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Are Apple AirPods also hearing aids? What you need to know about Apple’s new groundbreaking health features
Apple
Apple announced a handful of new products at its “It’s Glowtime” fall product reveal this week, including the iPhone 16 smartphone and Apple Watch 10. But one of the biggest pieces of news to come from Apple’s event wasn’t about a new product, it was about the new hearing aid functionality coming to the company’s Apple AirPods Pro 2 earbuds this fall.
The free upgrade will happen via software update. That means existing Apple AirPods Pro 2 earbud owners will be able to take advantage of the new hearing aid and hearing protection features without needing to buy new headphones. (The hearing aid feature does, however, require you to pair the AirPods Pro 2 to an Apple iPhone.)
Want to know how Apple AirPods Pro 2 might be able to help you or a family member with mild to moderate hearing loss? Read on — our CBS Essentials tech experts explain the need-to-know details.
Can Apple AirPods Pro 2 really be used as hearing aids?
Apple
Apple is currently working with the FDA to release an update to the AirPods Pro 2 that’ll allow the earbuds to work as over-the-counter hearing aids and hearing protectors.
Experts are already calling the new hearing aid feature a game changer. While you could easily spend $500 to $1,000 or more for over-the-counter hearing aids from other brands, Apple AirPods Pro 2 retail for just $249 (and can frequently be found on sale for under $200).
To take advantage of the soon-to-be-released hearing aid functionality, you’ll need to pair your Apple AirPods Pro 2 with an Apple iPhone. From your iPhone, you can then participate in a clinical-grade home hearing test that will determine your level of hearing loss, if any. Based on your test results, the AirPods Pro 2 will automatically be configured to your level of hearing loss, and can serve as hearing aids when worn in everyday situations.
Note: The hearing test offered by your iPhone is not a replacement for one performed by an audiologist or ear, nose and throat specialist. You should consult your own doctor first if you believe you have hearing loss.
When you use the earbuds to listen to music or participate in hands-free phone calls, the AirPods Pro 2 will automatically adapt to your hearing level. The active noise-canceling earbuds reduce ambient sounds so you can experience crystal-clear and easy-to-understand audio in almost any situation. The earbuds can also act as hearing protectors, reducing extremely loud noises that can cause hearing damage.
You can manually fine-tune amplification and tone anytime when using the AirPods Pro 2 as an over-the-counter hearing aid. You can also let the iPhone and AirPods to make adjustments automatically, without you having to tinker with any iPhone or AirPod controls.
How do you use the AirPods Pro 2 hearing aid feature?
Apple
First, you will need to download and install the latest version of iOS 18 on your iPhone which will have the at-home hearing test functionality. It will also be necessary to update the firmware on your AirPods Pro 2 wireless earbuds. Both updates will be free.
Once installed, you can activate the Hearing Aid and Hearing Protection features that will be integrated into the AirPods.
Setting up the AirPods Pro 2 to work as hearing aids will require you to complete the hearing test on your iPhone. This can be completed in just a few minutes. After completing the test, your iPhone will display your personalized hearing profile and walk you through the process of setting up the AirPods Pro 2 as hearing aids.
The settings within the AirPods will be adjusted automatically to match your personal needs. All of your hearing test data is stored locally and privately, within the iPhone’s Health app. You can take the hearing test as often as you’d like. You can also share the results with your audiologist or doctor.
How much do the AirPods Pro 2 cost?
The suggested retail price of Apple AirPods Pro 2 is $249, and that’s what you’ll pay for them at the Apple Store. However, popular retailers, like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart and Target frequently put them on sale for $200 or less. This makes them an excellent budget hearing aid option.
Hearing aid functionality will be added as a free software upgrade to the Apple AirPods Pro 2.
What are some of the other health features Apple added?
The new iPhone 16 smartphones and Apple Watch Series 10 smartwatches are chock full of new and enhanced health, fitness and safety features. At the same time Apple is updating the AirPods Pro 2 so they can be used as over-the-counter hearing aids. A new feature, called Hearing Protection, will also be unlocked.
Anytime you’re wearing the earbuds once the firmware update has been installed, they will monitor the ambient sounds around you at a rate of more than 48,000 times per second. When the AirPods pick up loud and potentially unsafe sounds — if you’re at a loud concert, sitting next to a screaming baby, mowing your lawn, or walking past a construction site, for example — the AirPods Pro 2 will use their built in technologies to automatically reduce the sounds to a safe volume. The sounds you want to hear will continue to be natural, clear and vibrant.
The AirPods Pro 2 offer pro-level noise cancellation; adaptive audio that customizes the sounds you hear based on your environment; adaptive EQ; a conversation boost mode that helps you better focus on and hear voices when people are speaking; and the ability to adjust sound volume. Plus, at your discretion, you can play calming sounds, like ocean waves or rainfall, to help mask unwanted environmental noise.
If you access the Accessibility menu found in Settings on your iPhone, you’ll discover more ways to custom-configure your phone and earbuds to cater to your unique needs.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 offer premium audio for everyone
Apple
Release date: 2022 | Battery life: Up to 6 hours | Battery life with case: Up to 30 hours | Wireless charging: Yes | Driver size: 11mm | Quick charge: 5 mins in case offers up to 1 hour additional listening/talk time | Charging port on case: USB Type-C | Water & sweat resistant: IP54 | Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking: Yes | Active noise cancellation: Yes | Adaptive audio: Yes | Conversation awareness: Yes | Earbud dimensions: 1.22 x 0.86 x 0.94 inches | Earbud weight: 0.19 ounces | Case dimensions: 1.78 x 2.39 x 0.85 inches | Case weight: 1.79 ounces | Wireless connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3 | Audio chip: Apple H2 | Hearing aid and hearing protection functionality: Yes
With these earbuds, you get features like adaptive audio, pro-level active noise cancellation, a transparency mode, a conversation awareness feature and onboard touch controls. Other notable features include voice isolation, personalized volume, adaptive EQ and loud sound reduction. These AirPods are IP54 rated for dust, sweat and water resistance, so you can definitely wear them at the gym or while working out.
The pro-level active noise cancellation feature does a really good job drowning out (and often eliminating) ambient noise, even when you’re not listening to audio. When you are listening to music or audio that supports it, the ANC works in conjunction with the spatial audio (with dynamic head tracking) feature to deliver lossless audio with ultra-low latency. As a result, the high fidelity audio these AirPods produces is far more immersive, robust, and lifelike than what’s offered by most other earbuds.
And thanks to the Adaptive Audio feature, Conversation mode and Transparency mode, you can retain some situational awareness or converse with people in the real world when needed. The audio you’re listening to and ANC will adapt automatically, allowing you to have a conversation with someone nearby, while ANC still works in the background to reduce unwanted loud noises. Meanwhile, these earbuds learn and adapt to your personal preferences when you’re using them in various environments. As a result, you’ll enjoy your customized audio options without having to tinker with the controls.
Another feature we really like that’s built into the AirPods Pro 2 earbuds are the touch controls you can utilize by tapping or sliding your finger along the step of an earbud. Of course, you also get the seamless switching between Apple devices and access to Siri (and Apple’s latest AI functionality offered by Siri). Plus, you get the option to have Siri read incoming text messages or emails, or alert you of urgent app-specific notifications while you’re wearing these AirPods.
Pro Tip: For help choosing the best Apple AirPods model to meet your needs and budget, check out our newly-updated 2024 Apple AirPods buyer’s guide.
Will other Apple AirPods models get a hearing aid feature?
This hearing aid and hearing protection update will be for all AirPods Pro 2 earbuds only. Hearing aid and hearing protection functionality will not be offered for the AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, or the AirPods Max headphones.
CBS News
Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. — A New Hampshire woman suffered severe burns on her leg after hiking off-trail in Yellowstone National Park and falling into scalding water in a thermal area near the Old Faithful geyser, park officials said.
The 60-year-old woman from Windsor, New Hampshire, along with her husband and their leashed dog were walking off a designated trail near the Mallard Lake Trailhead on Monday afternoon when she broke through a thin crust over the water and suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg, park officials said. Her husband and the dog weren’t injured.
The woman was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho for treatment.
National Park Service / Jacob W. Frank
Park visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and exercise extreme caution. The ground in those areas is fragile and thin and there’s scalding water just below the surface, park officials said.
Pets are allowed in limited, developed areas of Yellowstone park but are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
The incident is under investigation. The woman’s name wasn’t made public.
This is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024, park officials said in a statement. The park had recorded 3.5 million visitors through August this year.
Hot springs have injured and killed more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other natural feature, the National Park Service said. At least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 3,471-square-mile national park since 1890, park officials have said.
TRENTON, N.J. — Democratic Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver has defeated Republican small businessman Carmen Bucco in a contest in New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District that opened up because of the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. in April.
McIver will serve out the remainder of Payne’s term, which ends in January. She and Bucco will face a rematch on the November ballot for the full term.
McIver said in a statement Wednesday that she stands on the “shoulders of giants,” naming Payne as chief among them.
She cast ahead to the November election, saying the right to make reproductive health choices was on the ballot as well as whether the economy should benefit the wealthy or “hard working Americans.”
“I will fight because the purpose of politics and the purpose of our vote is to give the people of our communities and our nation a bold voice,” she said.
Bucco congratulated McIver on the victory in a statement but said he’s looking forward to the rematch in November.
“I am not going anywhere,” he said in an email. “We still have a second chance to make district 10 great again!”
Who are LaMonica McIver and Carmen Bucco?
McIver emerged as the Democratic candidate in a crowded field in the July special election. A member of the city council of New Jersey’s biggest city since 2018, she also worked for Montclair Public Schools as a personnel director and plans to focus on affordability, infrastructure, abortion rights and “protecting our democracy,” she told The Associated Press earlier this summer.
Bucco describes himself on his campaign website as a small-business owner influenced by his upbringing in the foster system. He lists support for law enforcement and ending corruption as top issues.
The 10th District lies in a heavily Democratic and majority-Black region of northern New Jersey. Republicans are outnumbered by more than 6 to 1.
It’s been a volatile year for Democrats in New Jersey, where the party dominates state government and the congressional delegation.
Among the developments were the conviction on federal bribery charges of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, who has denied the charges, and the demise of the so-called county party line — a system in which local political leaders give their preferred candidates favorable position on the primary ballot.
Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, who’s running for Menendez’s seat, and other Democrats brought a federal lawsuit challenging the practice as part of his campaign to oust Menendez, who has resigned since his conviction.
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Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
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