Health is more than ever at the heart of Apple’s strategy. During its latest keynote, the firm unveiled new features dedicated to sleep and hearing on the Apple Watch and AirPods Pro 2. With a stated objective: to democratize the management of pathologies that affect billions of people around the world.
AirPods Pro, next-generation hearing aids
On the hearing side, AirPods Pro 2 become real health allies with a trio of new functions: active hearing protection, hearing test and hearing aid. Hearing protection, activated by default, attenuates harmful ambient noise while preserving sound quality. A response to the alarming finding of the Apple Hearing study: 1 in 3 people are regularly exposed to sound levels that are dangerous for hearing.
Another innovation: a clinical hearing test that can be carried out yourself in 5 minutes with your AirPods Pro. The assessment, stored in the Health app, allows you to monitor your hearing over time and engage in dialogue with a healthcare professional.
Finally, AirPods Pro transform into hearing aids for mild to moderate hearing loss. Their personalized hearing profile adjusts sounds in real time for better understanding. A small revolution when you consider that 75% of hearing impaired people do not have hearing aids.
Apple Watch detects sleep apnea
Sleep apnea, a breathing disorder that affects more than a billion people, often goes unnoticed. Yet, if left untreated, it increases the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and heart problems.
To address this, the Apple Watch will analyze wrist movements during sleep to detect possible interruptions in breathing. If signs of moderate to severe apnea are detected for 30 days, the user will receive a notification to consult a doctor.
An algorithm developed from a large clinical study on sleep apnea, and which has proven itself: during the tests, all the people identified by the Apple Watch actually suffered from apnea, even mild. Enough to allow early management of this underdiagnosed disorder. Sleep apnea detection will soon be available on the Apple Watches Series 10 and 9, as well as on the Ultra 2.
With these announcements, Apple is establishing itself a little more as a major player in connected health. The promise: to make powerful screening and monitoring tools accessible to as many people as possible, while respecting privacy. A bold bet, but necessary in the face of current public health issues.