The Accessibility Revolution Hiding in Your AirPods

A wave of consumer-tech features is turning everyday devices into health tools, especially for aging adults and people with disabilities. In recent years the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized an over-the-counter path to hearing support, enabling compatible devices like Apple’s AirPods to function as basic hearing aids. The Hearing Aid Feature, announced last year, lets adults with mild to moderate hearing loss use AirPods as OTC hearing aids. With dedicated OTC devices ranging from hundreds to more than a thousand dollars, a roughly $200 pair of AirPods Pro 2s can feel like a bargain. Audiologists remain essential for complex cases, but the FDA’s endorsement lowers stigma and cost barriers for millions who would not otherwise pursue hearing help. In the United States, about 14 percent of Americans between ages 45 and 64 report some degree of hearing loss, and more than 90 percent of people over 45 experience presbyopia, the age-related decline in near vision. Globally, the World Health Organization projects that by 2050 nearly 2.5 billion people will have some form of hearing loss.

Looking ahead, Apple is expanding health-use capabilities beyond hearing with Live Translation. Part of the fall’s Apple Intelligence rollout, Live Translation pipes two-way conversation translation through AirPods when paired with an iPhone. In demos and early reviews it’s translating across English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish, with more languages promised. For anyone who has tried to fill out a medical form, navigate a parent-teacher conference, or pick up a prescription in a foreign language, the feature is less a party trick and more a social ramp. Public venues are also moving to support accessibility through Auracast, the Bluetooth broadcast-audio standard that turns crowded spaces into labeled listening zones. Rather than borrowing theater headsets, users can join a labeled audio stream with their own earbuds or hearing aids. Google has built Auracast support into Android 16, and Pixel phones are starting to make “join broadcast” as common as connecting to wifi.

Vision impairment remains a leading global challenge: the World Health Organization estimates about 2.2 billion people live with some form of vision impairment, and sustained use of digital devices appears to worsen this trend: studies link about a one-hour daily increase in screen time with roughly 21 percent higher odds of myopia. On iPhone devices, built-in accessibility features are advancing autonomy: Magnifier uses the phone’s camera for close-up viewing; Door Detection offers distance and opening clues for entering spaces; and Point and Speak reads labels on physical buttons when a user points. These functions are built into the experience and do not require additional hardware.

Android users also have a growing toolbox. Google’s Lookout app now provides image-based descriptions and follow-up questions that help users understand what they see, with descriptions powered by newer Gemini AI models. The tools are designed to support daily independence, answering questions such as what is on a page, what a sign says, or where a submit button is.

Chronic disease management is also benefiting from OTC access. Continuous glucose monitors have long provided real-time data for diagnosed diabetics, and in 2024 the FDA cleared the first OTC CGM, Dexcom’s Stelo, for adults who do not use insulin. Later that year, Abbott won clearance for Libre Rio (for adults with type 2 diabetes not using insulin) and Lingo (aimed at wellness users). No prescription is required; users simply pair a phone with a sensor. For the 38 million Americans with diabetes—and the many more in the pre-diabetes pool—that change makes it easier to see how meals, activity, and other daily choices influence glucose patterns. As with all medical data, users should interpret CGM readings with professional guidance; data are a tool, not a diagnosis.

The practical gains go beyond convenience. A landmark NIH-funded randomized trial found that among older adults at higher risk, treating hearing loss slowed cognitive decline over three years. The finding does not suggest a dementia shield, but it underscores the value of reducing barriers to hearing care and the potential for such interventions to support healthy aging. In diabetes management, simpler access to monitoring devices—paired with digital insights—can support ongoing adherence and timely adjustments to care. The broader implication is clear: progress in health technology increasingly depends on affordability, integration with devices people already own, and the ability to use mainstream platforms for daily health decisions.

Taken together, the pace of change suggests that the line between consumer electronics and medical devices continues to blur. The goal is not to replace clinicians but to expand access and agency for people managing aging, disability, or chronic disease, through tools that fit into everyday life.