How to connect hearing aids to an iPhone or Android phone

Most hearing aids made in the last several years can connect to a smartphone by Bluetooth. Once paired, phone calls, video calls, music and even GPS directions play directly in your ears. For many people it’s the single biggest improvement in how well they can hear on the phone.

Pairing is usually quick, but it isn’t always obvious, because hearing aids don’t pair quite like regular headphones.

Before you start

• Check your hearing aids support your phone. Most major brands (Phonak, Oticon, ReSound, Signia, Starkey, Widex and others) support iPhone. Android support depends on the hearing aid model and the phone. Your audiologist or the manufacturer’s website can confirm.
• Update your phone. See how to update your iPhone or Android.
• Put in fresh batteries or charge the hearing aids.
• Have both hearing aids with you.

Pairing with an iPhone

On iPhone, hearing aids are paired in the Accessibility settings, not the regular Bluetooth menu.

1. Open Settings.
2. Make sure Bluetooth is on.
3. Go back and tap Accessibility, then Hearing Devices.
4. Open the battery doors on your hearing aids and close them again, or turn them off and on. This puts them into pairing mode for a few minutes.
5. Wait for your hearing aids to appear under MFi Hearing Devices (they may show as one name with "L + R").
6. Tap the name, then tap Pair when asked. If you have two hearing aids, you may be asked to pair twice, once for each ear.

When it’s done, you’ll see "Connected" next to the hearing aids.

Quick controls on iPhone

To adjust volume or switch programs without opening Settings:

1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut and choose Hearing Devices.
2. Now triple-click the side button (or the Home button on older iPhones) to open your hearing aid controls.

You can also add Hearing to Control Center: open Settings > Control Center and add the hearing control.

Using the manufacturer’s app

Most brands have their own free app (for example, myPhonak, Oticon Companion, ReSound Smart 3D, Signia App, My Starkey). These add extra features like adjusting the sound for noisy restaurants or finding a lost hearing aid. It’s best to pair through iPhone Settings first, then open the app.

Pairing with an Android phone

Newer Android phones support hearing aids using a standard called ASHA or the newer LE Audio. Steps vary by brand.

Google Pixel and most Android phones

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Connected devices, then Pair new device. (On some versions, go to Settings > Accessibility > Hearing devices instead.)
3. Open and close the hearing aid battery doors, or restart them, to enter pairing mode.
4. Tap the hearing aids when they appear and confirm.

Samsung Galaxy

1. Open Settings, then Connections, then Bluetooth, and make sure it’s on.
2. Restart the hearing aids to enter pairing mode.
3. Tap the hearing aids when they appear under Available devices.

Samsung also has extra hearing settings under Settings > Accessibility > Hearing enhancements.

Some hearing aid models connect to Android only through the manufacturer’s app, so if they don’t show up in Settings, install the app and pair from there.

Watching TV and video

Phone and tablet video (YouTube, Netflix, FaceTime) streams to paired hearing aids automatically. For the TV itself, many hearing aid makers sell a small TV streamer that plugs into the television and sends sound straight to your hearing aids. Ask your audiologist which one matches your model. Turning on captions helps too. See smart TV and streaming basics.

If your hearing aids won’t connect

Try these in order:

1. Restart the hearing aids. Open and close the battery doors, or turn them off and on.
2. Turn Bluetooth off and on on the phone.
3. Restart the phone.
4. Forget and re-pair. On iPhone: Settings > Accessibility > Hearing Devices, tap the hearing aids, then Forget This Device. Then pair again from step 4 above. On Android, find them in Bluetooth settings, tap the gear, and choose Unpair or Forget.
5. Check for a second phone or tablet. Hearing aids sometimes connect to an iPad or old phone nearby instead. Turn Bluetooth off on the other device and try again.
6. Update the hearing aid app and the phone.

If they connect but calls sound choppy, keep the phone on the same side of your body as your hearing aids, and avoid keeping it in a back pocket.

A note on AirPods and over-the-counter options

Some recent AirPods Pro models include a hearing aid feature intended for people with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, after a hearing test done on the iPhone. That’s a different product from prescription hearing aids. If you’re unsure what’s right for you, talk to an audiologist or your doctor. We help with the tech side, not hearing care.

When to get help

If pairing keeps failing, or a parent struggles to switch programs or answer calls through their hearing aids, an in-person session can save a lot of frustration. We’ll pair the hearing aids, set up the shortcut, and practice answering a call until it feels natural. We help across DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia. Book a free 15-minute call.