Inside Apple's audio lab that came up with the hearing aid features for the AirPods Pro 2

The aforementioned new functions Hearing Protection, Hearing Test, and Hearing Aid functions were engineered in Apple’s Audio Lab in Cupertino. This is the lab that provides Apple engineers with specialized tools, including free from echo chambers, to test the performance of these features across various environments.

Apple’s efforts align with a global need, as the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 1.5 billion people worldwide experience some level or form of hearing loss.

Dr. Sumbul Desai, Apple’s Vice President of Health, emphasized that Apple’s hearing health experience was designed to be highly adaptable, meeting a wide range of user needs. Desai also stressed that the Hearing Aid feature was crafted to be so intuitive that it feels like an "extension of the senses", aiming to democratize access to practical, everyday solutions for people with mild to moderate hearing loss.

Apple’s engineering teams tested these new hearing features across a variety of specialized spaces within the Audio Lab.

For instance, the lab includes a Longwave anechoic (free from echo sounds) chamber that isolates external noise to allow precise sound measurement. The chamber also features a custom-built loudspeaker and microphone arc to capture how sound waves interact with the human body – a critical step in refining how sound reaches each ear. This level of testing, overseen by engineers like Kuba Mazur, Apple’s hearing health lead engineer, allowed Apple to calibrate each feature for real-world use.

50 speakers to simulate street and mall noises

Additionally, the Audio Lab contains a Fantasia Lab with 50 loudspeakers arranged to simulate hundreds of realistic environments, such as busy streets, shopping malls, or airplanes.

Here, Apple’s team tested the Hearing Aid feature’s "speech-in-noise" capabilities, in which participants with diverse hearing levels had to focus on a single speaker while background noise played – mimicking real-life settings.

The Fantasia Lab was designed to "bring the outside in", so these features could be fine-tuned to support users in everyday scenarios.

Apple’s design team also prioritized user accessibility. According to Heather Daniel, a producer in Apple’s Design Studio, they aimed to make the Hearing Test and Hearing Aid setup straightforward for users who may be taking a hearing test for the first time. Rather than the typical numeric outputs one would receive in a clinical setting, Apple’s test results were designed to be clear and easy to understand within the Health app.

The development of these hearing features required extensive collaboration across Apple’s teams, from software and hardware engineering to accessibility and regulatory compliance. Mazur noted that bringing together so many specialized teams resulted in a product that meets clinical standards while delivering a seamless experience to users.

This multidisciplinary effort ensured that AirPods could provide real-time, adaptive solutions for users in diverse environments.

Beyond the technical accomplishments, Apple believes that Hearing Protection, specifically, has immense potential for users who frequent loud environments, such as concerts or sports events.

WHO experts have pointed out that noise exposure is a significant factor in hearing health, making this feature particularly valuable for long-term hearing protection.



The Hearing Aid and Hearing Test features further aim to support those without easy access to audiology services, enabling at-home testing and providing real-time adjustments for personalized hearing needs.

Apple’s hearing health advancements position the AirPods Pro 2 as a tool that not only delivers high-quality audio but also supports users’ health needs. By integrating hearing health into everyday tech, Apple aims to make AirPods a key interface for managing personal health in an intuitive, wearable form.

Through collaborations across design, engineering, and health-focused teams, Apple has set new standards for how consumer technology can address essential health concerns in a way that’s both accessible and innovative.