Apple launches Hearing Aid service in Saudi Arabia in push for health tech in the Middle East

Service to be available on the AirPods Pro 2 through a free software update

Apple's Hearing Test and Hearing Aid, available on the AirPods Pro 2, support those with mild to moderate hearing loss. AP

Apple has launched its latest Hearing Aid and Hearing Test services in Saudi Arabia, giving people in the kingdom free access to the health technologies, a leader of the company's clinical team has said.

The move comes as Apple increases its efforts to push the latest tech features in the Gulf region.

The iPhone maker has received approval from the Saudi Food and Drug Authority for the features specific to the AirPods Pro 2 to be rolled out in the Arab world's biggest economy and rising tech hub, California-based Apple said on Tuesday.

The service will be available on the AirPods Pro through a free software update, which is delivered automatically when the device is charging and within Bluetooth range of an iPhone, iPad or Mac, that is connected to Wi-Fi.

The Hearing Aid feature supports those with mild to moderate hearing loss. As with Apple's other health services, the company states that seeking professional medical attention is the best course of action for anything amiss with one's health.

With the addition of Saudi Arabia, Apple's hearing health services are now available in six countries in the Middle East – the others being the UAE, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar. Apple said it received permission from authorities in the Emirates to market these in December.

Apple has been able to develop an increasing and evolving number of health products and features in 18 different areas, which, over time, are “starting to link more and more together”, offering scope to expand into more markets, said Dr Rajiv Kumar, a clinician on Apple's health team.

The company is looking to roll out its health services into more Middle East countries as part of its strategy to work with health ministries around the world, he said.

“Each ministry has different requirements to assure that the products and features are safe and effective for their populations,” Dr Kumar told The National.

Dr Kumar, who worked at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University, is best known for creating a diabetes monitoring system for teenagers, using Apple's HealthKit developer tool.

He did not provide details on which countries in the Gulf and the wider Middle East are being considered for the introduction of the hearing features and the timeline.

“We work hand in hand … and spend a lot of time looking through all the guidelines and working together in collaboration to make them accessible to as many consumers as possible,” Dr Kumar said.

Apple unveiled its Hearing Aid and Hearing Test features in September, alongside the iPhone 16 series and new generation of AirPods. It is available as a software update on the second-generation AirPods Pro.

Shipments of personal audio devices – including true wireless stereo, wireless headphones and wireless earphones – grew 11.2 per cent annually to about 455 million units in 2024, according to Canalys market analysts.

Apple had the biggest market share last year with 18 per cent, more than double that of second-placed Samsung Electronics' 8.3 per cent, data from the Singapore-based research firm shows.

Hearing Test uses acoustic science and provides users information on their hearing levels. The results, which also include an audiogram – containing information on the type, degree and configuration of any hearing loss – can be shared with a healthcare provider.

Hearing Aid, meanwhile, enables personalised adjustments to boost the sound heard by users. This is key for aiding in conversations and being aware of surroundings. It can also be set up with a medical professional with Hearing Test's audiogram.

Hearing loss is a problem worldwide: more than 1.5 billion individuals, or about 20 per cent of the global population live with hearing loss, according to the World Health Organisation. Around 430 million of those have disabling hearing loss, and it is expected that by 2050, there could be more than 700 million with the condition, the Geneva-based body said.

Apple's AirPods, considered by some to be over-the-counter hearing aids, can help to improve the lives of people with hearing loss, said Devin McCaslin, director of the University of Michigan's audiology programme.

"It can be difficult to spend $6,000 on a pair of hearing aids and insurance, in many instances, doesn't cover them, which is mind-boggling. What's great is people with mild-to-moderate hearing loss can now get into a set of hearing aids for approximately $300 instead," he had told Michigan Medicine, referring to the price of AirPods.

Apple works with opinion leaders, patients, advocacy bodies and accessibility groups to develop its health services, Dr Kumar said. From the prototype and feasibility studies phases, the company works to “get to that clinical validation [which] sets the bar very high”.

“Whether it be through clinical health records or researchers who are conducting studies about long-term hearing health or changes, just making [Apple health data] accessible within the UAE and everywhere else in the world to, to really advance the field,” Dr Kumar said.

The Apple Watch, the world's top-selling smartwatch, already has services for key health metrics including ECG, atrial fibrillation, blood oxygen and heart rate. Apple received approval from UAE authorities to begin offering the sleep apnoea service in October.