Apple's new features for AirPods include help for 'mild' hearing loss
New tools for notifications and finding lost earbuds as well.
At WWDC, Apple announced several new features for AirPods that will help you hear better, focus on work and find lost earbuds. First, the company is adding a "Conversation Boost" feature to AirPods Pro to help users with "mild" hearing issues. The tool focuses on voices and the AirPods settings in iOS 15 will offer an ambient noise adjustment for you to tweak things as needed.
Next, Apple is adding an "Announce Notifications" option that syncs with the new Focus settings in iOS 15. The feature will read priority notifications over AirPods, broadcasting things like a shopping list or a delivery — in addition the existing options for messages.
Apple says it also improved how AirPods sync with the Find My app. The company explains that the software will send a separation alert when you you leave your earbuds behind. There's a new proximity view for AirPods in the Find My app to give you another option besides playing sounds when you're near a misplaced AirPod. This new map is similar to what you get with the company's AirTags trackers.
Lastly, Apple is also adding spatial audio support for AirPods Pro and AirPods Max to Apple TV. This was a major gripe with the pricey over-ear headphones when they launched, so it's nice to see the company addressing that omission with its latest round of updates.
