App-Controlled Hearing Aids: Are They Worth It?
When you sit down to choose hearing aids, the clinic will often mention an app. Most modern aids pair with your phone, so you can change the settings from a screen in your hand rather than fiddling with a tiny button behind your ear. It sounds clever, and it can be genuinely useful. It can also be a feature you never touch. So is it worth caring about?
The honest answer depends on you, and in particular on how you feel about your phone. Let’s look at what the app actually does, so you can tell whether it’s a reason to choose one pair over another or simply a nice extra you can ignore.
Quick answer
An app lets you adjust the volume quietly from your phone, switch to settings for noisy places, and stream phone calls and the TV straight into your aids. Many also let your audiologist fine-tune the aids remotely, so you skip a trip to the clinic. If you’re comfortable with a smartphone, it’s a real plus. If you’d rather not deal with apps, don’t worry. The aids work perfectly well on their own, and you can leave the app well alone.
What “app-controlled” actually means
Modern hearing aids connect to your phone over Bluetooth, the same short-range wireless link that pairs a phone with a car or a speaker. The maker provides a free app, such as myPhonak, Oticon Companion, or the ReSound and Signia apps, and once it’s paired it becomes a little remote control for your ears.
Nothing about the app is compulsory. Every app-capable aid still has its own controls and automatic settings that do the work without you lifting a finger. The app just gives you an extra, more detailed way to take charge when you want it.
What the app lets you do
Adjust the volume on the quiet
Rather than reaching up to a button that others might notice, you nudge a slider on your phone. Handy in a quiet church or a meeting where you’d rather not draw attention.
Switch to settings for different places
Most apps offer presets for common situations, like a busy restaurant, outdoors in the wind, or listening to music. Tap the one that fits and the aids adjust how they handle the noise around you. Some people find one preset for cafes makes all the difference.
Stream sound straight to your ears
This is the feature people end up loving. A phone call, a podcast, or the television can play directly through the hearing aids, clear and at your own volume, a bit like wireless earphones. No more holding the phone hard against your ear or turning the telly up for the whole house.
Let your audiologist tune them remotely
If something isn’t quite right, many clinics can adjust your aids through the app without you coming in. You describe the problem, they send a tweak to your aids over the internet. For anyone in a regional area or without an easy drive to the clinic, this alone can be worth it.
Find a mislaid aid
Most apps show the last place your aids were connected on a map, and some help you find one that’s slipped down the side of the couch. A small thing, until the morning you can’t find one.
Is it worth it for you?
| If this is you | Is the app worth it? |
|---|---|
| Comfortable with a smartphone already | Yes, you’ll get real use from it |
| On a lot of phone calls, or love the radio and TV | Yes, streaming is the standout feature |
| Live in a regional area or far from the clinic | Yes, remote adjustments save the trip |
| Don’t own a smartphone, or dislike apps | No, choose aids that work well on their own |
Who can happily skip it
If phones aren’t your thing, this feature shouldn’t sway your choice at all. A well-fitted pair of hearing aids adjusts itself automatically as you move between quiet and noisy places, and the little button on the aid handles volume. Plenty of people wear their aids for years and never open the app once. The quality of the fit and the clinic’s support matter far more than the app.
One middle path is worth knowing. Even if you’d never use the app yourself, a son or daughter can install it on their own phone at a visit to help set a preference or check a battery. So the feature can still earn its place, just in someone else’s hands.
Before you finish
Download the free Family Tech Safety Checklist to help check phone safety, passwords, scam messages, emergency contacts and medical alarm details.
Getting started in Australia
App-capable aids are the norm now, fitted through providers like Hearing Australia, Specsavers, Audika, Bloom Hearing and Connect Hearing, and Hearing Services Program funding applies just the same. If you do want to use the app, ask the clinic to set it up and pair it before you leave, so it’s ready to go. If you’re choosing a phone to go alongside them, see the best smartphones for seniors. For the full picture on paying for aids, start with our guide to getting hearing aids funded in Australia.
FAQ: app-controlled hearing aids
Do I need a smartphone to use hearing aids?
No. The aids work fully on their own. A smartphone only comes in if you want to use the app for extra control or streaming.
What’s the best feature of the app?
For most people it’s streaming, where phone calls and the TV play straight into the aids at your own volume, clear and private.
Can my audiologist really adjust the aids from a distance?
Yes, many clinics offer this through the app. You describe the issue and they send an adjustment over the internet, saving a trip in.
Is the app hard to learn?
The basics, like volume and presets, are simple. If you’re unsure, ask the clinic to set it up and show you before you leave.
Does choosing app features cost more?
App control is built into most current aids at no extra charge. Hearing Services Program funding applies the same way, so ask the clinic for the price after funding.
