Experts at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf have been reviewing Apple’s new AirPods Pro 2 model.
When the tech company promotes that product, among the selling points they mention is what the product may be able to do to help improve hearing. A press release from Apple discusses an “end-to-end experience” that helps minimize exposure to loud environmental noise, tracks hearing with an at-home hearing test and providing assistance for “perceived mild to moderate hearing loss.”
Amanda Picioli is an audiologist and chairperson of RIT/NTID’s Communications Studies and Services Department, and she and her team of eight audiologists and five speech-language pathologists work with individuals from college-age students through retirees, providing services such as hearing evaluations, hearing aid trials, assistive technology and other services.
Picioli said there are several benefits to the AirPods Pro 2, but she also had some cautions about expectations for the product.
“There is some personalization that is allowed with the AirPods, which is nice, some amplification, some balancing, some tone adjustments that are nice features,” said Picioli. “We are finding that it is performing not as well as some of the other over the counter products, though, on some of those avenues.”
Picioli is referring to the fact that over-the-counter hearing aids have been available directly to consumers without a prescription since October 2022. They are for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss.
Picioli said that if you are planning to purchase the AirPods Pro 2 to help with any hearing loss problems, it’s always important to get an evaluation from a health professional.
“I'm concerned that people will try the AirPods as a hearing solution and then be disappointed, or think, ‘Oh, amplification does not work for me,’ and then they won't seek further care. These are good for mild to maybe moderate hearing loss,” said Picioli.
Picioli said the AirPods have some good noise cancellation technology, which can be helpful, but she also noted that they don’t have the kind of battery life that would make them practical to use all day long on a daily basis.
RIT/NTID said that to find an audiologist in your area, you can visit the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Find a Professional webpage: www.asha.org.
