At its “Glowtime” event today, Apple announced a new lineup of products: the new Apple Watch, iPod, and iPhone 16 series. One of the most important themes across the various devices is the new health monitoring capabilities. Health monitoring is everywhere, but Apple’s new features offer a unique and clinically relevant angle to these products, such as the ability for AirPods Pro 2 to function as an over-the-counter hearing aid.
Also: Everything Apple Announced at the iPhone 16 Event: AirPods, Apple Watch Series 10, AI, and More
Other features, like sleep apnea detection, new holistic insights in Vitality Mode, and pregnancy health insights, are part of Apple’s efforts to provide not only deeper and more accurate data, but also more relevant data. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most impactful health features in the three new products.
1. Hearing Aid Mode: AirPods Pro 2
Apple’s premium earbud line, AirPods Pro 2, can now be used as a hearing aid, providing a handful of hearing-related metrics and tests. Apple showed off a touching demo during its “Glowtime” keynote, showing how AirPods Pro 2 can be used as a hearing aid. It’s a game-changer for people who might otherwise not have access to expensive or hard-to-find products.
AirPods Pro 2 are also the first commercially available earbuds to offer a clinically validated hearing test that can assess hearing ability and monitor the progression of hearing loss.
Also: AirPods Pro 2 could soon be used as over-the-counter hearing aids, too. Here’s how.
Apple made it clear at the event that the device is not yet FDA-cleared as a hearing aid. However, for a product to qualify as an over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid, it must not require a prescription, not require implants or surgical intervention, and have customizable features—all requirements that AirPods Pro 2 meet.
2. Vitals Mode: Apple Watch
Instead of looking at a list of health data in a vacuum, the new Vitals app is designed to contextualize your overall health data in a way that actually makes sense to you. It collects health data like heart rate, body temperature, and blood oxygen levels while you sleep, processes them through the watch’s algorithms, and then notifies you in the morning whether you’re within normal range.
Also: Yes, the Apple Watch Series 10 can be carbon neutral, but only on select bands.
If your watch detects that some of your key metrics are too high or low, or have sudden spikes or drops, it will notify you and suggest relevant lifestyle changes or actions to take to alleviate the issue.
3. Sleep Apnea Detection: Apple Watch
This was a feature we saw on the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra earlier this year, so it wasn’t too surprising to see the tech make its way to the new Apple Watch. But like the Vitals app, it gets its information from a holistic collection of other metrics like heart rate, body temperature, and movement, but the most important one is the respiration data.
The watch’s accelerometer has the ability to detect breathing disturbances, and if they occur frequently enough to alert the algorithm, it will alert the user to see a healthcare provider for sleep apnea testing.
4. Pregnancy Tracking: Apple Watch
The Series 10 Apple Watch has a new focus on fertility data, combined with cycle tracking algorithms. There is no specific pregnancy-specific app, but if you indicate you are pregnant in the Cycle Tracking app, it will display your gestational age and track your pregnancy status with other health data.
Also: Apple Watch is getting an upgrade. Here are the best features of WatchOS 11.
