Modern hearing aids and implants can connect wirelessly to your smartphone. This means you can:
- use your phone to control your hearing aids
- stream phone calls, music, podcasts, and other audio directly into your ears
To stream audio, your phone and hearing aid have to be compatible. If you’re not sure, check the manufacturer’s instructions or ask your audiologist.
Download your hearing aid app
All major hearing aid brands offer a free app for your phone. These apps let you do things like:
- adjust the volume or programme without touching your hearing aid
- switch between listening environments, such as a quiet room or a noisy restaurant
- check battery levels
- find lost hearing aids using a map of where they were last connected
- stream audio when you are paired via Bluetooth
Search for your hearing aid app on the App Store for iPhone or Google Play for Android.
Set up audio streaming
Audio streaming means that sound from your phone is sent directly to your hearing aids, so you can hear it more clearly.
Some hearing aid apps will let you connect to your phone’s audio via the app, or walk you through how to connect it.
The exact process depends on the device type, but for most hearing aids, there are 3 steps.
Step 1: Put your hearing aids in pairing mode
Pairing mode means your hearing aids are ready to connect.
Check your hearing aid manual for how to put it into pairing mode. Common ways to do this include:
- Battery-powered aids: open the battery door for a few seconds, then close it.
- Rechargeable hearing aids: place the aids in the charger for 10 seconds, then remove them.
- Hearing aids with a button: press and hold the button
Pairing mode usually lasts around 3 minutes. If you do not connect in time, restart your hearing aids and try again.
Step 2: Pair your hearing aids to your phone
Pairing means that your hearing aids are connected to your phone.
You can usually do this by going to Hearing Devices in your phone’s accessibility settings.
If your hearing aid does not appear under Hearing Devices, you may be able to connect it using the Bluetooth settings.
Find full instructions to:
Once you’ve paired your hearing aids, they should connect automatically to your phone whenever you switch them on.
Troubleshooting common problems
Connecting your hearing aids does not always work first time, but there are steps you can take to fix problems.
My hearing aids do not appear in the Hearing Devices or Bluetooth list
If your hearing devices are already paired to another nearby device, such as a laptop or tablet, make sure Bluetooth is turned off on those devices.
Try restarting your hearing aids and putting them in pairing mode again.
Occasionally, the pairing process does not work. Uninstalling the app, restarting the phone and starting again can help.
My hearing aids are paired, but they’re not automatically connecting
Turn Bluetooth off and on again on your phone, then restart your hearing aids.
If that does not work, re-pair your hearing aids.
- go to the Hearing Devices or Bluetooth list of devices and tap your hearing aid name
- tap “Forget Device” or “Unpair”
- go through the pairing process again
Phone software updates can sometimes break the Bluetooth connection. Re-pairing usually fixes this.