Using Your Hearing Aids with a Smartphone

We are lucky enough to live in a world where technology is coming on in leaps and bounds. No matter where you look, technology is filtering into our lives and, most recently, the medical and healthcare sectors are embracing technology more and more. In the audiology sector, hearing aids have developed from the days where people held trumpets to their ears to hear better, to now being able to sync digital hearing aids with smartphones to hear better.

An audiologist will be able to run through your hearing aid options with you when you are assessed, tested and diagnosed with a hearing disorder. They’ll be able to talk you through which hearing aids are right for you and how you can best use them to your advantage, and they can tell you all about hearing aids that can now connect to your smartphone. These hearing aids can enhance your hearing experience, making you feel like you are gaining something out of hearing loss. Some of the features that you can enjoy with hearing aids when they are combined with your smartphone include:

• Stream your phone calls directly to your hearing aids
• Change the volume in each hearing aid together or separately
• Check the status of your hearing aid batteries
• Stream audio, such as music and GPS directions directly to your hearing aids
• Control hearing aid accessories, including remote mic or TV streamer

Of course, not every hearing aid will work with a smartphone. There are only certain brands on the market that will match an app on your smartphone, and it depends on the type of smartphone that you have as to whether you will be able to connect it together. Let’s take a look at how you can use your hearing aids with your smartphone:

When you have an Android

There are plenty of apps that will work with an Android phone, but it’s important to note that not every hearing aid will work with Android in general. You need to speak to your audiologist about the features of your chosen hearing aid, and you should ensure that you check your hearing aid user guide. Your hearing aid manufacturer should have one of these on their website. 

There are a lot of accessories that you will need to choose from to ensure that there is a connection between your hearing aid and your smartphone. Most hearing aid models require you to buy a clip that will connect both so you can stream sounds, but even without these Bluetooth accessories, you can still access some features through the app such as changing the volume and sifting through the programs.

How to connect to an Android phone

Here are some steps to follow to connect your hearing aids to your Android smartphone:

• Always ensure your battery is fresh
• Download the right app according to your hearing aid brand
• Switch on your Bluetooth on your phone
• Launch the app and turn on your hearing aid

When you have an iPhone

There are a lot of hearing aids on the market today that are capable of connecting to an Apple smartphone, and as iPhone is a very popular option for your smartphone choices, you can bet that there are plenty of apps. You can choose apps that are specific to your hearing aid brand, and your audiologist should be able to point you in the right direction towards them.

Connecting your hearing aids to an iPhone

If you have an Apple iPhone, here are the steps that will enable you to connect your hearing aids:

• Ensure that you have a fresh hearing aid battery ready – but don’t shut the door until you’re ready to use it
• Head to Settings on your iPhone and turn on Bluetooth
• Power your hearing aid by closing the battery door
• Head to “General,” then “Accessibility” to be able to access “MFI Hearing Devices.”
• Tap on the model number of your hearing aid when it pops up, and once it’s connected, it will have a checkmark next to it
• You can then tap “Pair” to complete the connection between the two

Before you go ahead with your hearing aid match to your smartphone, go online with Apple and see whether your hearing aids are compatible with iPhone. If you want to learn more about your hearing aids and their capability of matching to your smartphone, then call Affordable Audiology & Hearing Service on this phone number: (920) 267-5220 and book an appointment!