Bloomberg: Apple's AirPods will gain hearing aid functionality in the next few years

In a new edition of the Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman shares details on the future features of Apple AirPods.

Here's What We Know

According to the reporter, Apple will update the AirPods in the next year or two and add more hearing enhancement features to the earbuds to make them some sort of affordable replacement for hearing aids.

Apple has been actively working on this area lately. For example, the company has already added several hearing-oriented features to the AirPods, such as Live Listen and Conversation Boost, which amplify the voices of interlocutors. But these features are not yet FDA-approved and are not intended to replace hearing aids. Given Apple's health goals, Mark expects AirPods to "more officially" take on such features in the near future.

You don't have to release new AirPods with hearing enhancement features to do this. They can be added to current models with a firmware update, as the headphones are already equipped with speakers and microphones.

Incidentally, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously said that Apple wants to add biometric health monitoring capabilities to future AirPods models. Apple's patent filings describe a headphone-based fitness monitoring system that incorporates an advanced biometric sensor to detect physiological indicators. It measures temperature, heart rate, perspiration levels and more through skin contact and with built-in motion sensors. Kevin Lynch, Apple's vice president of technology, has also hinted that AirPods could become a source of additional health data in the future.

Source: MacRumors