Apple AirPod Pro – Hearing Aid or not?

Apple Ashamed?

I have been using Apple AirPods Pro for over a year and a half. I use them as Hearing Aids – but only Occasionaly.  Ageism is the culprit?

 AirPods do the job of what I think hearing aids should do, – they bring my hearing into an aided Normal Range!  I can watch TV at a normal sound level.  I can better discern voices (especially high pitch).

This is a big deal – $250 or less – for a hearing aid with all the bells and whistles you would want and tremendous sound. I use them for phone calls, listen to books, listen to music, totally blockout ambient noise on the airplane!- what more could I ask for?

Ugly? or cool?

The number one reason people don’t wear hearing aids because they are not cool!  In studies done even in countries where hearing aids are paid for by Government medical plans, usage does not get up to 40% of the people who acknowledge they need to have them!  AGEISM, both perceived and real, is the major barrier. Most people with mild to moderate hearing loss see traditional hearing aids as a convenience, not imperative. The typical hearing aid purchaser takes 10 years after they notice the need for them them to purchase.

I like AirPods, I like the price! But I have not worn them outside the house in social settings because I fear people won’t know how to respond to me. Will they think I am listening to music, football games, podcasts or other type of rude behavior. I could put a sign on and say “don’t shade me – I am hard of hearing”. I know that at my age I shouldn’t care what others think, but just now this is not acceptable.

Maybe I am too old to be a cool nerd.

Apple Ashamed

The other problem is Apple acts ashamed of them. There is no Apple material that calls them Hearing Aids. Apple refers to them as putting the AirPods in Transparency Mode. I assume this is leftover from them having a hearing aid before OTC hearing aids were approved. Bottom line, they attract too much attention, I would rather wear hearing aids that no one notices or questions . I regard it as a disability (yes, but on the range of disabilities – not dire). I don’t deserve a parking spot because of my hearing!. Will apple come out with a device for hearing only, or will it act like the Transparency mode is like some red-headed step-sister? Is it or is it not a Hearing aid?

Will apple be bought off

The Big Five (Historically five companies have had a monopoly and produce 95% of the hearing aids worldwide) have done a good job for their shareholders in fighting legislation. Introducing legislation that would have the public (medicare) pay for their cabal inflated pricing. Buying out the competition or licensing their competition. Will Apple continue hearing aids as a backroom addition to AirPods or will they do their own stand-alone Hearing Aid?https://www.statista.com/statistics/1087388/global-hearing-aid-market-share-by-company/

Difficult Hearing aids?

Yes, AirPods are far too difficult. There is no direct way to access the apple controls for a Hearing Aid. (Transparency mode). Instead, you have to preform many actions even to begin to set them up. For instance, to set the volume on the Transparency mode (volume of he hearing aid) you must go thru

these steps on your iPhone: (you have to have your earphones in your ears for this setup)

1. Settings
2. Accessibility
3. Audio/Visual
4. Headphone
5. Accomodations
6. Custom Audio Setup
7. Audiogram
8. Customize Transparency Mode
9. use Audiogram
10. Customize Transparency mode
11. amplification– volume
12. Done

The volume controls on the phone or the AirPod do not control the Transparency (hearing aid) volume.

The adaptive term means that when loud noises come into your earphones, the phone on the side where the noise comes from shuts down!  This protects your hearing when in hearing aide mode.  In practice it is a bit disconcerting as you think something happened with your hearing!

Don’t be discouraged by the difficulty, with practice and YouTube guides, you can set it up once and never worry again. By making an Apple Genius appointment (free) ‘apple will also help you set it up
By the way, you can use YouTube for anything iPhone related.  One such site is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiWD9Rt2fJ0 it shows you step-by-step how to do it in 3 minutes. 

For $250 you expect them to be both great and easy?

Audiogram

You can actually take a picture/scan of your professional produced audiogram and load it into the system to adjust your hearing aid . Also, Apple supports third party on-line hearing tests like Mimi, SonicCloud and and loads them into the Health App the comes with the phone and you can chose them to set up your hearing aid.  Or you can use MODES.  These are pre-set adjustments to the sound to fit your range of hearing.

Medicare allow at least one paid for audiogram per year.  So go get it done, but don’t be sold a hearing aid at the time of the test!!!  Wait a day or two and shop around.

Modes

Apple has some pre-set modes if you do not want to set up the hearing aids by an Audiogram. These are found under Headphone – Audio.

Modes –

• Balanced tone you can boost the range of frequencies
• Vocal Range (this is like the conversation range)
• Brightness – soft sounds will be boosted slight, moderate, strong.

These simple modes are what a lot of existing OTC hearing aids offer. They should be sufficient for most users.

Occasional use

All the professionals say that Hearing Aids must be used for the full day in order to get maximum benefit. I don’t know what maximum benefit is other than to be able to hear what you want. There are no definitive studies on wether wearing hearing aids 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours etc are better or worse. My guess is this relates more to getting used to the feel. Hearing aid use does not improve your underline hearing any more than wearing glasses. There are studies sayin wearing hearing aids all day possibly may help the progression of hearing loss, but no one will tell you this positively.

I will keep using my AirPods until something better comes around – nothing is out there now in the OTC category at the Apple price point that is even close to Apple

Apple AirPod Pros are the best and cheapest Hearing aids out there for the occasional user.

Ode to Apple:

Please don’t be afraid

Please don’t be bought off

Please make your design acceptable to people over 60

Please make a simple up front Hearing Aide Mode