iOS 18 rumored to turn your AirPods Pro into a very helpful medical device

Last year the FDA created a new category of hearing aids that can be purchased over-the-counter without a prescription, a medical exam, or a fitting. And with that in mind, Apple could be poised to enter this market with the AirPods Pro. According to Mark Gurman in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, we shouldn't expect to see any changes to the AirPods Pro hardware in 2024. Instead, Gurman writes that the "big news will be a major new hearing aid mode, coming alongside iOS 18."

Back in November 2022, we told you about a study conducted at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan. An  AirPods Pro and an AirPods 2, each paired to an iPhone, used the handsets' Live Listen feature which employs the microphone on an iPhone to amplify sound and send it to a pair of AirPods. The author of the study, Yen-Fu Cheng, concluded that "These wireless earbuds are of course not perfect, but they would be a good starting point for many patients who don't have access to professional hearing aids. They will see an increase in quality of life even with these earbuds."

Cheng also felt that due to the "social stigma" of wearing hearing aids, some people experiencing hearing loss might feel better wearing a pair of AirPods. After all, a survey showed that 75% of Americans won't wear a hearing aid because it makes them look too old. On the other hand, wearing a pair of AirPods might make someone look more "with it" (for lack of a better phrase).

This isn't the first time Gurman has written about the use of Apple AirPods as a hearing aid. Nearly one year ago to the day, the Bloomberg scribe wrote that he wouldn't be surprised if Apple turned the AirPods into an FDA-approved hearing aid. Tens of millions of people could be helped with such a product, Gurman wrote at the time.

The AirPods Pro could eventually be more than just a hearing aid. Back in 2016, Apple received a patent for a system that would allow Apple to collect biometric data such as a user's heart rate, body temperature, and perspiration through sensors embedded in a pair of earbuds.