Apple announced that it will launch new health features in Taiwan starting today, including Apple WatchThe sleep apnea notification feature announced last year, and added to AirPods Pro 2Hearing health experienceBoth features have received medical device approval from Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare, signaling Apple's further commitment to applying smart wearable devices to health monitoring.
Regarding sleep health, the Apple Watch's new "Disordered Breathing" indicator uses the built-in accelerometer to detect subtle wrist movements to determine if the user experiences signs of apnea during sleep. The system analyzes the data over 30 days (at least 10 days of data, with at least four hours of sleep each time). If moderate to severe sleep apnea is suspected, the user will be notified and advised to discuss further with a doctor. The relevant data is synced with the iPhone's Health app, allowing users to review trends and export PDF reports for medical reference.
For hearing health, AirPods Pro 2 now includes a comprehensive hearing assistance solution, including a hearing test, over-the-counter hearing aids, and loud volume reduction. The hearing test, based on clinical pure-tone audiometry standards, allows users to perform a five-minute test at home using an iPhone or iPad with AirPods Pro 2. The results are displayed graphically in the Health app for easy sharing with doctors.
As for the highly anticipated "Hearing Assist" feature, it transforms AirPods Pro 2 into clinical-grade hearing aids through personalized hearing profiles, instantly enhancing surrounding sounds and improving communication quality for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. This feature has been validated through controlled clinical studies and supports automatically applying personal hearing preferences to media content across all devices.
To further protect users' hearing, the built-in "Reduce Loud Volume" function in AirPods Pro 2 will be enabled by default in Transparency mode and Adaptive Audio, actively adjusting excessive volume while retaining sound details.
Apple explains that these features build on the Apple Hearing Study, a collaboration with the University of Michigan, and incorporate the World Health Organization's global research on hearing loss. By integrating technology and healthcare, Apple hopes to help more users understand their health and improve their quality of life.
