Single-sided deafness is aided by the Head Shadow hearing aid iPhone app when sounds are captured with an AirPods Pro microphone. In this new solution to the single-sided deafness condition, the AirPods Pro microphone in the deaf ear captures the sounds and crosses to the AirPods Pro in the hearing ear.
This is a primary feature of the Head Shadow app. The app also works with wired earbuds as a general iPhone hearing aid.
Single sided deafness app, a quick demonstration
The cartoon animation below illustrates how single-sided deafness aid works with AirPods Pro.
A hearing aid for everybody
The Head Shadow app can aid people with hearing loss in one or both ears. Works on iPhones released from 2013 to this year.
Using audiograms
First app to use audiograms from a hearing test to amplify sounds with iPhones 5s original and up.
Focus on single-sided deafness
First app primarily focused on serving people with single-sided deafness.
AirPods Pro single-sided deafness
First app to introduce AirPods Pro for people with single-sided deafness, aka unilateral deafness.
Free trial
Use the full functionality of the app with a free 30-day’s trial.
No subscriptions
Own the Head Shadow app by a onetime payment of less that six dollars with no subscriptions required.
A hearing aid with all earbuds
If you have a hearing loss in both ears, you can use the Head Shadow app with any earbuds. The iPhone microphone is your best option for capturing the sounds. You can play the sounds on wired earbuds, like the original EarPods. This way, the wires are limiting, but you get the best sound output and latency.
Wireless freedom
You can capture the sounds on iPhone microphone and play on any bluetooth earbuds, for example, AirPods. This way, you will enjoy the freedom of movement at a cost of a small inherent latency.
Headphone Accommodations
The Headphone Accommodations feature of iOS 14 gives a free boost to all hearing aids. Your media and phone calls will sound crisper, when you set up this feature with Apple EarPods. With AirPods Pro, you can set up with the audiogram data from your hearing test. This allows you to use the Noise Cancellation option for better hearing in noisy places. Use the Transparency option and appreciate sounds around you, with or without a hearing aid.
Free noise cancellation with AirPods Pro
The iOS 14, and this app, amplify sounds with audiogram frequencies. When you use the AirPods Pro, iOS is doing the noise cancellation, and this app is not using iPhone resources. Instead, this app can fine-tune sounds when needed.
Single Sided Deafness app with AirPods Pro
If you have single-sided deafness and own AirPods Pro earbuds, the Head Shadow app can help. Set your AirPods Pro to Transparency Mode and listen to sounds from people around you, amplified and enhanced. Or, set them to Noise Cancellation Mode and hear someone on the side of your deaf ear, perfectly clear.
A 10 Band EQ
Head Shadow app provides four hearing programmes when you first start. You can select the best programme for the current hearing condition while listening to a sound source. You can further refine the output of the selected programme by our 10 Band Equalizer – EQ while listening to the sound. The app saves this refined program on the iPhone storage space and continues to use it until the next refinement.
The EQ consists of 10 bands, and users can adjust bandwidth octave and gain of each band. As well, they can bypass each band, or change the global gain of all bands.
The center frequencies, of the EQ filters, are fixed on typical audiogram frequencies obtained from your hearing test.
This allows additional audio adjustments based on your hearing test data.
Most useful when the app features AirPods Pro as hearing aid for people with single-sided deafness.
Accessibility
The Head Shadow app supports VoiceOver. As well, the app supports Larger Text sizes and High Contrast Text, as shown on this image. Plus, the navigation icons describe their functions with a long-press touch.
Best user experience
The Head Shadow app is designed for best user experience and supports Remote Control on the Lock Screen and Control Center. You can adjust the volume and pause the app remotely. To play again, tap the play button on the app’s main screen.
User comment
Here is a recent Reddit comment from a user with single-sided deafness, using AirPods Pro hearing aid feature of the Head Shadow app.
AirPods Pro hearing aid for single-sided deafness
– in the office (open office environment) – with transparency mode ON, no amplification, it gives me awareness of people approaching me from the deaf side. This used to be a problem when people would come, i would not hear them until they’re very close, then it would surprise me.
From Reddit post, below.
– in open areas, large meeting rooms. We have a meeting in a very large space, with people wearing masks and spaced out 6ft apart, this app worked well as a “Live Listen” alternative. It seems to pick the sound from the direction I was looking at (though slightly from the right/deaf side) and the equalizer/amplifier made it clear and easy to understand. This was better than the Live Listen with the iPhone pointed at people or the AirPods pro transparency mode.
From Reddit post, below.
Free Download
You can download and use this app for 30 days, free with no obligation to purchase. After that, you may purchase the app for a nominal onetime payment, no subscriptions required.