Apple launches sleep apnea alerts, hearing test features in India

Apple has announced the rollout of two new device features in India: Sleep Apnea Notifications for Apple Watch and Hearing Test for AirPods Pro.

Sleep apnea is a condition in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep, often leading to poor rest. Apple Watch detects signs of the disorder by using its accelerometer to track subtle wrist movements associated with irregular breathing patterns. When these disturbances occur repeatedly over several nights, the watch may indicate a potential case of sleep apnea.

The feature is supported on Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Apple Watch Ultra 3, and is available in over 150 countries worldwide. To receive an initial reading, users must wear the watch regularly for several nights, although nighttime breathing problems will be logged in the iPhone’s Health app.

Hearing tests can be performed by connecting AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods Pro 3 to an iPhone running iOS 18.1 or later or an iPad running iPadOS 18.1 or later. The hearing test mimics hearing tests that one might encounter at a doctor’s office or during a visit to an audiologist.

Tones at different frequencies and sound levels are played into each ear, with users prompted to tap the iPhone screen each time a sound is heard. Apple tests four frequencies, including 500 Hz, 1 kHz, 2 kHz and 4 kHz. Results up to 25 dBHL indicate little or no hearing loss. 26 to 40 dBHL is indicative of mild hearing loss, while results of 41 to 60 dBHL suggest moderate hearing loss. A result between 61 and 80 dBHL corresponds to severe hearing loss, and a result above 80 dBHL is considered profound hearing loss.

The results, which include an audiogram, are stored in the Health app and can be shared with a healthcare professional to have more informed conversations.

Apple Health features are now available in more than 160 countries and regions around the world, according to an article on X by Apple’s Greg Joswiak. Joswiak’s post also suggests that Apple recently introduced its hearing aid feature in Italy and its hypertension notifications in Taiwan.