Discover 4 Shocking Facts About Hearing Loss and How AirPods Pro 2 Can Help!

Hearing Test with AirPods Pro 2

Discover 4 Shocking Facts About Hearing Loss Apple’s iOS 18.1 update introduces a Hearing Health feature for AirPods Pro 2 users, allowing clinical-grade hearing tests to be conducted on iPhones or iPads. FDA-approved, this feature enables users to evaluate their hearing health at home, providing insights without the need for clinic visits. Announced during the iPhone 16 launch, the feature aims to make hearing assessments more accessible.

Millions globally may be unaware of hearing loss until it disrupts daily life. The Hearing Health feature addresses this by testing different sound frequencies and reporting results in decibels of hearing level (dBHL).

Discover 4 Shocking Facts About Hearing Loss 

How to Use the Hearing Health Feature:

1. Setup Requirements: Use an iPhone or iPad with iOS 18.1 or later and ensure AirPods Pro 2 firmware is up-to-date.

2. Fit and Environment: Confirm a secure AirPods fit with the Ear Tip Fit Test in settings. Use different ear tips or clean the earbuds if necessary. Conduct the test in a quiet space to avoid background noise.

3. Start the Test: Navigate to the connected AirPods section in the Settings app and select “Take a Hearing Test.” You can also access this in the Health app under the Hearing section.

4. Follow Instructions: Respond to tones at varying frequencies by tapping the screen when you hear them. The app may pause to prompt adjustments if needed, such as fixing the AirPods fit or finding a quieter area.

5. Results: After the test, results will display in dBHL:

– Up to 25 dBHL: Normal hearing.
– 26–40 dBHL: Mild hearing loss, making distant speech harder to hear.
– 41–60 dBHL: Moderate loss, requiring louder voices for clarity.
– 61–80 dBHL: Severe loss, needing shouting for understanding.

For detailed insights, select “Show Details” for a frequency-specific chart stored in the Health app. Users can save their audiogram as a PDF for medical consultations.

Discover 4 Shocking Facts About Hearing Loss  Apple has released the second developer beta of iOS 18.2, introducing several new Apple Intelligence features for compatible iPhones. Key updates include the integration of ChatGPT in the Settings app and improved functionality of the Image Playground tool within native apps like Notes. The update also adds Find My location-sharing capabilities, a new Camera Control feature for the iPhone 16 series, and various other enhancements.

The first developer beta of iOS 18.2, which launched last month, included OpenAI’s ChatGPT and introduced image-generation tools such as the Image Playground app and Genmoji.

Discover 4 Shocking Facts About Hearing Loss  In iOS 18.2 developer beta 2, users can now log into their OpenAI accounts from the Settings app, enabling those with ChatGPT Plus subscriptions to access additional features. They can also subscribe to ChatGPT Plus directly through Settings, with the app displaying usage data to help users monitor their progress toward the free-tier limit.

The latest beta integrates the Image Playground tool into the Notes app, allowing users to create images from selected text.

In terms of non-AI features, iOS 18.2 enables users to share the location data of lost items via a link, which can be accessed by others on the web, even if they don’t own an Apple device. Additionally, the icons in the Settings app now match the color tint of the app icons on the home screen.

For iPhone 16 series users, the new Camera Control feature lets them manage focus and lock exposure using a dedicated button. A light press locks both settings, while a full press keeps them locked as users change their position and angle, ensuring consistent focus and exposure.

Other updates include a new setting to display notification badges only for unread messages in the Mail app’s Primary category and a feature that allows users to mirror their iPhone screens to Macs while using the iPhone as a hotspot.

Discover 4 Shocking Facts About Hearing Loss  iOS 18.2 beta 2 was released for developers and testers on Monday, as Apple gears up for the upcoming version of its smartphone operating system, expected in early December with enhanced Apple Intelligence features. This latest beta includes a new application programming interface (API) that allows developers to enable access to on-screen content, enabling Siri and Apple Intelligence to relay information to third-party services for processing.

On the Apple Developer website, Apple has shared documentation for the new API titled “Making onscreen content available to Siri and Apple Intelligence.” This API facilitates access to an app’s onscreen content, allowing Siri and Apple Intelligence to comprehend what the user is currently viewing.

When developers implement this onscreen content API, their applications can supply Siri and Apple Intelligence with screen content when a user explicitly requests it. This information can then be shared with third-party services, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. For instance, a user browsing the web could ask, “Hey Siri, what’s this document about?” and Siri would summarize the document for them.

Developers can integrate onscreen awareness support in a variety of applications, including web browsers, document readers, file management apps, email, photo galleries, presentation software, spreadsheets, and word processors. Apple notes that this list is not exhaustive, suggesting that more applications may benefit from the API in the future.

It’s important to mention that iOS 18.2 will not introduce the new Siri, which is anticipated to feature significantly enhanced functionality. That upgrade is expected to come with iOS 18.4, along with support for in-app actions, which is scheduled for release in April 2025. This timeline provides developers ample opportunity to incorporate the API into their applications.

Discover 4 Shocking Facts About Hearing Loss  Apple has released the second betas of its upcoming updates for iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 for developers to test. These betas follow the first releases of 18.2 and 15.2 two weeks prior. Alongside these updates, Apple has also launched the first betas of watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2, and visionOS 2.2.

A key feature in this update is Image Playground, Apple’s image generation app that creates images based on user prompts. Users can enter a description or utilize built-in suggestions, which may include costumes, locations, and items. The app intelligently draws inspiration from content in Messages and Notes, allowing users to generate characters resembling friends and family. Users can also upload a photo for the app to use as a reference. The app includes a preview history for tracking changes, and while Image Playground is a standalone app, it can also be accessed within Messages. It is important to note that the app produces animated or illustrated images rather than photorealistic ones.

Image Wand is a related feature in the Notes app for iPad users, enabling them to draw rough sketches with the Apple Pencil or highlight phrases to generate corresponding images. Additionally, users can create custom emoji characters called Genmoji based on descriptions or their friends and family, drawing data from the People album in Photos. Currently, Genmoji is exclusive to iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, with plans to include it in macOS Sequoia later.

Siri can integrate with ChatGPT for specific requests with user consent. If Siri cannot answer a query, it will delegate the request to ChatGPT, which will respond through Siri. Users do not need an account to utilize this ChatGPT integration, and both Apple and OpenAI do not store requests.

Discover 4 Shocking Facts About Hearing Loss  For iPhone 16 users, Visual Intelligence offers contextual information about surroundings. For instance, pointing the camera at a restaurant will display its hours and reviews. Other features include reading text aloud, detecting phone numbers and addresses for Contacts, copying text, summarizing content, and even searching Google for purchasing options for items in view. Apple plans to expand this feature’s capabilities over time.

The Writing Tools feature is also being enhanced to allow for more flexible changes. In iOS 18.1, it was limited to tone adjustments, but in iOS 18.2, users can specify desired changes, such as adding action words or transforming an email into a poem.

Apple Intelligence will support localized English in various countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, and the UK, alongside U.S. English. Users testing Apple Intelligence will automatically gain access to Writing Tools, ChatGPT integration, and Visual Intelligence if opted in.

A waitlist has been established for early access to Genmoji, Image Playground, and Image Wand. Interested users can sign up through the respective apps and will receive notifications when features become available. Apple is gradually rolling out these image generation features over the coming weeks.

While the second betas are available on all compatible devices, the Apple Intelligence features require devices capable of supporting them, such as the iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 16, iPads with M-series or A17 Pro chips, and Macs with M-series chips. Apple plans to officially release iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, macOS Sequoia 15.2, watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2, and visionOS 2.2 updates in early December.