About
The Apple Hearing Study is a partnership between the University of Michigan and Apple to study sound exposure and its impact on hearing health. This groundbreaking Study uses iPhone and Watch data to advance understanding of how health status, hearing-related behaviors, and sound exposure can contribute to hearing and key aspects of health related to hearing. The Study measures headphone audio levels and environmental sound exposures over time among participants and determines how these exposures impact hearing and stress levels. The Study aims to contribute to an improved understanding of how listening behavior and sound exposure impact overall hearing health. This information will in turn help guide public health policy and prevention programs designed to protect and promote hearing health in the US and globally.
Study Activities
Participants in the Apple Hearing Study use Research app on iPhone and headphones to complete periodic surveys and hearing tests, such as those shown below, to help researchers understand the relationship between health, sound exposure, and hearing health:
- Background survey to collect demographics, use of hearing related products and features, hearing health, sound exposure, and experience with hearing features, products, tools, or services related to hearing and hearing health, as well as information about social determinants of health and aspects of health related to hearing such as activity, cognition, heart health, mental health, mobility, sleep, stress, and conditions associated with changes in hearing health. (Collected at enrollment and every 6 months)
- Check-in survey captures changes in perceptions and information about hearing ability, changes in health related to hearing, and social determinants of health. (Collected about every 8 weeks)
- Loud sound event surveys are triggered up to once a month each for short (30 minutes of noise exposure greater than 97 decibels) or extended (40 hours of noise exposure in a week greater than 80 decibels) loud exposures on headphones or in the environment (for those participating with Watch). Triggers are accompanied by a short survey and short audiogram.
- Hearing tests to measure different aspects of hearing ability – such as how loud a sound needs to be to hear it, e.g., pure tone audiometry (PTA); or how speech or words are heard with or without background noise, e.g., speech-in-noise. (Collected at enrollment and about every 6 months and as needed based on triggers)
- Tinnitus task classifies ringing in the ears. This task can be completed with the headphones typically used with iPhone. (Collected at enrollment and annually for those who indicate experiencing tinnitus)
- Information-sharing tasks ask participants to review and enable sharing of information related to the Study with researchers, such as information about hearing-related devices and features, device settings, as well as health and sensor data. (Collected at enrollment and as needed based on new relevant data types)
Join the Study
Devices/technology needed to participate in the Apple Hearing Study:
- iPhone 6s or higher with the latest iOS update
- Research app
- Headphones (two optional Study activities require the use of EarPods, AirPods, AirPods Pro, or AirPods Max)
- Optional: Watch
To participate, start by installing Research app from the App store on your iPhone. In the app, you’ll find several Apple-supported studies. Select the Apple Hearing Study, review the introduction, and complete the consent process. Once you complete the informed consent process, the Study will begin collecting data. Download Research app.
Research app
The future to health research is you. Making the world a healthier place just got a lot easier. You can contribute to groundbreaking research studies simply by using your Watch and iPhone. Your participation will enable innovative research that would have been all but impossible before. And it will help Apple to create even more empowering technologies. We invite you to join one or more studies and make your mark on human health.
Privacy
Nothing is more personal than your health information. Helping you keep it confidential and secure is important to us. What you choose to share for research, and with which study, is controlled entirely by you. Any data collected through Research app will be encrypted if you have a passcode on your device. Once shared, it is stored securely in a system within Apple designed to meet the technical safeguard requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Apple will not have access to any contact information or other identifying data that you provide through Research app. And you can withdraw from any study at any time, which will end any future data collection.
Learn more about hearing health and sound exposure