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Usability and Performance of the Apple Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Feature.

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Title: Usability and Performance of the Apple Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Feature.
Authors: Kruger, Megan1,2, Manchaiah, Vinaya1,2,3,4,5, Swanepoel, De Wet1,2,3 dewet.swanepoel@up.ac.za
Source: American Journal of Audiology. Jun2026, Vol. 35 Issue 2, p472-486. 15p.
Subject Terms: *Academic medical centers, *Data analysis, *Content analysis, *Assistive technology, *Experimental design, Mobile apps, Hearing aid fitting, Cross-sectional method, Scale analysis (Psychology), Hearing aids, Sensorineural hearing loss, Questionnaires, Kruskal-Wallis Test, Descriptive statistics, Judgment sampling, Statistics, Data analysis software
Abstract: Purpose: This study provides the first independent evaluation of the Apple Over-the- Counter Hearing Aid Feature (OTC-HAF), examining its usability and laboratory performance among adults with self-perceived mild-to-moderate hearing loss. Method: A cross-sectional evaluation was conducted at a university audiology clinic. Digitally literate iPhone users (n = 25, ages 20-72 years) independently used AirPods Pro 2 to complete the Apple Hearing Test Feature and activate the OTC-HAF. The sample size aligns with usability model recommendations for moderately complex systems. Outcomes were assessed immediately after setup. Results: Usability was high, with a mean mHealth App Usability Questionnaire score of 6.7/7 (SD = 0.3) and a mean Hearing Aid Skills and Knowledge Inventory--Clinical score of 93.4% (SD = 9.0%). Study-specific questionnaire responses showed high satisfaction, good sound quality, and ease of use. Qualitative feedback highlighted affordability, convenience, and dual-purpose design, with some noting occlusion and difficulty locating settings. Some participants reported they would only use the device situationally. The audiogram import feature showed limited accuracy: 71% of thresholds were within 5 dB of the reference when both ears were scanned together and 73% when each ear was scanned separately, with 12% and 8% of thresholds missing for these methods, respectively. Objective performance measures showed nonsignificant speech-in-noise benefit (Quick Speech-in-Noise Test mean benefit of 0.1 dB SNR, SD = 1.9), and real-ear measurements showed gain levels generally below National Acoustic Laboratories--Non-Linear 2 targets. Conclusions: The Apple OTC-HAF showed high usability and satisfaction among digitally literate iPhone users, but nonsignificant speech-in-noise benefit and gain levels generally lower than prescriptive targets. Further research should explore broader applicability, long-term outcomes, and strategies to support uptake and consistent use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of American Journal of Audiology is the property of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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  Data: Usability and Performance of the Apple Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Feature.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kruger%2C+Megan%22">Kruger, Megan</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Manchaiah%2C+Vinaya%22">Manchaiah, Vinaya</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2,3,4,5</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Swanepoel%2C+De+Wet%22">Swanepoel, De Wet</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2,3</relatesTo><i> dewet.swanepoel@up.ac.za</i>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22American+Journal+of+Audiology%22">American Journal of Audiology</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 35 Issue 2, p472-486. 15p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+medical+centers%22">Academic medical centers</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Data+analysis%22">Data analysis</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Content+analysis%22">Content analysis</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Assistive+technology%22">Assistive technology</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Experimental+design%22">Experimental design</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mobile+apps%22">Mobile apps</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hearing+aid+fitting%22">Hearing aid fitting</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cross-sectional+method%22">Cross-sectional method</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Scale+analysis+%28Psychology%29%22">Scale analysis (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hearing+aids%22">Hearing aids</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sensorineural+hearing+loss%22">Sensorineural hearing loss</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Questionnaires%22">Questionnaires</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Kruskal-Wallis+Test%22">Kruskal-Wallis Test</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Descriptive+statistics%22">Descriptive statistics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Judgment+sampling%22">Judgment sampling</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Statistics%22">Statistics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Data+analysis+software%22">Data analysis software</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Purpose: This study provides the first independent evaluation of the Apple Over-the- Counter Hearing Aid Feature (OTC-HAF), examining its usability and laboratory performance among adults with self-perceived mild-to-moderate hearing loss. Method: A cross-sectional evaluation was conducted at a university audiology clinic. Digitally literate iPhone users (n = 25, ages 20-72 years) independently used AirPods Pro 2 to complete the Apple Hearing Test Feature and activate the OTC-HAF. The sample size aligns with usability model recommendations for moderately complex systems. Outcomes were assessed immediately after setup. Results: Usability was high, with a mean mHealth App Usability Questionnaire score of 6.7/7 (SD = 0.3) and a mean Hearing Aid Skills and Knowledge Inventory--Clinical score of 93.4% (SD = 9.0%). Study-specific questionnaire responses showed high satisfaction, good sound quality, and ease of use. Qualitative feedback highlighted affordability, convenience, and dual-purpose design, with some noting occlusion and difficulty locating settings. Some participants reported they would only use the device situationally. The audiogram import feature showed limited accuracy: 71% of thresholds were within 5 dB of the reference when both ears were scanned together and 73% when each ear was scanned separately, with 12% and 8% of thresholds missing for these methods, respectively. Objective performance measures showed nonsignificant speech-in-noise benefit (Quick Speech-in-Noise Test mean benefit of 0.1 dB SNR, SD = 1.9), and real-ear measurements showed gain levels generally below National Acoustic Laboratories--Non-Linear 2 targets. Conclusions: The Apple OTC-HAF showed high usability and satisfaction among digitally literate iPhone users, but nonsignificant speech-in-noise benefit and gain levels generally lower than prescriptive targets. Further research should explore broader applicability, long-term outcomes, and strategies to support uptake and consistent use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of American Journal of Audiology is the property of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=194359723
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        Value: 10.1044/2025_AJA-25-00192
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        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Academic medical centers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Data analysis
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      – SubjectFull: Content analysis
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      – SubjectFull: Assistive technology
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      – SubjectFull: Hearing aid fitting
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      – SubjectFull: Scale analysis (Psychology)
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      – SubjectFull: Hearing aids
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      – SubjectFull: Sensorineural hearing loss
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      – SubjectFull: Data analysis software
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      – TitleFull: Usability and Performance of the Apple Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Feature.
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              Text: Jun2026
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