound amplification features. Our study proves that the idea is plausible,” the researchers stated according to Science alert.