Apple on Thursday announced the roll out of two new health-related device features in India. The new features include Hearing Test Features for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 earbuds, along with sleep apnea notifications for late model Apple Watches.
“At Apple, we believe technology should empower people to take control of their health, and that starts with giving users tools to detect conditions they may not even know they have,” said Sumbul Desai, M.D., Apple’s vice president of Health and Fitness. “From sleep apnoea notifications on Apple Watch to a hearing test with AirPods Pro, we’re excited to bring these meaningful capabilities to our users in India.”
Apple estimates that sleep apnea impacts more than 1 billion people worldwide, and in most cases, goes undiagnosed. Sleep apnea is a condition that can cause a person’s breathing to repeatedly stop and start as they sleep, This can result in poor rest, and I can personally tell you that sleep apnea will turn you into a zombie. The affliction prevents the body from getting enough oxygen, which can lead to additional health problems. The condition, if left untreated, can have important health consequences, including the risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and cardiac issues.
Apple explains that the Apple Watch uses a unique method of detecting sleep apnea, relying on the device’s accelerometer to analyze breathing and detect patterns typical of sleep apnea, by detecting small movements at the wrist that are associated with interruptions to normal respiratory patterns during a subject’s sleep.
Every 30 days, the Apple Watch analyzes the collected data, notifying users if it detects consistent signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea. Users can then speak to their physicians about next steps, including potential diagnosis via a sleep study and the possible treatments.
Breathing Disturbances can be used to determine restfulness of sleep. Breathing Disturbances can be influenced by alcohol, medications, sleep position, and more. Users can view their nightly Breathing Disturbances in the Health app, where they are classified as elevated or not elevated, and can be viewed over a one-month, six-month, or one-year period.
Users can also export a PDF that shows when sleep apnea may have occurred, three months of breathing disturbance data, and additional information. This makes it easy to share the information with healthcare providers. The Health app also offers educational articles to provide more information about sleep apnea.
The health feature is available on Apple Watch Series 9 (and later) and Apple Watch Ultra 2 (and later) as a part of watchOS 26.
Hearing loss can sneak up on a person, as hearing typically deteriorates gradually, meaning many are unaware that they have hearing loss. Happily, Apple has developed an easy-to-use, clinical-grade hearing test based using pure-tone audiometry. Users can perform the tests by themselves using their AirPods Pro 2 or 3 earbuds and a compatible iPhone or iPad. The hearing tests are designed to measure a user’s via hearing tests like one might experience at a doctor’s office or during a visit to an audiologist.
The tests involve playing tones at varying frequencies and sound levels in each ear. Users tap their iPhone’s display whenever they hear a sound. Four frequencies are tested: 500Hz, 1kHz, 2kHz, and 4kHz. Results of up to 25 dBHL mean there is little to no hearing loss. 26 to 40 dBHL indicates a mild hearing loss, 41 to 60 dBHL moderate hearing loss, results of 61 to 80 dBHL indicate severe hearing loss, and a result above 80 dBHL points to profound hearing loss.
Hearing tests are available to any uses with a pair of AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods Pro 3 that are connected to an iPhone running iOS 18.1 or later or an iPad running iPadOS 18.1 or later.
All results, including an audiogram, are stored in the Health app on a user’s iPhone, allowing for easy sharing of the information with a health provider.
“At Apple, we believe technology should empower people to take control of their health, and that starts with giving users tools to detect conditions they may not even know they have,” said Sumbul Desai, M.D., Apple’s vice president of Health and Fitness. “From sleep apnoea notifications on Apple Watch to a hearing test with AirPods Pro, we’re excited to bring these meaningful capabilities to our users in India.”
Apple Health features are now available in over 160 countries and regions globally.