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7 min read 6 stepsMay 6, 2026Verified May 2026

How to Pair Bluetooth Hearing Aids to Your iPhone or Android Phone

Stream phone calls and music directly to your Bluetooth hearing aids. This guide walks you through pairing on iPhone and Android, adjusting volume.

At a Glance

Prepare your hearing aids for pairing

~35s

Before pairing, put your hearing aids in their charging case or turn them off, then turn them back on (or remove them from the case). This puts them into pairing mode — most hearing aids are discoverable for a few minutes after being powered on. If your hearing aids have a pairing button, consult the manual for your specific model. Keep the hearing aids within two feet of your phone during the pairing process.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: If you have two hearing aids (one for each ear), both will usually pair at the same time as a pair. You do not usually have to pair each one separately.

Pair Made for iPhone (MFi) hearing aids to iPhone

~40s

On your iPhone, open Settings (the gray gear icon). Tap "Accessibility." Scroll down to the "Hearing" section and tap "Hearing Devices." Your iPhone will scan for nearby hearing aids. When your hearing aids appear on screen (usually listed by brand and model name), tap their name. A pairing request will appear on screen — tap "Pair." If you have two hearing aids, you may see two pairing requests — tap "Pair" for both. After pairing, your hearing aids will appear under "Hearing Devices" whenever they are powered on and within range.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: After pairing, you can control your hearing aids directly from iPhone — go to SettingsAccessibilityHearing Devices anytime to adjust volume, switch programs, or see battery levels.

Pair ASHA or Bluetooth hearing aids to Android

~47s

On your Android phone, open Settings. Tap "Connected devices" (on some phones this is called "Bluetooth & device connection" or "Connections"). Tap "Pair new device" or "Bluetooth" and make sure Bluetooth is turned on. Your phone will scan for nearby devices. When your hearing aids appear in the list, tap their name to connect. For ASHA-compatible hearing aids on any current Android phone, the connection may be automatic after this initial pairing — the phone recognizes them as hearing aids and routes audio directly. On Samsung Galaxy phones, go to SettingsConnectionsBluetooth, toggle it on, and tap "Scan" if your hearing aids do not appear right away.

Warning

Some older Android phones may not fully support the ASHA standard. If you are having trouble, check your phone is running a current, updated version of Android by going to SettingsAbout phoneAndroid version.

Adjust hearing aid volume from your phone

~42s

On iPhone: After pairing MFi hearing aids, tap the hearing aids icon that appears in the Control Center (swipe down from the top right corner of the screen). A volume slider appears. You can also go to SettingsAccessibilityHearing Devices and adjust volume from there. On Android: Once your hearing aids are connected, the volume buttons on the side of your phone will often control the hearing aid volume during calls and streaming. You can also open your hearing aid manufacturer's app (Oticon ON, ReSound Smart, etc.) for more detailed volume and program controls.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: You can add the hearing device control to your iPhone Control Center for quick access — go to SettingsControl CenterCustomize Controls, then add "Hearing" to the list.

Stream phone calls and music directly to your hearing aids

~49s

Once your hearing aids are paired, audio streaming happens automatically for most activities. Phone calls: When you receive or make a call, audio routes to your hearing aids. On iPhone, if the call does not go to your hearing aids, tap the audio icon during the call (it looks like a speaker or a circle with waves) and select your hearing aids from the list. On Android, tap the same type of icon during a call and choose your hearing aids. Music and videos: Audio from apps like Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, or Netflix streams to your hearing aids when they are connected, the same way it would to wireless earbuds.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: Google Live Transcribe (free on Android) displays real-time captions of speech on your phone screen — a helpful tool for conversations in noisy places even when you are wearing hearing aids. Find it in the Google Play Store.

Fix common pairing problems

~49s

If your hearing aids do not appear during pairing: make sure they are in pairing mode (power off and on again), keep them very close to your phone, and make sure no other phone or tablet is actively connected to them — hearing aids usually connect to one device at a time. If you have already paired them to another phone, disconnect them from that device first. If paired hearing aids stop working after a phone update: go back to the Hearing Devices (iPhone) or Bluetooth (Android) settings, select your hearing aids, choose "Forget this device," and pair them again from scratch. If audio cuts in and out: move your phone closer, check that no other Bluetooth device is competing for the connection, and make sure the hearing aid batteries are adequately charged.

Warning

Do not reset your hearing aids without guidance from your audiologist. Some hearing aids require professional software to restore custom settings after a factory reset.

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Modern Bluetooth hearing aids can connect directly to your iPhone or Android phone. Once paired, phone calls, music, podcasts, and navigation directions play directly in your hearing aids — no need to hold the phone up to your ear. You can also adjust the volume and settings from your phone.

This is especially helpful for people who struggle to hear phone calls through the phone's speaker, or who want clearer audio without background noise.

Two standards: Made for iPhone (MFi) and ASHA

Hearing aids connect to phones using one of two wireless standards.

Made for iPhone (MFi) is Apple's own standard for direct hearing aid connectivity. Hearing aids with the MFi label pair directly to iPhone through the Accessibility settings — no separate Bluetooth pairing step needed. Major hearing aid brands with MFi models include ReSound, Starkey, Oticon, Phonak (some models), Widex, Signia, and Unitron.

ASHA stands for Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids. This is Google's standard for Android devices. Any current Android phone supports ASHA, and many current hearing aid models from major brands support it. ASHA allows streaming of audio from Android phones directly to hearing aids with lower battery drain than standard Bluetooth.

If you are not sure whether your hearing aids support MFi or ASHA, check the box they came in, look on the manufacturer's website, or ask your audiologist.

Standard Bluetooth also works — but with limitations

If your hearing aids do not support MFi or ASHA, they may still pair using standard Bluetooth. Standard Bluetooth works for streaming audio, but the connection may use more battery, have slightly more delay, and may not allow the hearing aid app to control all settings.

Hearing aid apps

Most major hearing aid manufacturers have a companion app: ReSound Smart 3D, Oticon ON, Starkey Thrive, Phonak myPhonak, and others. These apps let you adjust volume, switch programs (for quiet rooms, restaurants, outdoors), and in some cases stream audio. Download the app that matches your hearing aid brand from the App Store or Google Play Store.

Sources:

Apple Support — Pair hearing devices with iPhone (support.apple.com), Google Support — Connect hearing aids to Android (support.google.com), Hearing Loss Association of America (hearingloss.org), FDA Hearing Aid guidance (fda.gov).

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Official Resources

Medicare.gov MedlinePlus — Health Info AARP Health & Technology

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