- 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
- Dolphins quarterback Tagovailoa facing concussion layoff
- 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
- More than 3,600 food packaging chemicals found in human bodies
- Harris calls Trump as assassination scare sparks tensions
- Dow edges down from record as some eye a smaller Fed rate cut
- Sommer vows Inter will 'defend with all we have' to stop Haaland
- Report links meatpacking companies to 'war on nature' in Brazil
- Bolivian ex-leader Morales, backers set out on weeklong protest march
- Smith grateful to McCullum for launching his England career
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- Villa make perfect start on Champions League return after 41-year absence
- Israeli supply chain infiltration likely behind Hezbollah pager blasts: analysts
- Rodgers backs Celtic to be 'really competitive' in Champions League
- Spacewalk an 'emotional experience' for private astronauts
- 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
- Instagram, under pressure, tightens protection for teens
- 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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- 'I am a rapist,' Frenchman tells trial over mass rape of wife
US says new Apple AirPods can be hearing aids
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.
Earlier 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 assisted listening for everyday life as well as streaming online.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday authorized the hearing aid feature for the 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.
Apple's software "advances the availability, accessibility and acceptability of hearing support for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss," Tarver added.
AirPods Pro 2 are priced at $249, considerably lower than the average price of clinical-grade hearing aids, but those interested will need to adopt Apple's devices.
Along with the new feature, the AirPods Pro 2, used with iPhones or iPads, will be able to test hearing and create a user's hearing profile stored privately in an Apple Health app.
The test takes about five minutes, with users tapping an iPhone or iPad screen when they hear tones at various volumes and frequencies.
The results are then used to calibrate the hearing aid.
That profile is also "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.
"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.
Apple said that research indicates more than a billion people worldwide live with mild to moderate hearing loss.
"We are very excited about the new announcement by Apple," Hearing Loss Association of America executive director Barbara Kelley told AFP.
"The fact that a product that millions of people already own will offer hearing help and protection is a big step forward."
The iPhone maker plans to make the features available in more than 100 countries in the coming months, pending authorization from relevent health authorities.
- Hearts and minds -
Apple has steadily been integrating health and fitness features into its products.
Apple Watch can remind people when to take medicine; warn of harmful noise levels, or detect an irregular heart rhythm that should be checked.
It can also let women know when they are likely ovulating.
A new version of Apple Watch announced this week adds the ability to detect sleep apnea, a dangerous condition in which breathing stops intermittently while sleeping.
An Apple Health App collects data then uses machine learning to mine it for insights, keeping information on devices, according to the tech titan.
Health metrics offered by Apple include heart and respiration rates; blood glucose, and how well one sleeps.
Ch.Havering--AMWN