How to connect to hearing aids for auditory accessibility on your iPhone or iPad

August 25, 2014

The iPhone and iPad come equipped with some great accessibility features that open the door to all kinds of functionality for those with hearing and visual impairments. One especially useful feature for those with auditory impairments is the ability to pair their iPhone or iPad with many supported hearing aids. There are even some hearing aids that carry the made for iPhone moniker so you know your experience will be seamless. To get started, you've just got to pair them together!

How to pair a supported hearing aid to your iPhone or iPad

Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap on General.
Tap on Accessibility.
Under the Hearing section, tap on Hearing Aids.
Your iPhone or iPad should automatically search for any compatible hearing aids nearby, so make sure they're in discovery mode.
Once your iPhone or iPad finds your hearing aids, tap on the name in order to start the pairing process.
Once the pairing is complete, turn On the option for Hearing Aid Mode.

That's it! You're ready to start using your iPhone or iPad with your hearing aids. Depending on the kind of hearing aid you have, you are typically able to increase and decrease volume independently in both ears, monitor battery usage for your hearing aids, and much more.

If you've used an iPhone or iPad paired with a hearing aid, how has the experience been for you? Are there additional accessibility features you'd like to see added for those with auditory impairments? Be sure to let me know in the comments!