Apple unveils new sleep, hearing health features

Apple has unveiled “breakthrough” sleep and hearing health features coming to Apple Watch and AirPods Pro 2 that “further deliver on Apple’s commitment to health with experiences that enrich users’ lives,” the company says. These new features expand across products, bringing informative and powerful ways to support users in their sleep and hearing health for conditions that impact billions globally. Using a new Breathing Disturbances metric, sleep apnea notifications come to Apple Watch. The sleep apnea notifications are expected to receive marketing authorization from the Food and Drug Administration and other global health authorities soon, with availability this month in more than 150 countries and regions, including the U.S., the EU, and Japan. Apple is providing the world’s first all-in-one hearing health experience with AirPods Pro with active Hearing Protection, a clinically validated Hearing Test feature, and an over-the-counter Hearing Aid feature. The first-of-its-kind software-based Hearing Aid feature helps make access to hearing assistance easier than ever at an approachable price point. The Hearing Test and Hearing Aid features are expected to receive marketing authorization from global health authorities soon, and will be available this fall in more than 100 countries and regions, including the U.S., Germany, and Japan. “At Apple, we believe that technology can help you live a healthier life, and we’re excited to enable incredible new health capabilities for serious conditions that affect billions of people around the world, while continuing to keep user data private,” said Sumbul Desai, Apple’s vice president of Health. “With Apple Watch, we continue to offer our users the ability to uncover important health conditions with new sleep apnea notifications. And on AirPods Pro, powerful features put users’ hearing health front and center, bringing new ways to help test for and receive assistance for hearing loss.”