\n<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE \u2013 For several years, Madam Lilian Ang has found it hard to make out what doctors are saying to her under their masks.<\/p>\n
The Apple AirPods Pro 2, which now comes with new health features, could soon change things for the 76-year-old retiree, who recently tested the technology.<\/p>\n
On Oct 29, tech giant Apple rolled out a software update for its AirPods Pro 2, essentially allowing the earbuds to become hearing aids for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss. <\/p>\n
Experts said this lifestyle product offers a less intimidating alternative to traditional hearing aids, which are expensive, and could get more people to address their hearing issues earlier in life.<\/p>\n
Madam Ang did not buy traditional hearing aids as she did not want to spend thousands of dollars on something she might not be able to adjust to. <\/p>\n
Traditional hearing aids typically cost upwards of $1,400, according to information on Singapore General Hospital\u2019s website.<\/p>\n
During an hour-long test of the upgraded AirPods Pro 2 at The Straits Times, Madam Ang could even hear the low rumbling of the air-conditioner in the room she was in, and hold conversations with loud music playing in the background. Sounds and voices had become clearer, louder and sharper, she said.<\/p>\n
Hearing someone call her from 5m away and music wafting from a laptop speaker 2m away was also a breeze for her with the Apple earbuds on.<\/p>\n
Madam Ang is now considering paying $349 for the AirPods Pro 2 to cope with her mild hearing loss, which makes it hard to hear drivers when she sits at the back of a car.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s worth it, given that you can use it to do other things too, like listen to music,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I wouldn\u2019t wear it for an entire day because it feels like there\u2019s a foreign object inside your ear.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hearing aid feature works only on the AirPods Pro 2 model. The earbuds must be paired with the iPhone or iPad operating on iOS 18.1 or iPadOS 18.1 or later versions.<\/p>\n
Users can lower the ambient noise picked up by the earbuds through a system menu in the paired iPhone or iPad. Turning on the Conversation Boost feature in the menu is supposed to enhance hearing in face-to-face conversations.<\/p>\n
But holding a conversation at a coffee shop during lunch hour was still a challenge for media consultant Jonathan Ng, 51, with the Conversation Boost feature turned on.<\/p>\n
The sounds of clanging plates, scrapping chairs and chatter from about 30 patrons in a coffee shop near ST\u2019s office overwhelmed the voice of the person he was speaking to, said Mr Ng, who has mild hearing loss in both ears. <\/p>\n
Reducing ambient noise is the holy grail of hearing aid makers.<\/p>\n
\u201cEffectively, the challenge is to obtain the highest possible speech and audio intelligibility in all conditions,\u201d said Professor Joseph Chang from NTU\u2019s School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. \u201cNoise is a particularly difficult problem, as speech intelligibility degrades with noise.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n