The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Apple AirPods Pro 2 for use as an over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid.
The feature targets mild to moderate hearing loss in adults³. The hearing aid setting can be customized by the user through the Apple Health app.
This over-the-counter approval is a huge step in having hearing aids become not only more available but also relatively more affordable, with this user now able to purchase and self-fit the product over the counter, and not necessarily by visiting a professional or obtaining a prescription.
This is an integration of hearing aid functionality into one of the most widely-used consumer products like Apple's AirPods Pro 2-that shows how a trend has now been set-a shift into incorporating health features into every other piece of tech.
With the AirPods Pro 2, users will be able to create their own sound profile that boosts sounds and also adjusts frequencies to fit their needs to a certain extent.
Other companies based on technology should also come up with innovations that are similar to this innovation, which might lead to healthier solutions at cheaper rates for consumers.