Hearing Aid Compatible Phones: Ratings, Bluetooth and Telecoils
A hearing aid compatible phone is one you can hold to your ear, or stream to your hearing aids, without buzzing, dropouts or muffled speech. Here is how the FCC ratings work, what the 2024 rule changes, which Bluetooth standards matter, and how Floridians can get compatible phone equipment free.
What "hearing aid compatible" means
The FCC requires wireless phones to be tested for hearing aid compatibility (HAC) under a standard called ANSI C63.19. A phone passes if it produces little enough radio interference for a hearing aid microphone to work when the phone is held to the ear, and if it produces a clean enough magnetic signal for a hearing aid telecoil. Phones that pass carry an M rating and a T rating on the box, on the label and on the maker's website.
Compatibility is about the phone and the hearing aid together. A well-rated phone with a poorly shielded hearing aid can still buzz, and Bluetooth streaming sidesteps the whole question because the sound goes straight into the aids. Most people today use a mix: streaming for calls and media, and the handset held to the ear as a backup.
What do M3 and T4 mean?
M ratings: microphone mode
The M rating, from M1 to M4, measures how much radio-frequency interference the phone produces when your hearing aid is on its normal microphone setting. Higher is better. M3 is the minimum for a phone to be called hearing aid compatible; M4 is the best. If you hear buzzing or static when you hold a phone to your ear, a higher M rating usually helps.
T ratings: telecoil mode
The T rating, from T1 to T4, measures how cleanly the phone's earpiece couples to a hearing aid telecoil. With a telecoil program on, the aid picks up the magnetic signal from the phone's speaker directly and ignores room noise. T3 is the minimum for compatibility; T4 is best. If your hearing aids have a telecoil, look for T4.
Reading a rating
A phone labeled M4/T4 is the strongest choice for holding to the ear. Phones certified under the 2019 version of the standard also state a conversational gain figure, which tells you how much louder the handset can make speech compared with a face-to-face conversation, with and without hearing aids.
The FCC's 2024 rule: 100 percent of new phones must be compatible
On October 17, 2024 the FCC adopted a Report and Order requiring all new wireless handset models sold or used in the United States to be hearing aid compatible, after a transition period. The order took effect December 13, 2024, with most rules phasing in over the following two to three and a half years.
- Transition periods: 24 months for handset manufacturers, 30 months for nationwide carriers, and 42 months for smaller carriers to bring their full line-ups to 100 percent.
- Bluetooth coupling: new handsets must support a universal Bluetooth standard for connecting to hearing aids, including over-the-counter aids, instead of only a proprietary link that works with some brands.
- Volume control: all new handset models must meet the volume control standard after the transition, so people who do not use hearing aids can still turn up speech.
- Labeling: manufacturers and carriers must post compatibility information and a point of contact on their websites so you can ask about a specific model before buying.
Until the transition ends, some models on sale are still not rated. Ask, and check the rating before you buy.
Sources: FCC: effective dates of the 100% hearing aid compatibility requirement · Federal Register: Achieving 100% Wireless Handset Model Hearing Aid Compatibility · FCC consumer guide: hearing aid compatibility for wireless telephones
Bluetooth: LE Audio, Auracast, Made for iPhone and ASHA
Streaming sends the phone's audio straight into both hearing aids, which is the clearest way to take a call. Four terms come up when you shop:
- Made for iPhone (MFi). Apple's hearing device protocol. MFi hearing aids pair in Settings > Accessibility > Hearing Devices, stream calls and media, and let you adjust volume and programs from the iPhone. Apple publishes a list of compatible models.
- ASHA (Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids). Google's equivalent for Android. The phone and the hearing aids both need to support ASHA; pairing is under Settings > Accessibility > Hearing devices.
- Bluetooth LE Audio. The new open standard that replaces both proprietary protocols over time. It uses less battery, and it includes a Hearing Access Profile written for hearing aids. Both the phone and the aids need LE Audio.
- Auracast. Part of LE Audio. It lets a venue broadcast sound, such as a TV in a waiting room or a speaker at a lectern, to any LE Audio hearing aids or earbuds in range. Think of it as a wireless successor to the hearing loop.
If you are buying hearing aids and a phone at the same time, ask for LE Audio and Auracast support in both. If you have older aids, match the phone to the protocol your aids use: MFi for iPhone, ASHA for Android, or both if the aids support both.
Sources: Apple: Made for iPhone hearing devices · Android: connect hearing devices · Auracast and Bluetooth LE Audio explained
Telecoils and phones
A telecoil is a small coil inside many hearing aids that picks up magnetic signals. On a phone rated T3 or T4, switching your aids to the telecoil program gives you the call without any room noise and without pairing anything. The same telecoil works with hearing loops in churches, theaters, pharmacies and airports, and with neckloops plugged into any audio source.
Not every hearing aid has a telecoil, and the smallest models often leave it out. When you are fitted, ask for one. It costs little, it never needs charging, and it is the only feature that works with the assistive listening systems the ADA requires in public assembly areas.
Hearing loops and telecoils in Florida · What hearing accessible means
How to check a phone's rating
- Look on the box or the retail label for an M and T rating, such as M4/T4.
- Search the manufacturer's website for the model name plus "hearing aid compatibility"; the FCC requires makers and carriers to post ratings and a contact for questions.
- Check your carrier's HAC page, which lists ratings for every phone it sells.
- Confirm the Bluetooth protocol: MFi, ASHA or LE Audio, matched to your hearing aids.
- Try it in the store. Hold the phone to each ear on the microphone program and on the telecoil program, and make a real call.
- Buy where you can return it. Compatibility on paper is not the same as your ears in your home.
Free compatible phone equipment for Floridians
Florida Telecommunications Relay, Inc. (FTRI) provides telephone equipment at no cost to Florida residents with a certified hearing loss: amplified telephones, captioned telephones, ring signalers that flash or sound, amplifiers for cell phones and headsets, and wireless options. If a compatible smartphone is out of reach, or you want a home phone you can hear on, FTRI is the first place to look.
Captioned telephones and free phones from FTRI · FTRI: equipment and solutions
Hearing aid compatible phone questions
What do M3 and T4 mean on a phone?
M and T are FCC hearing aid compatibility ratings. M, from M1 to M4, measures how little radio interference the phone causes when your hearing aid is on its normal microphone setting. T, from T1 to T4, measures how well the phone couples to a hearing aid telecoil. Higher is better; M3 and T3 are the minimums for a phone to be called compatible, and M4/T4 is the best you can buy.
Which phones work with hearing aids?
Any phone rated M3/T3 or higher can be held to the ear with most hearing aids. For streaming, match the protocol: iPhones stream to Made for iPhone hearing aids, many Android phones stream to ASHA hearing aids, and the newest phones and aids use Bluetooth LE Audio, which works across brands. Check the maker's or carrier's hearing aid compatibility page for the exact model.
Are all new phones hearing aid compatible?
Not yet, but they will be. In October 2024 the FCC adopted a rule requiring every new wireless handset model in the United States to be hearing aid compatible, with a universal Bluetooth connection and volume control. Manufacturers have 24 months from the rule's effective date and carriers 30 to 42 months to reach 100 percent. Until then, check the rating on each model.
Do I need a telecoil if my hearing aids have Bluetooth?
Yes, if you can get one. Bluetooth connects your aids to your own phone. A telecoil connects them to the world: hearing loops in churches, theaters, counters and transit, the assistive listening receivers the ADA requires in public venues, and any T-rated phone with no pairing. It never needs charging. Ask for a telecoil when you are fitted.
Can I get a free hearing aid compatible phone in Florida?
Florida residents with a certified hearing loss can get amplified and captioned telephones, ring signalers and cell phone amplifiers at no cost through FTRI, Florida's specialized telecommunications equipment program. You apply online or through a regional distribution center with proof of Florida residency and certification of your hearing loss.
Bring your phone to a meeting
HLAA-FL chapters are full of people who have paired every brand of hearing aid to every kind of phone. Bring yours and ask.