Apple is offering an alternative to traditional hearing aids but Canadians are still waiting on approval

Apple’s AirPod Pros are being touted as an alternative for those living with mild to moderate hearing loss. Pat Foran reports for Consumer Alert.

You might soon be able to use Apple AirPods as a low-cost alternative to a hearing aid.

According to Statistics Canada, approximately 60 per cent of Canadians suffer from some form of hearing loss.

If serious enough, some may even require the use of hearing aids.

However, the technology can be quite expensive, but a popular line of Apple brand ear buds could work as a low-cost alternative.

“I’ve probably had hearing loss for several years, but it was only during the pandemic when it really began to affect me and affect the people around me,” said Tobie Stanger, who used to work at Consumer Reports.

If that sounds familiar, there might be something already in your pocket that could help. Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 now offer hearing assistance for people with mild to moderate hearing loss.

“You can find a clinical grade hearing test right on your phone, either in the settings or in the health app and in just a few minutes, you can find out if you need help from a hearing aid,” said Allen St. John with Consumer Reports.

The hearing aid feature customizes your AirPods by boosting or lowering the volume at specific frequencies, based on your needs. It can also help protect your hearing in loud places like concerts by reducing the sound to a safe level.

“My husband complains that I like the sound much louder when we’re watching TV. So, to appease him, I put the AirPods in my ears when we’re watching TV together and they really do help. In fact, I realized when I put them in that I had my own hearing aids set too low,” said Stanger.

If you’re someone who needs even more hearing support, some hearing aids can now be purchased without a prescription. Those cost far less than prescription models. But, when it comes to over the counter (OTC) hearing aids, it’s important to know that there are two main kinds - preset and self-fitting.

“Preset OTCs are more affordable, and they’re generally simpler to set up and use, you can just stick them in your ear and go. But some are so simple that they offer little more than volume control,” said Catherine Roberts with Consumer Reports.

Researchers at Consumer Reports gave top marks to models from Lexie and Jabra brands.

One thing to keep in mind? Rechargeable hearing aids generally last a day or two on a single charge, while those with replaceable batteries last about a week. Fully charged AirPods will give you about six hours of use.

Health Canada has approved the AirPods Pro 2 for hearing aid use, but there are still provincial hurdles that need to be cleared, so the hearing aid feature is not yet available in Canada.

According to Apple Canada’s website, “Due to regulatory restrictions, Apple is unable to release the Hearing Test and Hearing Aid features in Canada at this time. Feature availability varies by region.”

The website shows that while about 100 countries have approved AirPods Pro 2 to be used as hearing aids, about 100 other countries, including Canada, have not.