Jugaad is every Indian household’s most used word. From finding ways to make a microwave last well beyond its years to fixing cars by stitching together random parts, we love bending the rules. In a testament to this scrappy ingenuity, three friends in Bengaluru took on a problem most would have deemed unsolvable. When Apple rolled out a new hearing aid function for its AirPods Pro 2 through a November update, Rithwik Jayasimha and his father quickly purchased a pair for his grandmother. But their excitement was short-lived when they realized that the new feature wasn’t available in India. Jayasimha, however, wasn’t ready to back down.
Together with his friends Arnav Bansal and Rithvik Vibhu, who also have grandmothers grappling with hearing loss, the trio got to hacking. This wasn’t just about tech. It was about making something work for the people who need it most.
Armed with a mix of software and hardware skills, they got to work. Their kitchen table became a makeshift lab, littered with wires, devices, and tools as they set out to understand how Apple’s geographic blocks functioned. Their first attempt — changing the iPad’s region settings and time zone — didn’t yield results. Next, they experimented with masking the IP address to mimic a U.S.-based device, only to be thwarted again by Apple’s geolocation checks. They dug deeper, realizing iOS devices also scan nearby Wi-Fi networks and GPS data to verify location.
It was then that inspiration struck: they needed to block out the external world. In true jugaad spirit, the team built a makeshift Faraday cage using whatever was on hand. Aluminum foil, a cardboard box, and an old microwave turned into signal-blocking. Each tweak brought new challenges, but slowly, the solution took shape. They turned their microwave into a Wi-Fi jammer.
With their iPad isolated and properly disguised as being in the United States, they could finally activate the AirPods’ hearing aid feature. Their grandmothers soon had customized hearing assistance through a device that looked nothing like a medical aid. No one in their homes had to struggle with tiny, hard-to-operate buttons anymore.
The trio’s work didn’t stop at their own families. Word spread within their community, with others reaching out for help. It became clear that this wasn’t just about breaking down technological walls. It was about tapping into the deeply rooted culture of resourcefulness and care that binds us together. When you can’t rely on big companies to make things available, you make them work for yourself. There’s always a way for those willing to be a little scrappy and a lot determined. It’s a spirit we know well — and it’s why we’ll continue to make do, no matter the odds.
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