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5 min read 7 stepsMay 12, 2026Verified May 2026

Pair Your Hearing Aids to a Phone — iPhone and Android Step-by-Step

Modern hearing aids stream phone calls, music, and TV audio directly to your ears. Here is how to pair them on iPhone or Android.

At a Glance

Make sure your hearing aids are MFi or ASHA compatible

~28s

Most hearing aids from 2020 onward support either MFi (made for iPhone) or ASHA (made for Android), and many support both. Major brands like Phonak, Oticon, Resound, Starkey, Widex, and Signia all have compatible models. Costco Kirkland Signature 10.0 and 11.0 hearing aids support both. If you are not sure, check the box, the user manual, or call your audiologist. Apple keeps a current list at support.apple.com/en-us/HT201466. If your hearing aids are older than 2018, they may not have Bluetooth.

Put hearing aids in pairing mode

~36s

Every brand does this slightly differently, but the universal method is: open the battery door, close it again, and within 60 seconds your hearing aids enter pairing mode. Some rechargeable models require you to take them off the charger and put them in your ears, then they auto-pair. Check the manual. The hearing aid is in pairing mode when it makes a beep or plays a melody in your ear. You have about 1–3 minutes from that moment to finish pairing on the phone.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: You only need to do this pairing once. After that, your hearing aids reconnect automatically whenever they are in your ears and the phone is nearby.

Pair on iPhone — the right menu

~39s

On iPhone, do NOT go to SettingsBluetooth. That is the regular Bluetooth menu and hearing aids do not show up there. Instead: SettingsAccessibilityHearing Devices. Tap "Hearing Devices." Your iPhone scans for hearing aids in pairing mode. When yours appears (it usually shows up as "Left + Right" or with your name), tap it. The iPhone will ask you to confirm pairing for the left and right ear separately. Tap "Pair" each time. Pairing takes about 30 seconds.

Warning

Do not try to pair from SettingsBluetooth. Some hearing aids show up there, but the iPhone will not give you all the hearing aid features (custom programs, volume balance, environment modes). Always use AccessibilityHearing Devices.

Pair on Android — Bluetooth menu plus accessibility

~40s

On Android the path varies by brand but here is the most common: SettingsConnected devicesPair new device. Your hearing aids appear in the list when in pairing mode. Tap them. Confirm pairing for each ear. Then go to Settings → AccessibilityHearing devices (or "Hearing aids" on Samsung). You can adjust the audio routing and check that calls and media are sending through the hearing aids.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: On Pixel 6 and newer with Android 14 or later (Android 15 is current in 2026), hearing aids support a newer audio standard called LE Audio. This gives much better sound and longer battery life. Make sure both hearing aids and phone show "LE Audio supported" if you want this.

Test the pairing — make a call and play music

~28s

Once paired, place a phone call to a family member or use FaceTime/WhatsApp. The audio should come through your hearing aids automatically. If it does not, look for a small icon on the call screen that lets you switch audio output to "Hearing Aids." Tap it. Then play a music track or YouTube video to confirm media audio routes through the hearing aids too. Adjust your hearing aid volume using the phone volume buttons OR the hearing aid app from your manufacturer.

Install your hearing aid manufacturer app

~27s

Every major hearing aid brand makes a free companion app for the phone. Install the one that matches your brand (Phonak myPhonak, Oticon ON, ReSound Smart 3D, Starkey Thrive, Signia App, Widex Moment). The app gives you: volume control per ear, environment-specific programs (restaurant, music, outdoor), tinnitus masking sounds, and the ability to adjust the bass or treble. Even better, most apps let your audiologist make remote adjustments to your hearing aids over the internet — no in-person visit needed.

If pairing fails — three fixes that solve 90% of cases

~36s

First, restart the phone. Bluetooth gets stuck and a restart clears it. Second, "forget" the hearing aids in the phone settings, then re-pair. On iPhone: SettingsAccessibilityHearing Devices → tap your aids → "Forget this Device" → start over. On Android: SettingsConnected devices → tap the gear icon next to the hearing aids → "Forget" → start over. Third, make sure your hearing aids have fresh batteries OR a full charge. Pairing fails on low power. If these three do not work, call the hearing aid manufacturer support line — every brand has free phone support and they walk you through it.

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If you have hearing aids made in the past five years, they almost certainly support Bluetooth pairing with a phone. Pairing them means phone calls, FaceTime, podcasts, music, and even your TV can play directly through the hearing aids — clearer than any speaker, and at the exact volume you need.

This guide walks through pairing on iPhone (using the "Made for iPhone" or MFi standard) and Android (using the "Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids" standard, also called ASHA, and the newer LE Audio). The setup is a little different from pairing regular Bluetooth earbuds, so the steps below matter.

(Sources: Apple Support, support.apple.com/guide/iphone/use-hearing-devices-iph2eb6e1d2c/ios; Google Support, support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/9069470)

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Official Resources

Medicare.gov MedlinePlus — Health Info AARP Health & Technology

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