How to use your smartphone to deal with hearing loss (2025): iPhone tips, Android

Additional features vary depending on the phone manufacturer. Seek compatibility with the hearing aid (HAC) to see what your phone supports. For example, here Google Pixel Aid Compatibility PageS Some hearing aids can now transmit music and podcasts directly to hearing aids from Android phones, but it is wise to check compatibility before you buy.

When using hearing aids with Pixel phones, you should also open the phone app, tap the three vertical points for Menu in the upper right and touch Settings> Accessibility for switching Hearing aids on.

If you still don’t have a hearing aid but you think you may need one, read our guide to How to buy a hearing aid and ours Manual for the best hearing aidsS We also have a guide to How to convey audio to hearing aids and cochlear implantsS

How to use text in real time with your phone

Some people may prefer to enter call answers and you can do this with the real -time text feature (RTT). Unfortunately, availability depends on your region and carrier. If there is no RTT option, you will probably use TELETYPE (TTY) instead. (RTT is more advanced and can transmit audio as you enter.)

On Android phones, open the phone app, tap the three vertical points for Menu in the upper right and touch Settings> Accessibility to get involved Rt or TtyS If you decide Always visiblyYou can touch the RTT (Capital T) icon after dialing someone to start RTT call, and you can touch it to start it during a call. To review the Android call transcripts, open your phone app and tap Recently, Select the call you want, and then Call Details> See the transcriptS

Photo: Apple

For iPhone, you can include RTT or TTY in Settings> Accessibility > RTT/TTY, And you can choose RTT/TTY software or HardwareS You can also choose RTT/TTY CALL When you call someone and tap the icon RTT/TTY (looks like a landline) to respond to a call or switch to text during a call. To browse your iPhone call transcripts, open your phone app and tap Recently, Then i to the call. You will see the icon RTT/TTY to copy transcripts in your call history.

Why some Android accessibility features are baked in pixels

You may be wondering why some hearing accessibility features are baked Pixel Phones on Google But they are available as separate applications for other Android devices. Angana Ghosh, Director of Google Introduction and Available Products, says it allows the accessibility team to try new things on Pixel, where Google designs hardware, especially since some phones may not be capable of the same level of device processing.

Maintaining certain features as stand -alone applications also allows regular updates so that others Android phones It can take advantage of the latest developments without requiring firmware updates, which are often less frequent on non-pyric phones.

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