Apple AirPods may soon be able to check body temperature, hearing abilities

Apple is exploring new hearing health and body-temperature features on AirPods wireless earbuds. According to Apple analyst and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the next AirPods may also feature a Type-C port for charging, as the company is transitioning away from its proprietary Lightning port on iPads and soon iPhones. Gurman, in his latest Power On newsletter edition, states that the next AirPods might launch in 2024, while the AirPods Pro 3 could debut in 2025 if we go by Apple’s three-year upgrade cycle for AirPods. The next AirPods may include more sensors for better connectivity with the Apple Vision Pro headset.The newsletter highlights that Apple is working on a new hearing test feature to check how well a user can hear. The earbuds will play different tones and sounds to “screen” users for hearing issues, not unlike how the Apple Watch ECG app checks for heart problems. Gurman adds the improved hearing test could “Sherlock — or make irrelevant — existing apps like Mimi.” Similarly, Apple is exploring the idea of positioning the AirPods as hearing aids; however, restrictions include regulatory approval. The company has added hearing-aid-like features, such as Conversation Boost and Live Listen, but cannot claim that these would help users hear better.

It could change soon as the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) eased hearing aid purchase rules. This may also have consequent effects in India.

Secondly, the next AirPods may more accurately measure body temperature than an Apple Watch. The newsletter reads, “There’s also engineering work being done on adding sensors to the AirPods so they can determine body temperature via a wearer’s ear canal. That type of data is considered more accurate than wrist temperature, which is collected on the Apple Watch Series 8 and Ultra models while users sleep.”