At Apple’s Audio Lab in Cupertino, dubbed the Fantasia Lab, a discreet yet groundbreaking innovation has unfolded. Beyond their celebrated iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple Watch, Apple has developed a comprehensive hearing health experience. Centered around the AirPods Pro 2, this innovation doesn’t involve a new piece of hardware but rather a significant leap in software. Through a software update, users can now access a range of hearing tools, including Hearing Protection, an at-home Hearing Test, and even a clinical-grade Hearing Aid, all powered by Apple’s acoustic expertise developed in their state-of-the-art facility. These features are launching today with Apple’s iOS 18.1 update.
For years, Apple’s Fantasia Lab has been at the epicenter of its acoustic engineering -- which has enabled Macs, iPads, iPhones, AirPods and HomePods to have exceptional audio capabilities. The lab’s foundation is as precise as the technology within it, with anechoic chambers that eliminate reflective sounds and isolated environments designed to accurately test how sound interacts with the human ear. Here, Apple’s teams have undertaken what could be described as an auditory atlas of the human experience. They test products across environments as diverse as concert halls, restaurants, and even bustling streets. Such environments enable them to optimise the auditory experience on a personal level, ensuring sound quality across Apple's suite of devices — from the iPhone to the HomePod.
The aim of this hearing health journey, as Apple’s vice president of Health, Dr. Sumbul Desai, describes, is to democratise access to solutions for hearing loss. Hearing issues affect over 1.5 billion people globally, according to the World Health Organization. Yet, the ability to address hearing concerns remains unevenly distributed. Apple has targeted this disparity by integrating advanced hearing features directly into the AirPods Pro 2, bridging a gap between hearing aids and consumer technology.
“Hearing is a vital part of our health. Apple's new end-to-end hearing health experience with AirPods Pro 2 allows customers to improve, protect, and better understand their hearing. We're excited for these new features to have an impact on people's lives. They're available today,” said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO.
Apple’s Audio Lab is purpose-built to recreate real-world listening conditions. Engineers use playback of calibrated soundscapes from bustling urban centres to quiet, natural environments to examine how users perceive sound in each. Kuba Mazur, the hearing health lead within Apple’s Acoustics Engineering team, points out that achieving this level of precision requires technology that can replicate the subtleties of human hearing. From speech heard amidst restaurant noise to concert-level decibel readings, these sound environments are calibrated to refine each hearing health feature. For example, the Hearing Test feature measures the softest audible sounds, while the Hearing Aid function focuses on amplifying speech amidst background noise.
The lab’s standout feature, a massive anechoic chamber, is built upon a spring-isolated foundation, shielding it from external vibrations. Here, a custom array of microphones and loudspeakers map how sound travels around the head and torso, capturing head-related transfer functions. This data, combined with user studies, contributes to the intricate design of Apple’s hearing health features, ensuring they’re suited to each individual’s unique auditory profile.
Mazur explains that by utilising tools such as a rotating chair equipped with AirPods Pro, the lab records how sound arrives at each ear — a process that is essential for delivering authentic soundscapes in Apple’s auditory products. “Each person’s ears are different,” he says, “so understanding how we perceive sound allows us to tailor the experience, making it as close to the real world as possible.”
In addition to precise sound modelling, Apple’s engineers employed a battery of tests to simulate daily auditory challenges. The Fantasia Lab, equipped with an array of 50 speakers, allows engineers to simulate hundreds of soundscapes, from train stations to shopping centres, enveloping participants in sound fields that challenge their auditory processing. During these tests, participants repeat words spoken amidst overlapping conversations, mimicking real-life scenarios where clarity of speech is often hampered by background noise.
For Mazur and his team, this replication is crucial. “We don’t just simulate an environment — we rebuild it,” he says. This meticulous attention to detail has made features like Conversation Boost and Transparency Mode invaluable for users. It also provides essential support for the Hearing Aid feature, which uses the AirPods Pro 2 as a discreet assistive hearing device.
Apple’s goal was clear: bring clinical-level tools to the everyday user without the need for specialist visits. The Hearing Test, a critical component of this update, is designed to be user-friendly, even for those unfamiliar with hearing assessments. Simplifying its interface, the design team created a step-by-step experience that is intuitive and inviting. “This might be the first hearing test some users have ever taken, so we needed it to feel as natural as possible,” says Heather Daniel, part of Apple’s health-focused design team.
This integration required expertise across numerous Apple divisions, including software and hardware engineering, design, accessibility, and even regulatory teams. From software tweaks to clinical-level calibration, each step of this journey was meticulously coordinated. The team conducted thousands of clinical-grade audiometry tests and collaborated with audiologists to verify the software’s accuracy.
Apple’s efforts go beyond making AirPods Pro 2 an audio device; they’re pushing it towards a medical-grade assistive tool that empowers users to monitor and protect their hearing health autonomously.
Apple’s hearing health journey on AirPods Pro 2 exemplifies how high-end technology can be tailored to meet human needs across various demographic landscapes. Dr. Desai highlights the impact of this work: “With the Hearing Aid feature, we wanted something so intuitive it felt like an extension of your senses.” In aiming to address a global challenge, Apple has transformed its product line into an adaptive and deeply personal experience.
For many users, these tools have already become indispensable, enabling them to navigate their daily lives with greater ease and comfort. The new update is not just an add-on but a carefully engineered, user-focused response to a pervasive global issue. It signals Apple’s direction in health-focused technology: empowering users with the tools to independently address core aspects of their health, seamlessly integrated into devices they already own.
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