Apple is experimenting with additional body-temperature and hearing health capabilities for its AirPods wireless earbuds. The upcoming version of AirPods may also have a Type-C port for charging, according to Apple analyst and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, since the company is moving away from its exclusive Lightning port on iPads and soon iPhones. According to Gurman’s most recent Power On email, if we follow Apple’s three-year upgrade cycle for AirPods, the next generation of AirPods might arrive in 2024 and the AirPods Pro 3 could follow in 2025. For improved connectivity with the Apple Vision Pro headset, the next generation of AirPods might come with more sensors.
Details on soon, Apple AirPods might be able to measure body temperature and hearing capacity
According to the newsletter, Apple is developing a new hearing test tool to determine how well a user can hear. Similar to how the Apple Watch ECG app screens for heart abnormalities, the earbuds will play a variety of tones and sounds to “screen” people for hearing concerns. Gurman continues by stating that the enhanced hearing test “Sherlock — or make irrelevant — existing apps like Mimi.” Similar to this, Apple is considering marketing the AirPods as hearing aids; limitations include governmental permission, though. Although the firm has included functions that resemble hearing aids, such Conversation Boost and Live Listen, it cannot guarantee that these will improve users’ hearing.
As the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) relaxed the requirements for buying hearing aids, things might soon alter. India might experience the consequences of this as well.
Second, compared to an Apple Watch, the next AirPods might assess body temperature more precisely. According to the email, “Engineering work is also being done on the AirPods to add sensors so they can detect body temperature through a wearer’s ear canal. The Apple Watch Series 8 and Ultra versions record wrist temperature data when users are sleeping, but this type of information is seen to be more reliable.
This functionality has long been speculated to be under development at Apple. According to previous leaks, future AirPods might potentially track pulse rate.
At the WWDC 2023 last month, Apple revealed a new functionality for the AirPods Pro 2. The business will launch “Adaptive Audio,” which makes use of transparency and active noise suppression settings. According to Apple, “Adaptive Audio” swaps between audio modes automatically in response to “changing environments and interactions throughout the day.” The AirPods Pro enter ANC mode while you’re in a noisy setting, but they switch to transparency mode if someone calls you or a car passes you as you cross the road. This keeps you aware of your surroundings. The release of the feature is anticipated for September or October.
