There’s an important new reason you might put AirPods Pro 2 on your gift list this year. If you know someone who resists getting the hearing assistance they need, Apple’s wireless earbuds can change their life.
It’s not hype — AirPods Pro 2 really can help people with mild to moderate hearing loss thanks to a software update released this autumn.
This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.
Gift AirPods Pro 2 for discreet hearing assistance
AirPods always made wonderful gifts, right from the start They’re a great way to listen to music on the go or in the office. Our AirPods Pro 2 review says sound quality is “undeniably high,” and they work seamlessly with iPhone.
But that’s been true since the AirPods Pro 2 launch in 2022. Then Apple leveled up AirPods Pro 2 in October so they can function as genuine medical-grade hearing aids. The goal is to help those with slight hearing loss who aren’t ready for more serious hearing assistance.
One woman recently shared her remarkable experience using AirPods Pro as hearing ads on social media.
“Guys I could actually cry right now,” Aundrea Namiko Gregory wrote on Threads last week. “I bought myself some AirPods just as a treat to myself cuz I’ve been using cheap headphones. I’m setting them up yesterday and it says there’s a hearing aid setting. So I set it up thinking it can’t be that helpful. Well I put it in my ear and was so overwhelmed by the sounds that I almost cried.”
She said she lost 50% of her hearing in one ear a year ago, and with AirPods Pro 2, now “can hear a conversation 100 feet away and the zipper on my jacket.”
“I’m truly just blown away and didn’t think I would be able to ever afford a hearing aid, just for me to accidentally buy one simply because I wanted better sound quality for my music,” she wrote. “I’m so so so happy.”
Apple told a similar story in this year’s tear-jerking Christmas ad showcasing AirPods Pro 2’s new hearing aid feature.
A perfect gift for someone with moderate hearing loss
Similar sentiments could apply to someone on your gift list. They might have enjoyed loud concerts when they were young and are now paying the price. Or maybe they were frequently around loud equipment, or did a lot of hunting, without hearing protection. Whatever the reason, they’ve damaged their hearing, but they (mistakenly) believe they’re too young and cool to need a hearing aid.
Gift them with AirPods Pro 2. They can still look cool — everyone wears AirPods — while they get the help they need to hear more clearly. It could really improve their life.
Even better, you can pick up a pair from Amazon or Best Buy at $60 below the usual cost.
AirPods Pro 2 are a fantastic pair of earbuds for your iPhone, delivering terrific sound quality, excellent ANC, and advanced features like Personalized Spatial Audio.
- Fab sound quality
- Excellent ANC
- Hearing Health features let them double as clinical-grade hearing aids and active hearing protection
- USB-C wireless charging case
- Hard to come up with one
Not marketing hype
To be clear, AirPods Pro 2 isn’t for grandma or grandpa who have significant hearing loss. It‘s for your uncle the former metalhead. Or it could be your mom who went to dance clubs every weekend all through college. The key phrase is “mild to moderate hearing loss.”
For anyone feeling skeptical, the new feature definitely isn’t just empty marketing hype. Apple received Food and Drug Administration approval to say that its high-end wireless earbuds act as medical-grade hearing aids. Plus, The Wall Street Journal gave a pair to a woman already diagnosed with hearing loss. She immediately heard a difference.
