Are there any concerns for daily use of AirPods as hearing aids?

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Are there any concerns for daily use of AirPods as hearing aids?

My 87 year old mom refuses to admit that hearing aids would be beneficial for her. So, I convinced her to get a pair of AirPods. The hearing test worked great and indicated typical age-related mild hearing loss. We set them up and she almost immediately noticed an improvement in the clarity of her hearing. I noticed we could lower the volume of her TV significantly! Win win!

Has anyone had any negative issues with using AirPods as hearing aids on a regular basis? What about in restaurants, family gatherings, etc.? What about battery life with daily use during typical TV watching which results in daily discharging and recharging?

I want her to be able to get the most out of using AirPods and any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated. She still doesn’t think she needs hearing aids so that will not occur. It’s AirPods or nothing.

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: AirPods as hearing aids

Posted on Aug 6, 2025 3:43 PM

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Answer 1

Aug 6, 2025 4:06 PM in response to Juliegera

In no particular order…

One of the locals uses AirPods Pro for that, after some polite nudging.

Best check with mom’s primary care provider about the medical aspects of this.

(But while being far from qualified, I’d take this usage as a win.)

For AirPods 3rd gen, I’d expect roughly five hours of use, maybe more, maybe less.

As for people walking around with AirPods, that’s common.

Last I checked, AirPods are less expensive than typical commercially-available hearing aids.

Biggest potential downside for general use of earbuds probably involves earwax moving around.

Oh, yeah, and you may well get “the look” when you’re munching tortilla chips, now quite audibly.

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