At its “Glowtime” event today, Apple announced its new lineup of products: the new Apple Watch, iPods, and iPhone 16 series. One of the overarching themes across the different devices is new health monitoring features. While health monitoring is everywhere, Apple’s new features bring a unique, clinically relevant angle to these products, such as the ability of the AirPods Pro 2 to act as over-the-counter hearing aids.
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Other features such as sleep apnea detection, new holistic information provided in vitals mode, and health insights during pregnancy are part of Apple’s push to provide not only deeper, more accurate data, but more relevant as well. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most impactful health features across the three new products.
1.Hearing aid mode: AirPods Pro 2
The AirPods Pro 2, Apple’s premium line of earbuds, can now double as over-the-counter hearing aids as well as provide a handful of hearing-related metrics and tests. In an emotional demo during its “Glowtime” keynote event, Apple demonstrated how the AirPods Pro 2 can double as a hearing aid — changing the game for folks who wouldn’t have access to an otherwise expensive or hard-to-obtain product.
The AirPods Pro 2 can also provide clinically-validated hearing tests that assess hearing capabilities and monitor advances in hearing loss, making them the first commercially-available earbuds to do so.
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Apple clarified during the event that the device has not yet been cleared by the FDA as an approved hearing aid device. However, in order for a product to meet the qualifications of an over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid, it must be prescription-free, doesn’t require implantation or surgical intervention, and come with feature customization — all requirements that the AirPods Pro 2 meet.
2.Vitals mode: Apple Watch
Instead of looking at a list of health data in a vacuum, the new Vitals app is designed to contextualize holistic health data in a way that actually makes sense for users. It takes health data like heart rate, temperature, and blood oxygen levels while you’re asleep, processes them through the watch’s algorithm, and then indicates to the user in the morning whether or not they’re in the normal range.
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If the watch detects that some of these vital metrics are too high or low, or there’s a sudden jump or drop, it will notify the user and suggest some relevant lifestyle changes or actions to take that could alleviate those issues.
3.Sleep apnea detection: Apple Watch
This was a feature we saw in Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra earlier this year, so it wasn’t much of a surprise to see the technology make its way to the new Apple Watch. However, in line with the Vitals app, it’s informed by a holistic collection of other metrics such as heart rate, body temperature, movement, but most importantly, respiratory data.
The watch’s accelerometer is equipped with the capability to detect breathing disturbances, and if they appear frequently enough in intervals that flag the algorithm, it will alert the user to see a health provider for sleep apnea testing.
4. Pregnancy tracking: Apple Watch
The Series 10 Apple Watch has a renewed focus on pregnancy data, paired with its cycle tracking algorithm. While there isn’t a specific app solely for pregnancy, if you indicate that you’re pregnant in Cycle Tracking app, it will display your gestational age and track your pregnancy status across other health data.
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