FDA Approves Hearing Aids in AirPods

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the “Hearing Aid Feature” software device, which the agency says could be installed on Apple’s AirPods Pro headphones to amplify sounds for anyone 18 years of age or older with mild to moderate hearing loss.

Earlier this week, the Cupertino company reported that its AirPods Pro 2 could now be “transformed” into a custom hearing aid via an upcoming software update that would enhance specific sounds in real time, including parts of speech or elements in the surrounding environment. Apple announced that the new hearing health features will be available this fall to AirPods Pro 2 users in more than 100 countries and regions.