According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter, Apple is preparing to launch a USB-C charging case for the AirPods Pro, probably this fall along with the iPhone 15 series, which will also switch from Lightning to USB-C ports.
Gurman also revealed that in addition to some of the AirPods features in iOS 17 that Apple announced at WWDC, Apple is also testing a new hearing test feature that will play different tones and sounds in the user’s ears and, based on the user’s response, will be able to detect possible hearing problems. The feature is intended to help users screen for hearing problems, much like the Apple Watch’s ECG app can detect heart problems.
Gurman said that in the long run, Apple also plans to add more health sensors to the AirPods hardware, such as measuring body temperature through the ear canal. Previously Apple announced that the AirPods Pro will get an adaptive audio feature later this year that can dynamically switch between transparent mode and noise-canceling mode based on the sounds of the environment.
