Fast Facts
Apple could be planning to expand AirPods Pro’s feature set with a software update.The new mode would join features like Live Listen and Conversation Booster.
Apple has grown the AirPods lineup steadily since the earbuds first hit the scene in 2016 with a hardware and software approach. It’s grown to four models — three earbuds and one pair of headphones — but it’s introduced a medley of new software features, which continue to drive the value of the audio products and deepen the ties to its extended ecosystem of gadgets.
Most recently, Apple dropped Adaptive Audio — an intelligent mix between active noise cancellation and a transparency mode aimed at keeping AirPods Pro in your ears longer — in Sept. 2023. Now, though, a new report shows that a potentially game-changing feature is on the horizon.
Related: No, the Journal app on your iPhone isn’t a privacy risk
In the subscriber edition of Power On, a weekly newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman details that alongside iOS 18, AirPods Pro will get a new hearing aid mode. He also noted that he isn’t expecting any hardware redesigns in 2024, which makes sense as Apple added USB-C and improved durability in Sept. of 2023.
This new hearing aid mode aligns with previous reporting and rumors about Apple developing health features for AirPods Pro. While he didn’t share much on the feature itself, if released, it would join the existing “Conversation Boost” functionality and the “Live Listen” feature currently available on AirPods.
With Live Listen, AirPods — as well as several Beats earbuds and headphones — work in tandem with an iPhone or iPad that you place near the person you want to hear. You’ll then hear the audio from your iPhone in the connected earbuds.
Conversation Boost on AirPods Pro intelligently focuses on the audio of a person you’re speaking with to boost it and lower environmental noise. Both features are available and can assist with hearing.
This move for a dedicated feature would be a big boon, and it could allow AirPods Pro to be classified under the US Food and Drug Administration regulatory category of “over-the-counter hearing ads.”
Gurman noted that the feature could launch alongside iOS 18, which will likely be released in Fall 2024. Apple typically unveils the next version of iOS alongside watchOS, macOS, iPadOS, and tVOs at its annual World Wide Developers Conference (aka WWDC), traditionally held in June.
It remains to be seen, but this could be a substantial upgrade to AirPods Pro.
Related: Veteran fund manager picks favorite stocks for 2024
