I just set up my APP2's in Accessibility->Headphones Accommodations, tuning the AirPods using an audiogram created by my audiologist. I simply scanned a picture of the audiogram into the Health app, worked seamlessly, with the data in the app matching the audiogram. I was really surprised by the improvement in audio quality when listening to music with Accommodations enabled now. Also, with Transparency on, conversations and external audio from TV, etc. were amplified/improved. They won't replace my pricey "real" hearing aids, but the improvements in overall audio quality and experience with my APP2's were quite good.
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AirPods Pro 2 and Headphone Accommodations
- Thread starter sparksd
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Hard to tell the difference, really. The big difference of course is the battery life - 6 hours or so with the AirPods vs more than a full day with the hearing aids (they're rechargeable models). The other difference is fit - some people have issues getting a good fit with AirPods or with comfort when wearing for extended periods, a non-issue with traditional hearing aids if fitted properly. If you mother needs hearing aids, a better option may be Costco - they have some very good hearing aids at excellent prices and can do a true hearing test (which I had to get the accurate audiogram). If you need hearing aids, because of the shortcomings I mention, I don't see AirPods as very good alternative, just useful if needed for short periods of hearing enhancement.
They are very useful if you have mild hearing loss and only need it for occasional use (I.e., in a crowded noisy place like a restaurant where you have difficulty hearing conversations). It’s really meant for people who can use OTC hearing aids, and not quite ready for prescription hearing aids.
Agree with poster above about Costco if your mom really needs prescription hearing aids.
Re: battery life. At $200 for a pair of new AirPods Pro, you can buy 2 pairs of AirPods Pro and alternate and it will still be cheaper than some OTC hearing aids.
Agree with poster above about Costco if your mom really needs prescription hearing aids.
Re: battery life. At $200 for a pair of new AirPods Pro, you can buy 2 pairs of AirPods Pro and alternate and it will still be cheaper than some OTC hearing aids.
I'd be interested in trying the AirPods in a place like a noisy restaurant - that's a tough environment for even true hearing aids as they tend to amplify all sounds though they attempt to isolate conversation; that works fair to middling and even my high-end hearing aids are not completely successful in helping.
I am expecting that to be even better when they release the hearing aid functionality. I use hearing aids for moderate hearing loss so I'm interested to see if this can replace those on occasion. I would still where my regular hearing aids when I go to church or other places where walking around with AirPods would be out of place, but it will be nice to have the feature for other times.
They're convenient for around the house where I may be using the AirPods for listening to media from one of my Apple devices - I don't have to switch them out for short periods where I may want my hearing aids in.
They actually work better than I expected. In the airpods transparency menu, there is a slider that you can use to change the intensity of background noise (ambient noise reduction), which helps when trying to listen to conversations in places like noisy restaurants.
Of course, having your AirPods in at a restaurant may make others think you are ignoring them. Maybe as more people start using them as hearing aids, that stigma will go away. Or maybe when the gen 3 pros come out they will look more discrete.
It does have nice controls. Agree on the visuals of using them, why I would only use them within a group to whom I could explain their usage.
So is the hearing aid functionality out yet, or is the OP describing some other accessibility functions? I'm planning on getting the AirPod Pro 2 to test if they work for my hearing needs once the hearing aid function is fully rolled out.
oh, and another question -- do I need iOS 18 to get the hearing aid function?
I'm not sure what functionality they will add - a hearing test function in the AirPods? I used an existing audiogram that I imported into the Health app that was then used by the Accessibility function. Apple said -
"You will soon have access to a Hearing Test, a Hearing Aid feature, and active Hearing Protection using AirPods Pro 2 and an iPhone or iPad."
Whatever Apple is adding, I don't recall seeing 18 add as a requirement, just that there will be some update to the firmware in the AirPod Pro 2.
Ah, well, the hearing test will likely be iOS 18 only. The rest of it, I guess we'll have to wait and see until the Hearing Aid function is actually rolled out. Interesting that you got so much benefit just from the existing accessibility functions.
Here's a how-to on what I did -
https://www.soundly.com/blog/airpods-as-hearing-aids
As I mentioned, my audiogram came from a chamber test by an audiologist.
https://www.soundly.com/blog/airpods-as-hearing-aids
As I mentioned, my audiogram came from a chamber test by an audiologist.
I should add that the improvement was not an increase in the volume of the media I was listening to, it was a large improvement in the quality. It was like I had found the perfect equalizer settings for my ears, with an improvement in clarity & tone.
This is a nice article. Nice job summarizing the functionality and the pluses vs. minuses. One big minus I would also add is battery life. I'm guessing the APP2 will get about 4-5 hours of battery life at a time in HA mode. That's not great compared to dedicated aids.
It is dependent on how severe her hearing loss is. If she has mild or moderate hearing loss they might work for her. If she has severe hearing loss she will need "real" hearing aids.
I've been using a pair for three weeks now and they are very good.
Agree, but I pointed out earlier in the thread, at ~$200 street price for a pair of pros, you could just buy two and alternate, and it would still be cheaper than most of the OTA hearing aids (I paid $800 for a pair of Jabra OTC hearing aids when they first came out, and wound up returning them because the APP were so much better.
The Airpods do work in places like noisy restaurants. After doing a hearing test and applying the audiogram to your Airpods, you set to transparency mode (play with the amplification volume to suit you). Switch on Conversation Awareness. When somebody starts talking to you or visa versa the media volume (if you are listening to music at the time) or the background noise will drop and voices will be enhanced.
You can also switch on conversation boost and increase ambient noise reduction quite high. You need to play around a bit with the settings but they do a good job in noisy environments. There are a lot of settings to play with.
I've been using them for three weeks and they work well for me. I'm eagerly waiting for the Apple update to see if they are even better. If they continue to work for me I'll simply buy a second pair. The case takes less than an hour to charge both Airpods so two pairs will work very well.
I gave them a try and they do indeed work well. One difference is the sense of physically having something in my ears; with the APP2's, I can tell I am wearing earbuds whereas with the hearing aids, there is no sense (or extremely small) of wearing something in my ears.
It hasn’t bothered me at because the sound around me is so crisp and clear and I have never really worn any kind of earbuds before. I occasionally use the right ear of a £20 set of buds to listen to something without annoying my wife but that's about it. I'm hoping that Apple are going to come up with something that can help tinnitus as I have it in the left ear. I think they mentioned it at the Keynote the other week. That could be even more of a game changer for many people.
I'd sell my soul for a relief for tinnitus - I've had a severe case in both ears for many years. It is always there and inescapable.