Apple's new AirPods Pro double as a hearing aid. Experts call it a game changer.

Apple's AirPods Pro 2 will soon come with a novel feature aimed at a generally more mature population: Americans who suffer from hearing loss. 

The wireless earbuds, designed for listening to music on the go, now double as a medical device that doctors and hearing experts say could be a game changer. The devices address a number of problems that often deter Americans who could benefit from hearing assistance, namely stigma and cost, experts told CBS MoneyWatch.

In late 2022, the Food and Drug Administration announced that Americans could now buy over-the-counter hearing aids, typically making the devices more affordable than those issued by a physician. 

Now, Apple's enhanced AirPods could offer consumers with mild to moderate hearing loss another, potentially less costly, option. The company touted the ear buds' forthcoming features at the company's annual tech launch on Tuesday, including a function called hearing protection, a built-in hearing test and an over-the-counter hearing aid feature that Apple said "helps make access to hearing assistance easier than ever at an approachable price point."

On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized a piece of software called Hearing Aid Feature (HAF) that will allow Apple AirPods Pro 2 ear buds and other compatible Apple AirPods Pro devices to function as hearing aids when paired with an iOS 18-compatible iPhone or iPad.

This marks the first time the FDA has authorized an over-the-counter hearing aid software, the agency said. 

Experts said the new functionality could make a difference, with 1.5 billion people worldwide suffering from hearing loss, according to the World Health Organization. 

Doesn't look like a hearing aid

"There is a lot of frustration among the community of people who dedicate their lives to hearing health that the vast majority of people who could benefit from over-the-counter hearing aids are not availing themselves of it," Dr. Sujana Chandrasekhar, a partner at ENT and Allergy Associates, told CBS MoneyWatch. "And when hearing loss is untreated, it's associated with social isolation, which can cause depression, and that can lead to dementia." 

She likened OTC hearing devices to the kind of cheap reading glasses commonly found at convenience stores, but pointed to a stark difference beyond the cost: "People on the street wear all sorts of cool glasses that are purple, pink, invisible, visible, and nobody bothers you when you wear them. But hearing aids still have this stigma of age." 

Apple's AirPods could bridge this gap, Dr. Chandrasekhar said.

"They give you a hearing test and amplify where it looks like you need amplification. And because everybody walks around with something in their ear, you don't look like you are wearing a hearing aid. So these bypass all those hurdles," she said.

How much do they cost?

The AirPods also bring a significantly more affordable OTC hearing aid product to the market. A technologically sophisticated pair of these devices can cost $3,000, according to the National Council on Aging. AirPods Pro 2 cost $249. They are currently available, but don't yet feature the hearing assistance functions, which await FDA approval. 

"The price point is well below some of the other OTC quality products, and the fact that it's so mainstream — we know that when you design something for all, it helps people with hearing loss," said Barbara Kelley, executive director of the Hearing Loss Association of America. "With Apple coming in, and the way Apple does things with a big splash, it really draws attention to hearing health and treating hearing loss, which is part of overall health." 

Since AirPods serve as ear buds that let users listen to music or communicate via their iPhones, "People with mild hearing loss may take that first little step and get into that treatment path sooner," she noted.  

While he welcomes the news, Illinois-based ear, nose and throat Dr. Sreek Cherukuri highlighted some possible downsides to Apple's push into hearing aids. 

"At the social level, when you see someone with AirPods in their ears, you don't talk to them because you think they are on a call or listening to music," he told CBS MoneyWatch. 

Cherukuri also noted that older consumers, who are most likely to require hearing aids, tend to have bigger ear canals. That means AirPods might not fit them well. "They may be too small for their ear canals."

Additionally, while hearing aids are designed to last all day, AirPods have limited battery life, Dr. Cherukuri said.