- Bayern hit nine, Real Madrid and Liverpool win as new Champions League kicks off
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- 'Happy' Mbappe strikes on Madrid Champions League debut win over Stuttgart
- Man Utd hit Barnsley for seven in League Cup rout
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- Stylish Liverpool strut past Milan in confident Champions league opener
- Kane scores four as Bayern put nine past Zagreb in the Champions League
- Mbappe strikes on Madrid Champions League debut win over Stuttgart
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- Dow edges down from record as some eye a smaller Fed rate cut
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- Rodgers backs Celtic to be 'really competitive' in Champions League
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- Storm Boris toll rises to 22 in central Europe
- Nine dead, 2,800 wounded as Lebanon's Hezbollah hit by pager blasts
- Boeing, union resume talks as strike empties Seattle plants
- Over 3,600 food packaging chemicals found in human bodies
- Australia's Zampa accepts Ashes chances remote as 100th ODI looms
- UN General Assembly debates call for end to Israeli occupation
- Marseille complete signing of French international Rabiot
- Easterby to fill in as Ireland coach while Farrell is with the Lions
- Hezbollah in Lebanon hit by wave of deadly pager blasts
- Postecoglou taken aback by criticism of his second season success claim
- US, European stocks rise on retail sales, rate cut expectations
- Fendi sees Roaring 20s at Milan Fashion Week in challenging times
- Ronaldo's Al Nassr part ways with coach Castro
- Scottish government backs Glasgow to stage troubled 2026 Commonwealth Games
- Storm Boris toll rises to 21 in central Europe
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- Inflation slows again in Canada to 2%
- US, European stocks rise on eve of Fed rate decision
- EU bans Algerian spread toasted on social media
- Sean 'Diddy' Combs charged with racketeering, sex trafficking
- Trump returns to campaign trail after assassination scare
- Activist urges repatriation of Native Americans dead in Paris 'human zoo'
- US retail sales see slight rise, beating expectations
- US Fed begins two-day meeting set to end with rate cut
- Exploding Hezbollah pagers wound hundreds across Lebanon
- Runners-up Yokohama thrashed 7-3 in AFC Champions League goal fest
- Sean 'Diddy' Combs to plead not guilty to racketeering, sex trafficking
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US clears way for hearing aid feature in new Apple AirPods Pro
Apple on Thursday got a green light from US regulators to add a feature that would let upcoming AirPods Pro ear pieces be used as hearing aids, potentially disrupting that market.
Early this week the company added AirPods Pro 2 to its lineup, touting a pending software upgrade that will let people test their hearing and then get personally-tuned assistance listening to what is around them or stream online.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday authorized the hearing aid feature for the new Apple devices, noting that a study showed users found them as beneficial as professionally fitted ones.
"Hearing loss is a significant public health issue impacting millions of Americans," said FDA acting director Michelle Tarver.
Tarver contended that authorization of AirPods Pro 2 hearing aid software "advances the availability, accessibility and acceptability of hearing support for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss."
AirPods Pro 2 are priced at $249, considerably lower than the average price of clinical-grade hearing aids.
The hearing aid feature is designed to work with iPhones or iPads, though, meaning those interested will need to invest in Apple mobile devices.
Along with the new feature, Apple introduced the ability to use AirPods Pro 2, along with iPhones or iPads, to test their hearing and create a hearing profile stored privately in an Apple Health app.
"Hearing health is an essential part of our overall wellbeing, yet it can often be overlooked," Apple vice president of health doctor Sumbul Desai said in a release.
"We're thrilled to provide breakthrough software features with AirPods Pro that put users' hearing health front and center, bringing new ways to help test for and receive assistance for hearing loss."
More than 30 million US adults report some degree of hearing loss, causes of which include aging and being exposed to loud noises, according to the FDA.
Using results of the hearing test, the software turns AirPods Pro 2 into a clinical-grade hearing aid, according to Apple.
The user's personalized hearing profile is then "automatically applied to music, movies, games, and phone calls across their devices without needing to adjust any settings," Apple said.
Typical hearing aids don't adapt specifically for streamed content or phone calls.
Apple touted the AirPods Pro 2 hearing aid feature as the first of its kind.
The iPhone maker plans to make the hearing testing and aid features available in more than 100 countries in the coming months, pending authorization from relevent health authorities.
B.Finley--AMWN