Future AirPods Could Monitor Body Temperature and Posture, and Work as a Hearing Aid
Apple is developing AirPods with health features, including body temperature and posture monitoring, and the ability to work as a hearing aid, according to The Wall Street Journal.
According to documents seen by The Wall Street Journal, prototypes of AirPods with temperature sensors for monitoring a wearer's core body temperature from inside the ear are being developed. The report noted that these in-ear temperature sensors could work in tandem with a temperature sensor in the Apple Watch Series 8.
The health-focused AirPods reportedly also use motion sensors to monitor a wearer's posture and alert them when they are slouching in an effort to improve posture.
Apple released its "Conversation Boost" feature for AirPods Pro last week, which boosts the volume and clarity of people directly in front of the wearer. It is not clear if the new hearing aid functions being explored by Apple are an extension of Conversation Boost or a wholly different hearing aid-specific feature. AirPods already feature, microphones, an amplifier, and a processor, providing the bedrock for hearing aid functionality.
AirPods may not be suitable as hearing aids for some sufferers of hearing loss since they do not have an all-day battery life, but the report noted that an expansion of FDA regulations for a new class of hearing aids, targeting mild to moderate hearing moss, that is expected next year could pave the way for Apple to explicitly market AirPods as hearing aids.
AirPods have been rumored to feature health-monitoring functions for some time, even with Apple executives hinting at the possibility. While previous reports have only speculated on the health features that could theoretically come to AirPods, The Wall Street Journal's report is the first clarification of the specific features Apple is reportedly exploring.
Individuals said to be familiar with Apple's plans told the The Wall Street Journal that the AirPods with health features are not expected to launch in 2022, and may never be released.
Popular Stories
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series in the fall, and a possible September 10 announcement date has been floated this year, which means we are just one month away from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design...
Apple's M3 MacBook Pro is seeing multiple high value discounts on Best Buy and Amazon today, with up to $1,000 off select models. This includes a new all-time low price on the entry-level M3 512GB 14-inch MacBook Pro at $1,299.00, down from $1,599.00, and a massive $1,000 discount on the high-end 16-inch model exclusively for Best Buy members. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best...
Multiple rumors have suggested that the iPhone 16 models are going to have an all-new button that's designed to make it easier to capture photos when the devices are held in landscape mode. Apple calls the button the Capture Button internally, and it is going to be one of the most advanced buttons that's been introduced to date with support for multiple gestures and the ability to respond to ...
Apple is beta testing iOS 18 and the first update to iOS 18 concurrently, and we got the second betas of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 today alongside the sixth betas of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia 15. Many of the changes in iOS 18.1 are focused on bringing the .1 betas in line with the standard betas, which recently received updates to Photos and Safari, while...
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
Apple's rumored iPhone 17 "Slim" could be positioned as an iPhone "Air" to boost sales, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained how the "fourth" model in the iPhone lineup since 2020 (the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone 15 Plus) has largely been a commercial failure. In the case of the Plus model,...
