Could Apple really be cooking up a change that could save my elderly mother upwards of $1,500? That’s the promise of the company’s recently announced move to add true hearing aid functionality to the AirPods Pro — and why, with all due respect to the iPhone 16 and its fancy camera control button, it was the most promising section of Monday’s presentation, in my opinion.
The news couldn’t have come at a better time for me. My 80-year-old mother has finally admitted that her hearing is, shall we say, poor. And she’s just asked me to book her an appointment at the Miracle Ear clinic next door (“They’re having a fall sale!”). But before I make that decision, I decided to do a little research.
The frustrating world of hearing aids
I knew there was a booming market for Earphones Since the US government opened the field to over-the-counter competition in 2022, a little Googling confirmed that those models — even those with familiar names, like Jabra, Sony, and Sennheiser — start at $300 and go up from there, sometimes topping $2000. And while that’s certainly a lot, the crazy thing is that it’s downright cheap compared to clinical hearing aids. These typically start at $1000 and can go up to $5000 or more. Yes, really.
Some health insurance may defer costs, but Medicare doesn't do it. While retired military personnel may Get hearing aids through the VAI remember that my father's journey down that path meant that his hearing aids arrived many months after the initial hearing exam.
And here’s the crux of the matter: Many older people seem to hate their hearing aids, and rightly so: They’re often tedious and unintuitive to use, sometimes with only a microscopic button to control the volume. Want to turn them off? To start, open the battery door (and many hearing aids still use disposable microbatteries). Case in point: My mother bought one of these expensive hearing aids years ago, but found the challenge of using and maintaining them not worth the audio improvement they offered. They still turn on, but no longer seem to work effectively (and being out of warranty, the cause of our current search for hearing aids).
Competition from the over-the-counter market has helped in that regard, as the Jabras and Sennheisers of the world push traditional headphone vendors to become a little more tech-savvy. amazon;elmt:;cpos:8;pos:1″ href=”https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&siteId=us-engadget&pageId=1p-autolink&featureId=text-link&merchantName=amazon&custData=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&signature=AQAAASTjKNXBcvucNg5dbCVI3dj2zIPV_tF2J9o48ilft31p&gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FLexie-Self-Fitting-Bluetooth-Directional-Smartphone%2Fdp%2FB09K1B13TF” class=”link rapid-with-clickid etailiffa-link” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:behind-the-ear battery pack;elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:amazon;elmt:;cpos:8;pos:1;itc:0;sec:content-canvas”>Behind the ear battery pack and go for The simplicity of the style of the headphonesBluetooth connectivity for calls and apps for sound adjustments are finally becoming more common as older people become more accustomed to using their phones and tablets.
But why buy a knockoff AirPods when you can get the real thing for a fraction of the price? (And, surprisingly, in an age where everything has become a subscription, with no recurring monthly fees whatsoever.)
Waiting for the software update and managing expectations
So when will the headphone features be available? What seemed like it would happen weeks away may now be a lot closer. FDA regulatory approval (in the US) is already a done deal, coming just days after the initial announcement. That leaves the necessary software update. You’ll need AirPods Pro paired with a compatible device running iOS 18, or the equivalent 2024 OS updates for iPad or Mac. On the iPhone side, that’s pretty much all models sold after the 2018 model year (iPhone XS/XR and later). While those initial software updates arrived on September 16, it’s not clear whether the headphone functionality will arrive then or sometime later — perhaps alongside the first Apple Intelligence coming in October.Apple Site It simply says “coming this fall”).
In the meantime, I’ve started selling my mom on the AirPods Pro. I showed her the relevant part of Apple’s video presentation and asked her to try out my AirPods Pro, just to assess fit and comfort. The initial response wasn’t enthusiastic. While she liked that they “didn’t fall out of my ears” like the AirPods 2 did, she was disappointed by the penetration of the tips into her ear canal. Many other earbud fans agree, which is why the design of the new AirPods 4 is more open. But Apple hasn’t suggested that the hearing aid feature is coming to those earbuds anytime soon, if ever.
And let's be honest: This isn't intended as a miracle cure. Apple specifically says this feature is “intended for people with mild to moderate hearing loss.” I wouldn't be surprised if my mom has gotten to the point of needing professional-grade hearing aids at this point, over-the-counter or otherwise. So maybe we'll end up opting for one of those. Jabra Enhance Modelsoffering a 100-day hassle-free return policy.
But now we have the AirPods Pro as an alternative to try. From now on, anyone looking for hearing aids can start their journey with the AirPods Pro and their complimentary free audio trial. If you like the results, you’re done — or at least have a stopgap solution. And if not, you can compare and contrast them to more expensive over-the-counter or clinical options in terms of comfort, battery life, ease of use, and of course, the respective effectiveness of their actual hearing assistance. The mere fact that Apple is in the hearing aid conversation with a roughly $200 option seems like a win.
