AirPods Pro: Apple Turned Earbuds Into a Health Device — And Nobody Saw It Coming

 Apple’s AirPods Pro: A Game-Changer for the Hearing Aid Market

Editor's Note: This post was originally published September 13, 2024. Updated March 2026 to include AirPods Pro 3 launch details, and again on March 18, 2026 to reflect the confirmed official Philippine price of ₱14,990 on the Apple PH Store.

When the original version of this post went up in September 2024, the headline was straightforward: Apple got FDA approval to turn AirPods Pro 2 into hearing aids. It was a genuinely remarkable story — a $249.00 USD pair of earbuds receiving clinical-grade regulatory approval as an over-the-counter hearing device, the first time in history the FDA had ever approved an OTC hearing aid software.

That was already a big deal.

Eighteen months later, the story has grown into something much larger. Apple did not stop at hearing aids. They kept going. And the AirPods Pro — a product most people buy to listen to music and take phone calls — is now quietly one of the most sophisticated personal health devices you can buy at that price point.

Let me bring you up to speed.

Where It Started — The Hearing Aid Breakthrough (September 2024)

The original story deserves proper context because it is still the foundation of everything that followed.

A software update for Apple AirPods Pro 2, which the FDA approved September 12, 2024, allowed them to become clinical-grade OTC hearing aids — the first time the FDA had authorized an over-the-counter hearing aid software.

To understand why this was significant, you need to understand what hearing aids cost before this moment. Traditional prescription hearing aids regularly run $3,000 to $6,000 per pair in the United States. Even OTC alternatives from established brands were cracking four digits. Apple AirPods Pro 2 retailed at $249 — far less than thousands of dollars that other OTC hearing aid models cost.

The feature Apple called the Hearing Aid Feature (HAF) works through a three-step process: first, the AirPods run a five-minute clinically validated hearing test using pure-tone audiometry — the same type of test an audiologist performs, but done at home. Second, the results generate a personalized hearing profile. Third, if the test indicates mild to moderate hearing loss, the Hearing Aid feature automatically activates and begins amplifying the specific frequencies that person struggles with in real time.

When the AirPods are paired with an iPhone running iOS 18.1 or later, users take a five-minute hearing test to determine the extent of their hearing loss, if any.

Otolaryngologists hoped Apple's entry into the hearing aid market would compel more people who suffer from hearing loss to seek assistance. The devices could also help reduce the stigma around hearing aids, given how ubiquitous earbuds including AirPods are among all populations.

That last point matters more than it might seem at first. One of the biggest barriers to hearing aid adoption globally — including in the Philippines — is stigma. A traditional hearing aid signals "I am old and losing my faculties." AirPods signal "I am a normal person who uses technology." The same device, completely different social perception.

What Happened Next — AirPods Pro 3 (September 2025)

Apple did not sit still. A year after the hearing aid feature launched, Apple launched the AirPods Pro 3 in September 2025, introducing several enhancements focusing on audio quality, health tracking via a heart rate sensor, better waterproofing, and a better fit.

Here is what is new and what matters:

Heart Rate Sensing — The Biggest New Feature

AirPods Pro 3 feature all-new heart rate sensing — you can now track your heart rate and calories burned during workouts. Using LEDs that pulse invisible light 256 times per second along with accelerometers, AirPods Pro 3 give you accurate data for up to 50 different workout types in the Fitness app.

This is a genuinely significant expansion. Your earbuds — the same ones you use to listen to music on your morning commute — can now serve as a continuous heart rate monitor during physical activity. For someone like me who tracks daily steps on a Huawei smartwatch, the idea of having workout heart rate data from the earbuds simultaneously is a level of health monitoring that would have seemed excessive even three years ago. Now it comes standard.

Improved Noise Cancellation — 2x Better Than Pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 deliver the world's best in-ear Active Noise Cancellation, removing up to 2x more noise than the previous-generation AirPods Pro 2, and 4x more than the original AirPods Pro.

For hearing health specifically, better ANC directly improves the Hearing Test accuracy — the stronger ANC removes more ambient noise, enabling more accurate at-home hearing evaluations.

Live Translation — The Feature Nobody Expected

A Live Translation feature enables real-time in-person communication across different languages. Spoken audio is translated by the AirPods when connected to an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence.

For Filipinos working in international business environments, traveling abroad, or dealing with foreign tourists and clients — this is not a gimmick. Real-time spoken translation through earbuds, powered by on-device AI, is the kind of feature that sounded like science fiction in 2020.

Hearing Aid Improvements on Both Models

Both AirPods Pro 2 and Pro 3 now provide the world's first software-enabled Hearing Aid feature that is remarkably easy to use throughout the day. AirPods Pro 3 specifically offer 67% more battery life when using the Hearing Aid feature — up to 10 hours on a single charge.

Conversation Boost is now automatic on AirPods Pro 3 for people using the hearing aid feature, amplifying voices in busy places such as restaurants while reducing background noise.

IP57 Water Resistance

AirPods Pro 3 are the first AirPods to be IP57 certified, able to handle the sweatiest workouts and even a sudden downpour. In a country where you can go from sunny to typhoon weather in forty minutes, IP57 is not a minor detail.

The Full Hearing Health Ecosystem — What Both Models Can Do

Here is the important clarification for anyone deciding between Pro 2 and Pro 3: the core hearing health features are available on both.

AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 both provide a clinical-grade Hearing Aid feature for perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, as well as a Media Assist feature that enhances the clarity of music, video, and calls.

The process on either model:

1. Pair your AirPods with an iPhone running iOS 18 or later
2. Go to Settings → your AirPods → Hearing Assistance
3. Take the five-minute Hearing Test
4. If mild to moderate loss is detected, the Hearing Aid feature activates automatically with your personalized settings
5. Adjust amplification level, left-right balance, tone, and ambient noise reduction to your preference

Hearing Aid settings are stored on your AirPods — so if your paired iPhone is not nearby, the Hearing Aid feature keeps working using the most recent settings.

Why This Matters Specifically for Filipino Families

I want to speak directly to a reality that many Filipino households are living with silently.

Hearing loss is one of the most underdiagnosed conditions in the Philippines — not because it is uncommon, but because traditional hearing aids are genuinely unaffordable for most Filipino families, and because the cultural tendency is to normalize gradual hearing decline rather than address it.

I think about my own mom — 80 years old, sharp, active, and yet at that age where the question of hearing health is not theoretical. Traditional hearing aids at Philippine market prices can run ₱50,000 to ₱150,000 or more for quality devices. That is simply not accessible for the average Filipino household.

More than 1.5 billion people globally live with some form of hearing loss, according to the World Health Organization — the vast majority with mild to moderate problems that OTC solutions can address.

AirPods Pro 2 are available in the Philippine market at authorized resellers. AirPods Pro 3 is now officially listed on the Apple Philippines store at ₱14,990 — confirmed as of March 2026. That price includes free engraving and comes with the MagSafe Charging Case (USB-C) with lanyard loop. No USB-C cable or power adapter included in the box — classic Apple.

One important caveat for Philippine users: the Hearing Test and Hearing Aid features are regulated health features that require approval and will be offered after authorization is received in each region. Check Apple's feature availability page for the Philippines specifically — hearing health regulatory approval varies by country and the timeline for Philippine availability may differ from the US rollout.

Pro 2 vs. Pro 3 — What Should You Buy?

This is the practical question and it deserves a direct answer.

For users of the original AirPods Pro, the jump to AirPods Pro 3 is significant — features like heart rate monitoring, Live Translation, improved ANC, and Apple Intelligence integration make this a meaningful upgrade. For AirPods Pro 2 owners, the decision is more nuanced. While the improvements are substantial, the Pro 2 remains capable earbuds with firm performance.

My honest breakdown:

Buy AirPods Pro 3 if: You want heart rate tracking for workouts. You travel internationally and the Live Translation feature is relevant. You are a first-time AirPods Pro buyer wanting the latest. You use the Hearing Aid feature and want the improved battery life.

Buy AirPods Pro 2 if: You primarily want the hearing health features at a lower price point — all the core hearing features are on Pro 2. Budget is a constraint and you can find Pro 2 at a discount now that Pro 3 is available. You do not need heart rate monitoring from your earbuds.

Wait if: You are extremely early-adopter minded — there are ongoing rumours of a higher-end AirPods Pro variant later in 2026 featuring an infrared camera for gesture control and enhanced spatial audio for Vision Pro. That would be a hardware upgrade rather than a new generation. If you can hold out, worth monitoring. But if you need earbuds now — ₱14,990 for everything the Pro 3 delivers is genuinely difficult to argue against.

The Bigger Picture — What Apple Is Actually Building

Step back from the individual features and look at what Apple has assembled across the AirPods Pro line over the past eighteen months:

A clinical hearing test. A hearing aid. Noise protection. Heart rate monitoring. Live language translation. Spatial audio. Apple Intelligence integration. All in earbuds that also play music and take phone calls.

This is not incremental product improvement. This is a deliberate, systematic expansion of what earbuds are allowed to be. Apple is building a health and communication platform that happens to live in your ears — and they are doing it at a price point that is accessible to a far wider population than traditional medical devices ever reached.

The hearing aid approval in September 2024 was the first domino. The question now is not whether AirPods will keep gaining health features. It is which health features come next.

Apple's vision is clear: AirPods Pro is the world's first all-in-one hearing health experience — and they are just getting started.

AirPods Pro 3 at ₱14,990 is one of the most defensible tech purchases in the Philippine market right now — not because it is the cheapest option, but because the value per peso is unusually high for what you are actually getting. Hearing test. Hearing aid. Heart rate monitoring during workouts. Best-in-class noise cancellation. Live translation. IP57 water resistance. All in one device.

For Filipino families with elderly members dealing with hearing loss — and there are a lot of us — this is the most accessible clinical-grade hearing solution that has ever existed at this price point. Traditional hearing aids in the Philippines can cost ₱50,000 to ₱150,000. AirPods Pro 3 costs ₱14,990 and does your laundry. Okay, not the laundry. But everything else.

The hearing features still require Philippine regulatory approval before they activate locally. Keep an eye on Apple's feature availability page for updates on that. But the hardware is here, the price is confirmed, and the rest of the features work right now.

Not sponsored. Just an IT guy who finds this genuinely impressive.

— Mavs

Sources: 1. Apple Newsroom — Introducing AirPods Pro 3: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/09/introducing-airpods-pro-3-the-ultimate-audio-experience/ 2. Apple — AirPods Pro Hearing Health Page: https://www.apple.com/airpods-pro/hearing-health/ 3. Apple Support — Using the Hearing Aid Feature: https://support.apple.com/en-us/120992 4. CBS News — FDA Approves AirPods Pro 2 as Hearing Aids: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fda-approves-apple-airpods-2-as-hearing-aids/ 5. Macworld — AirPods Pro 3 Superguide: https://www.macworld.com/article/673885/new-airpods-pro-max-release-date-price-specs-rumours.html 6. BGR — AirPods Pro 3 Features and 2026 Upgrade: https://www.bgr.com/1962203/airpods-pro-3-release-date-features-bigger-upgrade-2026/