Reprinted from TidBITS by permission; reuse governed by Creative Commons license BY-NC-ND 3.0. TidBITS has offered years of thoughtful commentary on Apple and Internet topics. For free email subscriptions and access to the entire TidBITS archive, visit http://www.tidbits.com/ Apple Releases AirPods 4, Adds Hearing Aid Mode to AirPods Pro 2 Adam Engst Along with the new iPhone 16 lineup and Apple Watch Series 10, Apple devoted significant attention during its Glowtime event to the AirPods, updating each of the three models to varying degrees. The company introduced the redesigned [1]AirPods 4, unveiled new hearing health features for the existing [2]AirPods Pro 2, and gave the pricey [3]AirPods Max new colors and a USB-C charging port. Don't look for more about the AirPods Max; that's all there is to say. AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Apple loves to talk about how much work it puts into designing things like the AirPods. Rather than just having its designers play with some modeling clay until they had something that worked pretty well for everyone in the office, Apple explained the process like this: ''The new design is built with an unparalleled data set that uses advanced modeling tools, like 3D photogrammetry and laser topography, to precisely map and analyze thousands of ear shapes and over 50 million individual data points in total. This process helped refine the design to deliver the most comfortable AirPods ever with one shape that naturally fits even more users around the world. Lovely sounding, but from the individual's perspective, immaterial. Either the [4]AirPods 4 are comfortable in your ears or they're not. If you previously didn't like the way the AirPods fit, you can try again because these new ones are different. Simultaneously, however, if the previous AirPods fit well, we can't assume that the new ones will be the same. Apple also touts the AirPods 4's higher audio quality over the previous generation. Terms like 'new acoustic architecture,' 'low-distortion driver,' and 'high dynamic range amplifier' also sound great but don't mean much to anyone outside the audio industry. We can hope all that comes down to music sounding better to your ears, but only testing will reveal the answer. More concrete are the benefits of Apple's new H2 chip, which provides voice isolation for calls, reducing ambient background noise for clearer call quality. The H2 chip also enables Siri Interactions, which means that when Siri asks you a Yes/No question, you can nod your head yes or shake it no. (I wonder if there's an option to [5]reverse those motions for iPhones in Bulgaria.) In fact, this feature just shipped in the [6]firmware update 7A294 for the AirPods 2'it installs automatically and will alert you when it does. However, the H2 chip really shines with the second model of AirPods 4, the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. Although the two models are externally identical, the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are much closer in capability to the AirPods Pro, sporting modes for Active Noise Cancellation (which reduces background noise), Transparency (which lets you hear sounds around you), and Adaptive Audio (which blends the two for changing environments). Also supported is Conversation Awareness, which senses when you're talking and automatically lowers media volume, restoring it when you're done. A footnote suggests that the AirPods Pro 2 provide twice the noise cancellation as the AirPod 4 (or the original AirPods Pro), likely because of the ear tips that provide additional passive noise cancellation. If having two models whose names differ only in the subtitle isn't confusing enough, the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation come with a charging case that's more capable than the plain USB-C version that ships with the AirPods 4. The case for the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, on the other hand, can also charge wireless from a MagSafe, Apple Watch, or Qi charger. Again, that matches the capabilities of the AirPods Pro 2 MagSafe Charging Case. The standard model of the AirPods 4 costs $129, while the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are $179. You can pre-order now, with availability starting on 20 September 2024. Hearing Health with AirPods Pro 2 Particularly for the TidBITS audience, which trends older, I was more intrigued by Apple's announcements of [7]hearing health features coming to the existing [8]AirPods Pro 2. Apple aims to improve awareness with the Hearing Test feature, provide assistance with the Hearing Aid mode, and help with prevention with the Hearing Protection feature. Apple was justifiably confident that the Hearing Test and Hearing Aid features would receive approval from the US Food and Drug Administration; the [9]FDA just announced its approval. Presumably, other national regulators are likely to follow suit since Apple said it expects to have availability in over 100 countries and regions this fall. Oddly, Hearing Protection will be available only in the US and Canada, though I assume Apple plans to bring it to other countries eventually. All the features work only with the AirPods Pro 2 with the latest firmware when paired with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac running iOS 18, iPadOS 19, or macOS 15 Sequoia or later. Awareness [10]Hearing loss is extremely common, affecting over 60 million Americans and as many as 1.5 billion people worldwide. More than 30% of people 65 and older have hearing loss, a number that climbs to 40% for those age 75 and older. Hearing loss can adversely affect an individual's quality of life and ability to function, and it has been associated with an increased risk of falls, hospitalizations, social isolation, and cognitive decline. Apple said that 80% of adults in the US haven't had their hearing checked in the last five years. That's a large number, but unless they had reason to be concerned about their hearing, few people would think to schedule a hearing test or even ask about it during an annual physical. You shouldn't feel bad if you haven't been tested; the US Preventive Services Task Force was unable to determine the [11]benefits and harms of screening for hearing loss in asymptomatic older adults. Nevertheless, Apple has added a pure-tone audiometry test that you can invoke from the Health app or the AirPods settings. This sort of test is the most common hearing test for adults, and it measures the quietest sounds you can hear at different frequencies. Apple's clinically validated Hearing Test takes about 5 minutes to complete and provides immediate results. Since you can retake the Hearing Test whenever you want, it becomes easy to monitor your hearing over time. Assistance If your results aren't bad, but you have trouble with certain frequencies, the Hearing Test offers to adjust your settings for a new Media Assist feature so you can better hear audio on media and calls while using the AirPods Pro 2. If you do experience mild to moderate hearing loss, the Hearing Test prompts you to set up the new Hearing Aid feature. The Hearing Aid feature leverages the capabilities of Apple's H2 chip to boost the necessary frequencies, turning the AirPods Pro 2 into what Apple calls a 'clinical-grade hearing aid.' It also uses machine learning to make real-time adjustments as your environment changes. You can also fine-tune the balance, amplification, and tone at any time. We won't know how well the AirPods Pro 2 will compete with dedicated hearing aids until the feature becomes available. Given the extremely high cost and finicky usage of prescription-level hearing aids, I expect many people who wouldn't otherwise consider hearing aids will appreciate a little boost. If that proves to be the case, constant wearing of Apple's white earbuds may become as common among older adults as it is among teens. Prevention Of course, the best scenario is not to need any hearing assistance at all. To that end, Apple has added active Hearing Protection across all the AirPods Pro 2 listening modes (Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency, and Adaptive Audio) to help prevent exposure to loud noises. Hearing Protection can lower sound levels in environments as loud as 110 dBA by actively canceling intermittent sounds at 48,000 times per second. I'm curious if Hearing Protection will be sufficiently good that people'again, older adults'will start wearing AirPods Pro 2 in scenarios where they're purely trying to protect their hearing. We try to bring earplugs whenever we go to a concert because Tonya is particularly sensitive to loud sound, but it seems likely that the AirPods Pro 2 would provide a more enjoyable listening experience. Even though I wear them relatively infrequently myself, I've been plugging wireless earbuds for years, even back when Apple focused its advertising on its wired earbuds (see '[12]Anecdotes about New Apple Fellow Phil Schiller and Marketing Chief Greg Joswiak,' 10 August 2020). We've been paying attention to how Apple devices can help with hearing for years, starting with Jeff Porten's '[13]iOS Hearing Aids... or, How to Buy Superman's Ears' (8 February 2011), which Apple turned into its [14]Live Listen feature. Subsequently, Apple has introduced [15]Conversation Boost in AirPods Pro, which focuses what you hear on the person in front of you. These new features are even more promising. References Visible links 1. https://www.apple.com/airpods/ 2. https://www.apple.com/airpods-pro/?campaign=true 3. https://www.apple.com/airpods-max/ 4. https://www.apple.com/airpods-4/ 5. https://www.peacecorps.gov/connect/blog/yes-or-no-depends-on-which-country-youre-in/ 6. https://support.apple.com/106340 7. https://www.apple.com/airpods-pro/hearing-health/ 8. https://www.apple.com/airpods-pro/?campaign=true 9. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-authorizes-first-over-counter-hearing-aid-software 10. https://www.ncoa.org/adviser/hearing-aids/hearing-loss-statistics/ 11. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2777723 12. https://tidbits.com/2020/08/10/anecdotes-about-new-apple-fellow-phil-schiller-and-marketing-chief-greg-joswiak/ 13. https://tidbits.com/2011/02/08/ios-hearing-aids-or-how-to-buy-supermans-ears/ 14. https://support.apple.com/102479 15. https://support.apple.com/guide/airpods/customize-transparency-mode-dev966f5f818/web Hidden links: 16. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2024/09/AirPods-Siri-Interactions-scaled.jpg 17. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2024/09/AirPods-Pro-spec-card.jpg 18. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2024/09/Hearing-Test.jpg 19. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2024/09/Hearing-Protection.png .