Apple AirPods to Get Feature Previously Limited Only to Premium MFi Hearing Aids

Image
HHTM
June 5, 2018

Ever since their initial launch in the fall of 2016, Apple’s wireless AirPods have gone on to be a major success for the company. There have been numerous reports that the devices would be soon getting software and hardware updates in 2018 and 2019, and it was announced this week that as part of Apple’s upcoming iOS 12 software upgrade, AirPods will now have access to the ‘Live Listen’ feature–a feature, up until now, which has only been available in premium Made-for-iPhone (MFi) hearing aids.

 

AirPods Gain Hearing Aid Assistance Feature

 

The Live Listen feature has actually been available since 2014, but has only been accessible up until now with certified, MFi hearing aids. While the Starkey Halo and ReSound Linx were the first such devices to offer MFi capability, including access to Live Listen, all of the major hearing aid companies now offer MFi compatible devices.

Using the Live Listen feature essentially turns the wearer’s iPhone into a remote microphone. A brief video on how the feature works is demonstrated in the short clip below from Apple Insider:

 

Improving Accessibility for People with Hearing Loss?

 

The latest upgrade likely comes as no surprise to industry insiders that have been speculating for some time that Apple’s AirPods would continue to get upgraded with features beyond standard wireless earbuds.

After the initial reports in the media, first announced by TechCrunch, many are hailing the upgrade as a win for hearing accessibility–especially considering the AirPods relatively low price tag of only $159.

While not a substitute for hearing aids, some are already speculating that perhaps by providing the new Live Listen hearing assistance feature within AirPods, it will lead more people to recognize when they are beginning to experience challenges with their hearing and eventually get them to seek out professional care and treatment.

 

 

  1. Its is a helpful informative things are posted here. These things are the fresh and having good information are posted here, and also am seeking for this kind of information For Apple, iphone, I pad support Products thanks for updated.

  2. After enabling the feature in the iPhone’s settings, users will be able to use their phones effectively as a directional mic. This means you can have AirPods in at a noisy restaurant with your iPhone on the table, for example, and the voice of whomever is speaking will be routed to your AirPods.

  3. Apple provides the best mobile phone and it is very useful for us. And this article is great to learn more information about the Apple. I really like your post. In this Apple phone, if I have any problem then go to the technical support to solve the problem.

  4. Live Listen is a feature Apple created and in the long run propelled in 2014 that permits iPhone clients with amplifiers to hear individuals in uproarious conditions or from over a room, such as a crowded restaurant or lecture hall.

  5. In fact, the only problem with AirPods is that they’re very easy to misplace…!!

Leave a Reply