How to pair hearing aids with your iPhone

Hearing aids have become highly sophisticated devices. You can now connect hearing aids to an iPhone (provided they are Made for iPhone hearing aids) directly. They can now be transformed into wireless headsets that you can use to listen to your favorite music or even receive calls directly to your ears. Your iPhone can even transform into a remote control for your hearing aids, enabling you to adjust features via apps on your Apple device.

To take advantage of this hearing aid technology, follow these steps to pair your hearing aids to your iPhone. Check the instruction manual or consult your hearing healthcare professional to ensure your hearing aids and iPhone are compatible.

1. Take your hearing aids out of your ears
2. On your phone, go to Settings and select Bluetooth
3. Open the battery compartment door on your hearing aid
4. Go to Settings on your iPhone
5. Select Accessibility
6. Select Hearing Devices
7. Close the battery compartment door on your hearing aid
8. Your iPhone will now search for your hearing aid
9. Under MFi (Made For iPhone) Hearing Devices, tap the name of your hearing aid
10. If you wear two hearings aids, you should see L + R
11. If you only wear one hearing aid you will either see L or R depending on which ear you wear your hearing aid in
12. When you see the pairing request on the screen, select Pair. If you have two hearing aids or hearing devices you will receive two requests.
13. You can begin to use your hearing aid when it is shown under MFi Hearing Devices with a tick.
14. Control on Lock Screen will be on. Leave it to enable you to control your hearing aid from the Lock Screen.
15. Your hearing aids are now paired with your iPhone.

Each time you turn off your hearing aid, it will automatically disconnect from your iPhone. When you turn your hearing aid back on, or open and close the battery compartment door on your hearing aid to reconnect.

When you connect your hearing aids to more than one Apple device, the connection will switch from one device to the other when you stream audio. The connection will also swap over when you receive a phone call on your iPhone. If you choose to make changes to your hearing-aid settings on one of your devices, it will automatically be sent to your other Apple devices, too.

To pair with a second iPhone or iPad or iPod touch, you just need to:

• Check all devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network and they are all signed in to iCloud using the same Apple ID
• Follow the earlier steps above to pair your additional hearing device

When you know how to pair hearing aids to an iPhone, you’ll be able to control your hearing aids from your phone. You can adjust your hearing aid volume, select environment presets, and turn on Live Listen, among other things. To control your hearing aid from your iPhone and set your preferences, use the Settings menu or the Accessibility shortcut. You’ll then be able to:

• Play ringtones through your connected hearing aids
• Choose the default device for audio playback
• Use your iPhone to adjust your hearing aid settings
• Continue to listen to audio through your hearing aids, even when switching between Apple devices
• Make quick volume and preset adjustments on your hearing device from the Lock Screen with the Control Centre hearing button or Accessibility Shortcut

Today’s hearing aids offer far more than just improved hearing ability and excellent sound quality. With features such as iPhone pairing, you can now stream audio straight to your ears and adjust your hearing aids with just a few taps on your iPhone.