By Dean Seal
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an Apple feature that can be used with its AirPods Pro headphones as the first over-the-counter hearing aid software device.
The regulator said Apple's Hearing Aid Feature can be installed and customized to a user's hearing needs, enabling compatible versions of the AirPods Pro headphones to serve as an over-the-counter hearing aid.
The feature is intended to amplify sounds for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment, the FDA said. The agency established regulations in October 2022 that allowed those adults to purchase hearing aids directly from stores or online without the need for a medical exam.
Apple previously said the hearing aid feature will be available this fall, pending regulatory approval.
Write to Dean Seal at dean.seal@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 12, 2024 11:56 ET (15:56 GMT)
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