Only FDA-cleared medical devices can enter the USA market. FDA has cleared Stethophone Pro and confirmed it meets the regulatory requirements for safety, cybersecurity, and effectiveness. After receiving the regulatory go-ahead, we adhere to post-market surveillance requirements. We also confirm our HIPAA and ISO 13485:2016 certification annually. Stethophone Pro is developed and maintained in conformity with many international and USA standards, guidelines, and requirements to ensure that our medical device delivers the best user experience.

We have validated Stethophone Pro algorithms for AI heart sound analysis in rigorous retrospective and clinical performance testing. Stethophone Pro AI has demonstrated high-performance results for the primary indicators (murmur detection and heart sound timing). Its sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy are on par with popular commercially available digital stethoscopes (see the validation results in the table below).

Murmur detection

Metric	Dataset	Test result
Sensitivity	America	88.7 95% CI: (87.2 to 89.8)
	Multi-Device	93.0 95% CI: (91.9 to 94.2)
Specificity	America	89.2 95% CI: (87.2 to 91.3)
	Multi-Device	94.4 95% CI: (93.7 to 95.4)
Accuracy	America	88.8 95% CI: (87.6 to 89.8)
	Multi-Device	93.8 95% CI: (93.1 to 94.6)
ROC AUC	America	96.9 95% CI: (96.1 to 97.3)
	Multi-Device	97.9 95% CI: (97.5 to 98.3)

Heart sound timing

Metric	Dataset	Test result
S1 precision	America	97.1 95% CI: (96.7 to 97.5)
	Multi-Device	96.9 95% CI: (96.6 to 97.3)
S1 sensitivity (recall)	America	97.3 95% CI: (97.0 to 97.7)
	Multi-Device	97.9 95% CI: (97.7 to 98.1)
S2 precision	America	97.5 95% CI: (97.2 to 97.9)
	Multi-Device	97.1 95% CI: (96.7 to 97.4)
S2 sensitivity (recall)	America	96.5 95% CI: (96.1 to 97.0)
	Multi-Device	97.7 95% CI: (97.5 to 97.9)

Yes, provided you have a prescription, using Stethophone Pro to make a high-quality recording is very easy. Listen to your heart sound through your earbuds to check that you can hear the sound well enough, then start recording when ready. AI will also assess the quality of the recorded sound and ask you to repeat the recording if the quality is insufficient.

Apple Watch can check only the rhythmic function of your heart, while Stethophone Pro AI allows you to check both rhythmic and structural heart functions. This provides more detailed information for a healthcare professional to help them make a timely and correct diagnosis. Stethophone Pro can also be used for assessing your lung sounds that you can record and send to a healthcare professional, while Apple Watch is focused only on your heart.

Currently, Stethophone Pro is available only to iPhone users who are healthcare professionals or have a prescription to use Stethophone Pro from a healthcare professional.
By focusing on iOS development, Sparrow BioAcoustics, the manufacturer of Stethophone Pro, can offer more consistent performance thanks to a more controlled range of hardware configurations, ensuring a smoother user experience.
Also, iOS is known for its robust security features and strict application review process, which gives users greater confidence in the safety and privacy of their data when using Stethophone Pro.
However, we do plan to release Stethophone Pro for Android soon. Our team has already started working on it!

Stethophone Pro is compatible with the following iPhone models: XS, XS Max, XR, SE 2 generation, 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, 12, 12 Pro, 12 Mini, 12 Pro Max, 13 mini, 13, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max, SE 3rd generation, 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max, 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max, 16e.

No, Stethophone Pro is incompatible with iPad. Currently you can only use Stethophone Pro on iPhones.

Declicker is a unique feature invented for Stethophone Pro to make listening and recording chest sounds more comfortable. When Declicker is enabled, it removes unwanted sounds of friction between the smartphone and the body, ensuring comfortable listening without extra loud sounds that phone movement might cause. Historically, friction sounds have presented an issue for all stethoscopes, and now Stethophone Pro is the only stethoscope that has offered a solution. However, Declicker may also inadvertently remove sounds produced by mechanical heart valves, which operate on different frequencies than biological sounds. Therefore, we recommend disabling Declicker for users with valve prostheses to ensure accurate recordings. People with mechanical valves can still use Stethophone Pro but should disable the Declicker function in the settings. If you disable Declicker, please make sure to move the phone along your skin carefully to avoid loud noises that might occur, just like how you would operate a regular stethoscope without the Declicker function.

Hold the smartphone gently but securely by its sides closer to the top to avoid hand muscle trembling and movement during the recording. Use one hand for holding the phone. Apply gentle, uniform pressure while positioning the smartphone against the body, but make sure there are no gaps between the bottom of the phone and your skin. Refer to the “How to use Stethophone Pro” mini-guide in your Stethophone Pro for images showing the correct phone positioning.

Using earphones allows you to listen to the sound to find a better spot for recording or listening to chest sounds, just like when you use a regular stethoscope. When you hear your heartbeat, this is a good spot. Without listening to the heartbeat, it would be harder to ensure you picked the good spot. Recording or listening in real time with Stethophone Pro will only work if you use Bluetooth or wireless earphones because you need to press the bottom of the phone to your chest; hence it should not have cords. However, a healthcare professional can use both wired and wireless earphones to listen to recordings in Stethophone Pro.