Additionally, the company might add new features to the earbuds to support hearing health.
In his latest Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg reports that Apple is developing new health monitoring features for its audio devices. The first feature would allow AirPods to perform hearing tests. As The Verge notes, AirPods already support audio profiles that iOS can use to adjust headphone settings based on hearing impairments. Currently, these modes can be configured using third-party apps like Mimi, so if Apple decides to create its own app, it would be yet another case of the company integrating functionality from external developers.
Separately, Gurman mentions that Apple is considering positioning and promoting AirPods Pro as hearing aids, following the FDA’s (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) decision last year to simplify the purchase of over-the-counter hearing devices. He reports that, as part of this initiative, the company recently hired engineers with experience working on traditional hearing aids.
The second new feature that Apple is working on for AirPods is a function that would allow the earbuds to measure body temperature. The built-in temperature sensor was one of the features introduced in the Watch Series 8 and Watch Ultra. As for why Apple would duplicate a feature already present in existing devices, a sensor located in the ear canal could provide more accurate temperature readings than one on the wrist.
Gurman adds that both features could be available “in a few months or even years.” He also mentions that, in the near future, Apple plans to update AirPods Pro with a USB-C charging case, and that the company’s audio devices will eventually transition from Lightning. All of this is in response to the new unified charging standard adopted by the EU. “Despite the switch to USB-C, I wouldn’t expect a brand-new AirPods Pro release anytime soon,” Gurman notes, pointing out that Apple just updated the earbuds last year.
For now, AirPods users can at least look forward to new software features that Apple says will arrive in iOS 17. Gurman suggests that Apple may also permanently reduce the price of the second-generation AirPods from $129 to $99 to make them more competitive with budget-friendly options from Samsung, Sony, and Amazon.