Proton announced the debut of an Apple TV app for its virtual private network. The new app, which was "among the most requested features from our community," according to the company's blog post, is available for download from the App Store on any Apple TV. It will allow customers with a paid Proton VPN plan to stream their media content from any location on Apple's set-top box.
Proton VPN was our favorite when we reviewed it in 2023, and it's still our top pick this year for a virtual private network. The service boasts excellent features for security, privacy and usability. Our only real complaint was that the free tier comes with a lot of limitations. But if you're interested in the company's platform, Proton is currently running an early Black Friday deal where you can snag one or two year plans at a steep discount.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/proton-brings-its-vpn-to-apple-tv-with-new-app-204549019.html?src=rss
It’s no secret that X has become an even bigger cesspool of misleading information, unchecked claims and flat-out falsities since Elon Musk took over. Two new reports from The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and The Washington Post reveal that the safeguards Musk removed and replaced aren’t controlling X’s problems with misinformation.
The CCDH published a report on its investigation into X’s Community Notes feature, a user-driven reporting system in which anonymous users write and rate correction for misleading posts. Researchers took a sample of 283 misleading election posts from the social media platform that received proposed Community Notes between January 1 and August 25. The report says that 209 of those misleading sample posts did not show the Community Notes correction to all X users. Even more alarming, the 209 misleading posts in question racked up 2.2 billion views.
The Washington Post followed the CCDH’s report with its own investigation into X’s Community Notes feature and found that X’s problems with misinformation go far beyond the election.
Former President Donald Trump made the bold claim during his only presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris that Haitians were eating people’s pets in Springfield, Ohio. Moderator and ABC news anchor David Muir corrected Trump’s statement as false because no such cases were reported to local police or government entities. The fact checking website Politifact rated Trump’s claim its lowest false rating of “Pants on Fire.” That didn’t stop this falsehood from spreading across X among conservative-leaning users.
The Post found that an account called End Wokeness with a following of 3.1 million X users started disseminating the former President’s claim about Haitian immigrants. The post remained unchecked for four days until one Community Notes user flagged the post as incorrect, citing five different articles to back up the correction. Unfortunately, the note failed to garner enough votes to label the post as false and it went uncorrected. As of Wednesday, the post is still on @EndWokeness’ account with a Community Note where it’s racked up 4.9 million views.
Musk’s account hasn’t helped the problem. The Post reports that he’s become “one of the X users most often targeted with proposed Community Notes” with one of 10 posts receiving a proposed correction note.
The publication cited a July post from @elonmusk containing a manipulated video of Harris spouting about President Joe Biden’s “senility” and how she became the nominee because she’s “the ultimate diversity hire.” You know where this is going. There’s no Community Notes or correction and the post is still on X even though thousands of replies from other X users are pointing out that it’s a fake. The post has a whopping 136.6 million views.
"Community Notes maintains a high bar to make notes effective and maintain trust across perspectives, and thousands of election and politics related notes have cleared that bar in 2024," Keith Coleman, VP of product at X, said in a statement. "In the last month alone, hundreds of such notes have been shown on thousands of posts and have been seen tens of millions of times. It is because of their quality that notes are so effective." Coleman, who oversees Community Notes, pointed to previous academic research into the feature. That research includes studies that found posts with a Community Note were 60 percent less likely to be shared, and that Community Notes result in an 80 percent uptick in post deletions.
The CCDH is one of Musk and X’s most vocal opponents. The British non-profit continually monitors Musk’s account for false posts that failed to earn a Community Note, particularly when it comes to the presidential election. CCDH CEO Imran Ahmed said in August that X “is failing woefully to contain the kind of algorithmically-boosted incitement that we all know can lead to real world violence. X took the CCDH to court over claims the non-profit created a “scare campaign” to bring down its advertising revenue. A US district court judge dismissed the lawsuit in March.
Update October 30, 2024, 9 PM ET: This story has been updated to add a statement and additional information from X VP of Product Keith Coleman.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/xs-community-notes-feature-has-one-job-and-its-failing-to-do-it-202645987.html?src=rss
AMD and NVIDIA could be on a collision course for CES. AMD CEO Lisa Su has confirmed for the first time that the company is set to release its next-gen PC GPUs early next year.
"In gaming graphics, revenue declined year-over-year as we prepare for a transition to our next-gen Radeon GPUs based on our RDNA 4 architecture," Su told investors on AMD's third-quarter earnings call. "In addition to a strong increase in gaming performance, RDNA 4 delivers significantly higher ray-tracing performance and adds new AI capabilities. We are on track to launch the first RDNA 4 GPUs in early 2025."
The timing very much suggests that AMD will reveal those RDNA 4-based graphics cards at CES in early January. It's rare for the company to unveil desktop GPUs at the trade show (laptop cards are generally the order of the day for AMD at that event). However, it's widely expected that NVIDIA will use its CES keynote to debut its next-gen 50-series GeForce RTX GPUs. We might get a little more clarity on that front when NVIDIA announces its own Q3 earnings results on November 19.
As PCWorld notes, AMD's first RDNA 4 GPUs are expected to deliver mid-range performance at an equivalent price point in a bid to increase its market share. AMD's gaming business (which includes the company's GPU division) saw a 69 percent year-over-year drop in revenue to $462 million in Q3.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/amds-next-gen-gpus-are-set-to-arrive-in-early-2025-suggesting-a-ces-reveal-192630199.html?src=rss
If you loved the Nothing Phone’s glyph interface, their Community Edition phone may just absolutely capture your heart. Announced today following a lengthy community-driven design competition, the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus Community Edition made its global reveal, with a unique twist on the original phone’s design. Sure, you’ve got the Glyph Interface with LEDs that glow to make the phone’s rear panel turn into a dynamic display for notifications and alerts, but the new Community-made version of the phone comes with literal glow-in-the-dark ribbon cables that are ‘nothing’ like anything we’ve seen on any phone in the past decade!
Thanks to input from community members Astrid Vanhuyse and Kenta Akasaki, this phone stands out in a crowd—but not with power-hungry LEDs. Instead, it uses a green phosphorescent material that charges up with ambient light, glowing gently in dim settings and giving the 2(a) a dose of unique, eco-friendly style.
Designers: Astrid Vanhuyse & Kenta Akasaki for Nothing
The design shift here is significant, especially if you remember the original Phone (2) and the less glowy Phone (2a). While the Phone (2) featured bright LED glyphs, the 2(a) kept things quieter, dialing back on the glow to maintain a sleeker look. This Community Edition, though, reintroduces some of that distinctive Nothing flair, swapping LEDs for a phosphorescent effect along the phone’s ribbon cables and components. It’s a subtler, softer glow that gives the phone character without the need for extra power or flashing lights. Imagine your phone lighting up on the nightstand—not enough to keep you awake, just enough to catch your eye.
The phosphorescent material works just like those glow-in-the-dark stars you might have seen as a kid. It absorbs natural or artificial light and emits a soft glow when the lights go down. Unlike typical LEDs, it doesn’t drain the battery, giving this 2(a) a style boost without impacting battery life or performance. It’s the kind of understated cool that’s right in line with Nothing’s design philosophy: thoughtful, sustainable, and practical. Plus, it makes it easier to find in a dark room, giving the design a practical edge as well as aesthetic appeal.
The collaborative effort on this phone really says a lot about Nothing’s approach to designing for their community. The company didn’t just create the effect on its own; they opened it up to the public and sorted through more than 900 design submissions from fans across 47 countries. Out of these, Vanhuyse and Akasaki’s concept shone the brightest, resulting in a design that feels distinctively Nothing while showcasing a global community’s creativity. It’s part of Nothing’s shift toward community-centric product innovation, giving fans a real voice in shaping what they carry.
Nothing also went to great lengths to ensure this glow effect wasn’t just a gimmick but a part of the Phone (2a) Plus Community Edition’s build. The phosphorescent material is durable and seamlessly integrated, meaning it won’t interfere with the phone’s performance or longevity. You get a sturdy device with an artistic edge, a blend of tech and simplicity that fits seamlessly into daily life.
The Phone (2a) Plus Community Edition is priced at $518 USD (£399 / €449 / ₹29,999), with sales beginning on November 12. If you’re located in London, you might also grab one in person at the Nothing Soho store on November 16. There are just 1,000 units available up for grabs… so if you enjoy the idea of having a phone so dazzling that you’ll never want to put a case on it, grab one while you still can. And for anybody at dbrand or Spigen, you best believe people will want glowing cases for their iPhones and flagship Androids too!
The Daft Punk anime Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem is coming to movie theaters on December 12, for one night only. It’ll be screened in over 800 cinemas in more than 40 countries throughout the globe. Tickets go on sale November 13, so bookmark this page to make sure you snag one before they sell out.
For the uninitiated, the film was first released back in 2003 and was a joint collaboration between Daft Punk and manga legend Leiji Matsumoto, who passed away last year. The anime acts as a visual companion piece to Daft Punk’s album Discovery. There’s no dialogue and minimal sound effects. It’s all about the music.
There is a plot, but it’s more a loose amalgamation of sci-fi ideas that act as a springboard to play Daft Punk songs. For instance, the band’s iconic "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” begins when the lead character gets a hold of some high-tech sunglasses. It is, however, a visually stunning affair.
To that end, this is a 4K remaster of the original. However, there has already been a bit of controversy surrounding this remaster. Distributor Trafalgar allegedly used AI to upscale some of the footage and, well, people don’t seem to be happy with the results. In any event, we don’t have too long to see how it all came together.
Daft Punk
To commemorate this limited theatrical release, the band’s releasing a whole bunch of affiliated merch. There’s a physical edition of the film, complete with the original Japanese artwork, stickers and a collectible Daft Club card. Fans can also purchase the soundtrack album in multiple formats, including gold vinyl and numbered CDs.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-daft-punk-anime-interstella-5555-is-coming-to-theaters-for-one-night-only-184501194.html?src=rss
Google Wallet for kids will roll out in 2025. “Following the positive response of tap-to-pay on Fitbit Ace LTE devices, we’re expanding tap-to-pay for kids to Google Wallet,” Google wrote in a statement to 9to5Google, which first reported on it. Parents could approve credit and debit cards added to children’s phones, and Google’s Family Link would let them view transactions and easily approve or remove cards.
The service would build on the tap-to-pay functionality in Google’s Fitbit Ace LTE kids’ activity tracker. The expansion would make the Google Wallet app available for Android phone-using children whose parents have set up Family Link and approved access.
Any of the parents’ existing payment cards in Google Wallet could be used for the kids’ spinoff. When paying, children would have to approve tap-to-pay purchases using standard authentication options (fingerprint, facial recognition, PIN or password). At launch, the service is said to support gift cards and event tickets but not online purchases, identification or health cards.
Apple already has a similar take on children’s purchases. Families in the company’s ecosystem can let their kids use Apple Pay in stores and online or send money through Messages with Apple Cash Family.
9to5Google says Google’s kids’ payments feature will roll out next year for “some Google Wallet users in several countries,” including the US. A wider rollout is expected at some point after that.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/children-with-android-phones-will-be-able-to-use-google-wallets-tap-to-pay-next-year-182650364.html?src=rss
Apple has launched its most advanced MacBook Pro lineup yet, setting a new standard for what professionals can expect from a laptop. Powered by the new M4 chips, these laptops mark significant strides in performance, efficiency, and AI capabilities while maintaining the sleek, dependable design Apple is known for. Designed with creatives, developers, and power users in mind, the new MacBook Pro is built to handle resource-heavy tasks effortlessly. The integration of AI throughout macOS Sequoia makes workflows faster and more intuitive, adapting smoothly to modern professional demands.
Image: Apple
Designer: Apple
M4 Chips: The Pinnacle of Silicon Innovation
Apple’s M4 chips are the latest evolution of Apple Silicon, built on second-generation 3nm technology. They deliver the fastest single-threaded CPU performance in a MacBook, with substantial gains in multi-threaded workloads. Whether editing high-resolution images or rendering complex 3D models, the M4 provides a smooth experience.
Image: Apple
Apple’s enhanced Neural Engine is over three times faster than its predecessor, making AI-powered tasks more responsive than ever. Apple’s M4 chip integrates machine learning accelerators directly within the CPU, complemented by an advanced GPU for heavy computational tasks. These improvements help creative professionals work more fluidly without the bottlenecks often found in traditional laptops when modeling in AI, rendering animations, or analyzing large datasets.
Base M4: Featuring a 10-core CPU with four high-performance cores and six efficiency cores, alongside a 10-core GPU, the base M4 delivers up to 1.8x faster performance for tasks like editing gigapixel photos or rendering graphics compared to the M1. With 120GB/s of memory bandwidth and up to 32GB of unified memory, the M4 base is versatile for various uses.
M4 Pro: This version of the M4 steps up with a 14-core CPU and up to a 20-core GPU. With increased memory bandwidth and more processing power, it’s ideal for professionals tackling workflows like geomapping or data modeling.
M4 Max: Designed for those who demand the most power, the M4 Max packs a 16-core CPU and a 40-core GPU, capable of handling half a terabyte per second of memory bandwidth. It’s a portable powerhouse meant for advanced simulations, large language models, and heavy 3D animation work—bringing desktop-level power to a portable form.
Display Technology for Precision and Comfort
The MacBook Pro’s Liquid Retina XDR display is a treat for those who demand precision and clarity. Adding an innovative nano-texture glass option significantly reduces glare, making it practical for working outdoors or under bright lights without compromising the screen’s color accuracy. With brightness levels reaching 1000 nits in SDR and up to 1600 nits in HDR, the display is perfect for media production, providing vibrant and true-to-life colors.
Image: Apple
Apple’s attention to display quality ensures that graphic designers, filmmakers, and photographers get reliable color consistency across projects. This helps make the MacBook Pro as comfortable for fieldwork as it is for studio editing, minimizing the need to recalibrate across different environments.
Enhanced Connectivity with Thunderbolt 5
The M4 and M4 Max models now support Thunderbolt 5, providing data transfer rates of up to 120 Gb/s. This kind of connectivity is transformative for professionals who juggle multiple high-resolution monitors or work with enormous external drives. Thunderbolt 5 ensures that moving files or efficient workflows with docking stations is as fast as possible. Additionally, the HDMI port now supports up to 8K resolution, allowing for presentation flexibility and extended work setups.
Image: Apple
MagSafe 3 is back, offering a fast and reliable charging option—enabling up to 50% charge in 30 minutes. With Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, the new MacBook Pro models are ready for seamless high-speed connections in any environment.
Apple Intelligence: AI Integration for Enhanced Productivity
Apple’s M4 chip brings AI closer to macOS Sequoia’s core experience with Apple Intelligence, a suite of smart tools for system assistance. Apple Intelligence aims to make every interaction, whether rewriting text, summarizing documents, or generating visuals, more productive. For example, the upcoming Image Playground can generate visuals for quick mock-ups. At the same time, Genmoji lets users create personalized emojis in real-time—with Apple’s promise of on-device privacy.
Image: Apple
Developers also benefit from the enhanced AI, using tools like integrated ChatGPT for prototyping or code suggestions. Researchers can streamline their workflows with instant dataset summaries, while professionals in other fields might appreciate AI-generated responses to routine communications. AI’s practicality and direct usefulness across professions make macOS Sequoia powerful and contextually intelligent.
Performance Across Creative Workflows
Apple’s M4 lineup makes a real impact across creative workflows. With Affinity Photo, users can see processing times up to seven times faster than Intel-based models and nearly double the speed of the M1. Blender users will notice significant reductions in rendering times—up to 10.9 times faster than older Intel Macs. For filmmakers, Adobe Premiere Pro’s scene detection is almost ten times faster, helping ensure seamless edits and productivity aren’t held back by hardware.
Image: Apple
This version of the M4 performs exceptionally well in heavy rendering tasks like those in Maxon Redshift, showing up to a fourfold increase in speed over Intel models. Meanwhile, the M4 Max provides incredible gains—with video processing performance enhanced over 30 times, offering near-instant previews for even the most complex projects.
Image: Apple
Advanced Camera, Audio, and Battery Life
Apple has upgraded the MacBook Pro’s camera to a 12MP unit with Center Stage, keeping users perfectly framed during video calls if they are presenting or moving about. The six-speaker sound system is another leap, delivering balanced, rich audio perfect for editing or simply enjoying media. The force-canceling woofers reduce distortion, ensuring that what you hear is always precise.
Image: Apple
Even with all these features, battery life stretches up to 24 hours, allowing for extended productivity without needing to recharge constantly. This balance of power and portability makes the new MacBook Pro perfect for professionals on the go.
Sustainability, Design, Pricing and Availability
Apple continues its commitment to sustainability by incorporating 100% recycled materials—aluminum, rare earth elements, tin, and copper—in the construction of the new MacBook Pro. The sleek new space black finish reduces visible fingerprints, keeping the device looking clean. Moreover, Apple’s ongoing focus on fiber-based packaging reflects its push to eliminate plastics by 2025 and achieve full carbon neutrality by 2030.
Image: Apple
The new MacBook Pro lineup starts at $1,599 for the base 14-inch M4 model, with special pricing for students at $1,499. The 16-inch model starts at $2,499, with pre-orders opening on October 30 and general availability beginning on November 8.
Image: Apple
Apple’s M4 MacBook Pro lineup meets today’s demanding workflows with unmatched performance, thoughtful AI integration, and a sustainable design.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai just revealed that AI now generates more than a quarter of new code for its products, according to a company earnings call transcribed by Ars Technica. In other words, AI tools are already having an absolutely mammoth impact on the development of software.
Pichai did say that human programmers oversee the computer-generated code, which is something. The CEO noted that AI coding helps with “boosting productivity and efficiency," ensuring that engineers “do more and move faster.”
There’s no two ways around it. 25 percent is a lot, and Google is just one company relying on AI algorithms to perform complex coding tasks. According to Stack Overflow’s 2024 Developer Survey, over 75 percent of respondents are already using or are “planning to use” AI tools to assist with software development. Another survey by GitHub indicated that 92 percent of US-based developers are currently using AI coding tools.
This leads us to the rampaging elephant in the room. As AI continues to gobble up coding tasks, human experience starts to dwindle. This could eventually lead to a decreased knowledge base in which humans don’t know how to fix errors created by AI algorithms that were, in turn, created by other AI algorithms. We could be staring down an ouroboros of confusion where it’s nearly impossible to detect bugs amidst generations of AI code. Fun times!
We aren’t quite there yet, but AI-assisted coding shows no signs of slowing down. The process started its meteoric rise back in 2022 when GitHub widely launched its Copilot program. Since then, companies like Anthropic, Meta, Google and OpenAI have all released AI-coding software suites. GitHub recently announced that Copilot can now be used with models from Anthropic and Google, in addition to OpenAI.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-ceo-says-a-quarter-of-the-companys-new-code-is-already-ai-generated-180038896.html?src=rss
Sony has revealed the trio of games that all PlayStation Plus members can claim in November and keep in their library as long as they maintain their subscription. Arguably the most recognizable title of the bunch is Ghostwire: Tokyo (PS5), an action-adventure game from former Bethesda studio Tango Gameworks.
Ghostwire: Tokyo, which debuted in early 2022, is a fairly well-reviewed first-person game that sees you battling supernatural forces in Japan's capital using an array of abilities. A sequel had been mooted before Bethesda owner Microsoft shut down Tango earlier this year. While Tango has found a second life after PUBG: Battlegrounds publisher Krafton snapped it up, it's unclear whether the Ghostwire: Tokyo franchise will continue into another game.
It's worth noting that the PC version of Ghostwire: Tokyo will be available to claim for free on the Epic Games Store starting Thursday as well. You'll have until next Thursday morning (November 7) to snag that.
PS Plus members can also claim Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged (PS4 and PS5) at no extra cost. It's a racing game, as you might expect. It includes a track editor, so you can create your own courses.
Last but not least is Death Note Killer Within (PS4 and PS5). This is a brand-new social deduction game for up to 10 people in which you can play as characters from the manga. It looks like a Death Note-flavored spin on games like Among Us.
You can claim all three of these titles between November 5 and December 2, so they could help keep your mind occupied while the general election results become clear. If you haven't yet snagged October's PS Plus Monthly Games — WWE 2K24, Dead Space and Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! — you've got until November 4 to do so.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/novembers-ps-plus-monthly-games-include-ghostwire-tokyo-and-hot-wheels-unleashed-2-174051803.html?src=rss
When iOS 18.1 arrived earlier this week, Apple delivered the highly-anticipated suite of hearing health features that it announced at the iPhone event in September. This includes hearing aid and hearing protection tools, as well as a “clinically-validated” hearing test in your pocket. With the combination of an iPhone and a pair of second-gen AirPods Pro, you can take a hearing test that’s similar to what you’d get at an audiologist’s office without leaving home. Most importantly, the whole thing takes about five minutes and gives you detailed results immediately. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use it.
Update your iPhone and AirPods Pro 2
Billy Steele for Engadget
Before you can access Apple’s hearing test, you’ll need to make sure your iPhone is updated to iOS 18.1 and your AirPods Pro 2 have the latest firmware (7B19). None of the new hearing health features will show up in the AirPods settings or in the Apple Health app if you don’t have both of those updates. What’s more, you won’t be able to run the hearing test or use any of the other new tools on the first-gen AirPods Pro (2019 model).
You can check your current iOS version from the iPhone Settings menu. Scroll down to General and tap Software Update. From here, you can see which version of iOS you’re running and if you’ve got a pending update that’s ready to download and install. Once again, you’re looking for iOS 18.1 here since this is the software version that delivers the suite of hearing health features.
To check the firmware on your AirPods Pro 2, connect the earbuds to your iPhone and navigate to the Settings menu. Here, your AirPods Pro 2 should appear near the top of the list and tapping that option will take you into the settings. You can also access AirPods Pro 2 details from the Bluetooth menu by tapping the “i” icon next to the device name.
Once you’re in the AirPods settings menu, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the main screen. One of the last things you’ll see is a bunch of firmware info, including the current version for the AirPods Pro 2. If you see 7B19, you’re good to go. If not, your earbuds haven’t updated yet, but you can try to force them to do so instead of waiting for the over-the-air process to take place on its own.
To do this, connect the AirPods Pro 2 to your iPhone for at least 30 seconds and play music to confirm the connection is stable. Then put the earbuds back in the charging case and close the lid, keeping the AirPods Pro 2 in range of the iPhone. Now check Bluetooth settings, and if you see the AirPods Pro 2 stay connected for more than 10 seconds while in the charging case with the lid closed, that should indicate the update is in progress.
Where to find Apple’s hearing test
Billy Steele for Engadget
Apple allows you access its hearing test from two places, and both of them are easy to find. The first is in the AirPods menu, which you can get to from the main Settings menu or from the Bluetooth menu. The Hearing Health section is prominently displayed on the main screen, just under the Noise Control options. In this section, “Take a Hearing Test” will be the third item after Hearing Protection and Hearing Assistance, and it will appear in blue.
In the Health app, the fastest way to get to the hearing test is to tap Browse on the menu on the bottom of main Summary screen. From there, select "Hearing" with the blue ear icon and scroll down to “Get More From Health.” Here, you’ll see the option to take the hearing test with the AirPods Pro 2.
How to take Apple’s hearing test
Billy Steele for Engadget
After you update your devices and find the hearing test, the hardest part is over. The software-based test guides you through the entire process, with detailed info on what you can expect and what the results mean for you. After you select “Take Hearing Test,” you’ll tap “Get Started” to begin the process. First, the software will ask you if you’re 18 or older, if you’re experiencing allergy or cold symptoms and if you’ve been in a loud environment (like a concert) in the last 24 hours. The second two items could impact the accuracy of your test if the answer is yes to either one.
On the next screen, the AirPods and iPhone tandem will make sure that your surroundings are quiet enough for the hearing test. Too much background noise will make it difficult for you to hear the more subtle tones during the screening. Next, the setup will make sure that the AirPods Pro 2 fit properly in your ears and that they provide an adequate seal for the test. You’ll be notified that Do No Disturb will be active during the test to prevent distractions and active noise cancellation (ANC) mode will be enabled at this point. The test will then offer some sample tones and let you know that each tone during the test will play three times.
When the test begins, you’ll simply tap the screen of your iPhone when you hear a tone (you only have to tap once for each tone). The test begins with your left ear before moving over to the right. Don’t worry if you miss one: the test will repeat any of the sounds it thinks you missed along the way. When the test is over, you’ll immediately get the results on your iPhone for each ear, including a detailed audiogram that shows which frequencies you struggle hearing (if any). Results are also viewable in the Health app at any time, and you can export a PDF to share with a doctor or for other purposes as needed.
What to do with your hearing test results
If you have little to no hearing loss, Apple’s tool will offer suggestions on how to keep your hearing healthy and inform you that no changes are needed to the tuning of your AirPods Pro 2. If you exhibit mild to moderate hearing loss, the software will ask if you want to set up Apple’s Hearing Assistance features which include hearing aid, Media Assist and Conversation Boost. Lastly, if the test determines that you have severe or profound hearing loss, Apple will recommend that you see a professional for further evaluation.
AirPods Pro 2 hearing aid features are only designed for users with mild to moderate hearing loss and the hearing test can only measure hearing loss under 85 dBHL. Here’s how the hearing loss categories break down, according to the World Health Organization:
Little to No Loss: Up to 25 dBHL
Mild Loss: 26 - 40 dBHL
Moderate Loss: 41 - 60 dBHL
Severe Loss: 61 - 80 dBHL
Profound Loss Above: 80 dBHL
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/how-to-take-apples-hearing-test-with-the-airpods-pro-2-173014978.html?src=rss
