4 ms·

I don't think the iPhone is providing the hearing assistance, just the UI for configuring the AirPod Pro's hearing aid functionality.

mixmastamyk 2y ago
Turning on the mics and feeding to headphones (even with voice boost), has been trivial for a while. It could have been implemented a decade ago, no?
- don_neufeld 2y ago
  I can understand that position, but in practice I don't think you'd like the quality. One of the big advantages of hearing aides is that they have multiple microphones that have known alignment with your head position. With all 4 mics separated in space, they do a good job of isolating audio coming from in front of you vs from around you.
  - desert_rue 2y ago
    Plus people can lose hearing in different bands: they might hear bass fine but people with high-pitched voices may not register. Just turning up the volume won’t address that.
    - mixmastamyk 2y ago
      Maybe, maybe not. Noise canceling with multiple mics is old tech. As far as anyone knows, no one ever tried. Maybe I’ll try with my pine phone if I can figure out pipewire programing.
    - don_neufeld 2y ago
      Yeah, when you get into what hearing aides do, there's quite a bit going on. This manual is a useful place to start: https://order.starkeypro.com/pdfs/The_Compression_Handbook.pdf https://order.starkeypro.com/pdfs/The_Compression_Handbook.p...
- wtallis 2y ago
  The FDA regulations allowing for OTC hearing aids didn't go into effect until a little under two years ago, so regardless of the technical feasibility, the market viability of what you're asking for is a recent thing. (Though since using wired headphones with smartphones has been in decline for well over two years, the market viability is still questionable at best.)
  - mixmastamyk 2y ago
    It’s a couple of lines of high-level code on hardware that already exists. Doesn’t need market viability or regulatory approval.

mixmastamyk 2y ago

Turning on the mics and feeding to headphones (even with voice boost), has been trivial for a while. It could have been implemented a decade ago, no?

don_neufeld 2y ago
I can understand that position, but in practice I don't think you'd like the quality. One of the big advantages of hearing aides is that they have multiple microphones that have known alignment with your head position. With all 4 mics separated in space, they do a good job of isolating audio coming from in front of you vs from around you.
- desert_rue 2y ago
  Plus people can lose hearing in different bands: they might hear bass fine but people with high-pitched voices may not register. Just turning up the volume won’t address that.
  - mixmastamyk 2y ago
    Maybe, maybe not. Noise canceling with multiple mics is old tech. As far as anyone knows, no one ever tried. Maybe I’ll try with my pine phone if I can figure out pipewire programing.
  - don_neufeld 2y ago
    Yeah, when you get into what hearing aides do, there's quite a bit going on. This manual is a useful place to start: https://order.starkeypro.com/pdfs/The_Compression_Handbook.pdf https://order.starkeypro.com/pdfs/The_Compression_Handbook.p...
wtallis 2y ago
The FDA regulations allowing for OTC hearing aids didn't go into effect until a little under two years ago, so regardless of the technical feasibility, the market viability of what you're asking for is a recent thing. (Though since using wired headphones with smartphones has been in decline for well over two years, the market viability is still questionable at best.)
- mixmastamyk 2y ago
  It’s a couple of lines of high-level code on hardware that already exists. Doesn’t need market viability or regulatory approval.