How to use a smartphone to deal with hearing loss (2025): Tips for iPhone, Android
Other features vary by phone manufacturer. Look for hearing aid compatibility (HAC) to see your phone’s support. For example, this is the Google Pixel Hearing Aid Compatibility Page. Now, some hearing aids can stream music and podcasts directly to the hearing aids for Android phones, but it is wise to check compatibility before purchasing.
When using a hearing aid for a pixel phone, you should also open the phone app and click on three vertical dots menu In the upper right corner, click Settings > Accessibility Switch Hearing aids exist.
If you don’t have a hearing aid but think you may need a hearing aid, read a guide on how to buy hearing aids and the best hearing aids. We also provide a guide on how to stream audio to hearing aids and cochlear implants.
How to use real-time text with your phone
Some people may prefer to type a response on a call, which you can do using the Live Text (RTT) feature. Sadly, availability depends on your region and vector. If there is no RTT option, you may get TV (TTY) support. (RTT is more advanced, and can transfer audio as you enter.)
On an Android phone, open the phone app and click on three vertical dots menu In the upper right corner, click Settings > Accessibility Open RTT or TTY. If you choose Always visibleyou can click the RTT icon (A Capital T) after dialing someone to start the RTT call, and you can click to start it during the call. To view transcripts about Android calls, open the mobile app and click recover, Select the phone you want, and Call details > See transcript.
Photo: Apple
For iPhone, you You can turn on RTT or TTY Settings > Accessibility > rtt/tty, You can choose Software RTT/TTY or Hardware TTY. You can also choose RTT/TTY Call Call someone and click on the RTT/TTY icon (looks like a landline) to answer the call or switch to text during the call. To view the transcript of iPhone calls, open the mobile app and click recover, Then I Next to the phone. You will see the RTT/TTY icon next to the call with a transcript in the call history.
Why Bake certain Android Accessibility features into pixels
You might be wondering why certain listening accessibility features are baked into Google’s pixel phones, but are available as separate apps for other Android devices. This allows accessibility teams to try new things on the Pixel, which Google designed the hardware, especially because some phones may not be able to do the same level of on-board processing, said Angana Ghosh, director of investment and accessibility product management at Google.
Certain features as standalone applications can also be updated regularly so that other Android phones can benefit from the latest development without the need for firmware updates, which are often frequent on non-pixel phones.
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