Pairing hearing aids to your phone or tablet follows the same basic pattern regardless of brand: put the hearing aids into pairing mode, open Bluetooth or accessibility settings on your device, and select the hearing aids when they appear. The exact steps vary depending on whether you use an iPhone or Android and which hearing aid brand you own, but the process rarely takes more than a couple of minutes once you know where to look.
Activating Pairing Mode on Your Hearing Aids
Most hearing aids enter pairing mode automatically when you turn them off and then back on. For rechargeable models, this means placing them in the charger briefly, then removing them. For battery-powered models, open and close the battery door. Some brands have a dedicated button you hold for a few seconds, but the power-cycle method works across nearly every major manufacturer including Phonak, Oticon, Starkey, and ReSound.
Once pairing mode is active, you typically have a short window (usually two to three minutes) to complete the connection from your phone. If the window closes before you finish, just cycle the hearing aids off and on again.
Pairing With an iPhone or iPad
Apple uses a system called Made for iPhone (MFi) that gives hearing aids a dedicated spot in your settings, separate from the regular Bluetooth menu. Here’s the path:
- Put your hearing aids in pairing mode.
- Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap Accessibility, then tap Hearing Devices. Your phone will start searching.
- When your hearing aids appear by name, tap them.
- Tap Pair when the Bluetooth pairing request pops up. You may get two requests (one for each ear).
On a Mac, the path is similar: System Settings, then Accessibility, then Hearing Devices. Click Connect when your aids appear. Note that the Hearing Devices option only shows up if your Mac model and macOS version support MFi hearing aids.
Pairing With an Android Phone
Android handles hearing aids through a protocol called ASHA (Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids) or the newer Bluetooth LE Audio standard. Not every Android phone supports these, so compatibility depends on both your phone model and its operating system version. If your phone doesn’t support either protocol, you may need a separate streaming accessory from your hearing aid manufacturer to get direct audio.
For phones that do support direct streaming, the steps are:
- Make sure Bluetooth is turned on in your phone’s settings.
- Put your hearing aids in pairing mode.
- Go to Settings, then Connected Devices, then Pair New Device. Your hearing aids should appear in the list.
Many manufacturers also build a guided pairing walkthrough into their companion app. If you’ve downloaded your brand’s app (Starkey’s My Starkey, Oticon’s Companion, ReSound’s Smart 3D, Phonak’s myPhonak), it will often walk you through each step with on-screen prompts. This can be easier than navigating your phone’s settings manually, especially the first time.
How Bluetooth Differs Across Brands
The pairing process feels similar from brand to brand, but the underlying Bluetooth technology varies, and that affects which devices you can connect to.
Phonak uses Bluetooth 5.3 with universal connectivity, meaning their aids pair with both iPhones and Android phones without needing an intermediary accessory. Oticon and Starkey both use Bluetooth Low Energy (LE Audio), which draws less power from the hearing aid batteries and supports faster, more stable connections than older Bluetooth versions. All three brands are also building in support for Auracast, a broadcast standard that will eventually let you pick up audio streams in theaters, airports, and lecture halls directly through your hearing aids.
The practical takeaway: if your hearing aids are from the last couple of years, they almost certainly support direct streaming to your phone. Older models may need a clip-on streamer or adapter.
Connecting to Multiple Devices
Some newer hearing aids support multipoint connectivity, letting you stay paired to two or more devices at once. ReSound calls this feature MultiConnect, and it allows simultaneous streaming from a tablet, laptop, TV, and smartphone without manually disconnecting and reconnecting each time you switch. You might be watching a show on your tablet and seamlessly take a phone call without touching any settings.
Not all models support this, even within the same brand. Check your hearing aid’s spec sheet or ask your audiologist whether your specific model handles multipoint connections. If it doesn’t, switching between devices means going into Bluetooth settings on the new device and selecting your hearing aids, which takes about 10 seconds but does require a manual step.
Fixing Common Pairing Problems
When hearing aids refuse to connect, the cause is almost always one of a handful of predictable issues.
Bluetooth Is Off or Stuck
It sounds obvious, but start by confirming Bluetooth is actually enabled on your phone. Then power-cycle the hearing aids by placing them in the charger (or opening and closing the battery door). When they turn back on, Bluetooth activates automatically on the hearing aid side.
Low Battery
Bluetooth streaming drains hearing aid batteries faster than normal use. If your batteries are low, the connection may drop or refuse to establish at all. For rechargeable aids, pop them in the charger for a bit before trying again. For disposable batteries, swap in a fresh pair. Don’t wait until the low-battery warning, because Bluetooth is often the first thing to go.
Phone Software Updated Recently
Operating system updates on your phone can break an existing pairing. If your hearing aids stopped connecting after a phone update, try this sequence: close the hearing aid app completely, restart your phone, then re-pair the hearing aids from scratch through your settings. Also check whether your hearing aid app itself has a pending update in the app store.
Hearing Aids Were Recently Serviced
When an audiologist updates firmware or adjusts settings on your hearing aids, it can reset the Bluetooth pairing data stored inside them. If your aids won’t reconnect after a visit, your audiologist may need to clear the stored Bluetooth pairings inside the hearing aids and set up the connection fresh.
Stale Pairing Data on Your Phone
Sometimes the cleanest fix is to “forget” the hearing aids on your phone and start over. On iPhone, go to Settings, then Accessibility, then Hearing Devices, find your aids, and remove them. On Android, go to Connected Devices and unpair them. Then delete the hearing aid app’s data (or reinstall it), power-cycle the aids, and pair from the beginning. Users on hearing aid forums report that this fresh-pairing approach after any firmware update, whether on the phone or the hearing aids, noticeably improves Bluetooth stability.
Keeping the Connection Stable Long-Term
Pairing is a one-time setup, but maintaining a reliable connection takes a little awareness. Keep your hearing aid app updated whenever new versions appear. When your phone pushes a major OS update, be prepared to re-pair if the connection drops. And if your audiologist updates your hearing aid firmware during a visit, plan to forget and re-pair the devices on your phone before you leave the office.
Bluetooth range for hearing aids is typically around 15 to 30 feet from the connected device. Walls and body position can cut that range. If audio cuts in and out, the simplest fix is keeping your phone on the same side of your body as your hearing aids, or just moving closer to the source device.