Along with unveiling new products on Monday including the iPhone 16 lineup and the Apple Watch Series 10, Apple shared a big update for its earbuds: AirPods Pro 2 are getting a new hearing aid mode. While this could help people with difficulty hearing, it could also fix a problem AirPods and other headphones can contribute to in the first place: hearing loss.
According to the American Osteopathic Association, about one in five teens will experience hearing loss in their life, and some experts think it's because of headphones and earphones.
"Avoiding excessive use of listening devices altogether will go a long way in preventing hearing loss," James E. Foy, an osteopathic pediatrician, told the AOA. "Whether using headphones or earphones, moderation is key."
Foy also suggested using headphones that go over your ear rather than earbuds that rest within your ear.
To Apple's credit, its devices will warn you when you've been listening to loud audio for an extended period of time. However, it's up to you to turn your volume down. I'll admit, when this warning pops up on my iPhone when I'm at the gym, I ignore it, and I wouldn't be surprised if others do, too.
Apple's announcement today felt a bit like, "Well, this device could accelerate hearing trouble, so we'll give the product another mode to fix the problem it might create."
I'd think a better solution could be to either automatically turn the volume down if your device detects excessive sound, or to lock down the headphones until the person turns them to an acceptable level. In fact, Apple already does something similar with another setting.
In 2023, Apple introduced a vision health feature to iPhones in iOS 17. If enabled, it will detect when you're holding your iPhone close to your face, and then block the screen until you move your phone to a safe distance. It's an annoying feature, but my eyes are already pretty bad so anything I can do to help them out is a plus.
I know there are a lot of reasons why a person might lose their hearing, but it feels counterintuitive for Apple to give some AirPods the ability to act as hearing aids while potentially contributing to the reason why people need hearing aids in the first place.
And ultimately, despite the potential helpfulness of this feature, it essentially doubles as a marketing strategy to get you to choose AirPods over other competitors. AirPods Pro 2 cost about $200, while your average hearing aid costs about $4,000. This new mode could bring hearing health to the forefront of more people's minds, but it's odd when a product that claims to mitigate an issue is the same one that could contribute to it in the first place.
For more on Apple, here's what to know about the iPhone 16 lineup, what to know about the new Apple Watch Series 10 and our iOS 18 cheat sheet.