Most hearing aids can be reset by turning them off, waiting a few seconds, and turning them back on, which is essentially the same power-cycle trick that works on phones and computers. If that quick restart does not solve the problem, a factory reset is the next step, though the exact method depends on whether you have behind-the-ear, in-the-ear, or over-the-counter devices and which manufacturer made them. The distinction between a simple restart and a full factory reset matters quite a bit, because one clears a temporary glitch while the other wipes your personalized sound settings entirely.
Try Basic Troubleshooting Before Resetting
A reset is not always the right first move. Many of the issues people attribute to a software glitch actually come from something physical: earwax clogging the receiver, a dead or dying battery, moisture trapped inside the device, or a loose earmold. Before you go through the reset process, check a few things first.
- Inspect the receiver opening: Use the small cleaning brush or pick that came with your hearing aids to clear any visible wax from the sound outlet. A blocked receiver is the single most common cause of muffled or absent sound.
- Check the battery: If your hearing aids use disposable batteries, swap in a fresh one. If they are rechargeable, place them in the charger for at least 15 minutes and see if the indicator light behaves normally.
- Look for moisture: Open the battery door (if there is one) and let the device air out, or place it in a hearing aid dehumidifier overnight. Condensation from sweat or humidity can cause intermittent cutouts and distortion.
- Check your phone connection: If the issue is specifically with Bluetooth streaming, toggling Bluetooth off and back on in your phone’s settings often resolves dropped connections without touching the hearing aid itself.
If none of those steps fix the problem, a reset is reasonable. The two levels of reset work differently, and it helps to understand what each one actually does before you commit to either.
The Soft Reset, or Power Cycle
A soft reset is just a restart. You are not erasing anything. Your volume preferences, programmed sound profiles, and Bluetooth pairings all stay intact. You are simply forcing the hearing aid’s processor to shut down and boot up fresh, which clears temporary errors in the same way restarting a laptop does.
For hearing aids with a battery door, open the door completely, wait about 10 seconds, then close it again. The device powers off when the door is open and powers back on when you close it. Some people snap the door open and shut too quickly, which does not give the electronics enough time to fully discharge. A slow, deliberate 10-second pause works better.
For rechargeable hearing aids that lack a battery door, the restart process varies. Many models turn off automatically when placed in the charging case, so setting them in the case for 10 to 15 seconds and then removing them accomplishes the same thing. Some rechargeable models have a physical button you can press and hold for several seconds to power them down manually. Check the button on the back or bottom edge of the device if you are not sure where it is.
A soft reset fixes things like unexpected feedback or whistling that started suddenly, audio cutting in and out without an obvious physical cause, the hearing aid not connecting to a previously paired phone, or the device seeming to be stuck in one program when it should switch. If the soft reset works and the issue does not come back, you are done. No need to go further.
Factory Reset
A factory reset returns the hearing aid to its original out-of-the-box state. This erases your personalized sound programs, volume settings, Bluetooth pairings, and any adjustments your audiologist made. After a factory reset, the device will behave exactly as it did the day you first got it, which means it will likely sound wrong until you reprogram it or have it reprogrammed professionally.
Because of that trade-off, a factory reset is a last resort. You would typically do one only if the soft reset failed, if the hearing aid is behaving erratically in ways that basic troubleshooting cannot explain, or if you are giving the device to someone else and want to clear your personal data from it.
The specific procedure for a factory reset depends on the manufacturer and model. There is no universal button combination that works across all hearing aids. In general, though, there are two paths: resetting through a companion smartphone app, or resetting through the physical controls on the device itself.
Resetting Through a Smartphone App
Most modern hearing aids from the major manufacturers pair with a companion app on your phone. These apps typically include a reset option buried in the settings or device-management menu. The exact menu path differs by brand, but the pattern is similar across most of them: open the app, navigate to device settings or the gear icon, look for an option labeled something like “Reset,” “Restore defaults,” or “Factory reset,” and confirm. The app will push the reset command to the hearing aids wirelessly.
Resetting through the app is usually the easiest method because the app walks you through confirmation screens and, in some cases, offers to save your current settings before wiping them. If your hearing aids are no longer connecting to the app at all, though, this route is obviously not available, and you will need to use the hardware method instead.
Resetting Through Hardware Controls
Some hearing aids allow a factory reset using a specific sequence of button presses on the device. This might involve holding a button down for a set number of seconds while opening and closing the battery door, or pressing a combination of the volume and program buttons simultaneously. The exact sequence is unique to each manufacturer and sometimes to each product line within a manufacturer.
If you still have the printed quick-start guide or user manual that came in the box, the reset sequence will be listed there. If not, nearly every hearing aid manufacturer publishes their user manuals online as downloadable PDFs. Search for your exact model name or number along with “user manual” or “reset instructions” on the manufacturer’s website. The model number is often printed in tiny text on the hearing aid itself or on the original packaging.
Brand-Specific Notes
While covering every model on the market is not feasible, a few pointers about major brands help orient the process. These apply to current-generation devices and may shift as manufacturers release firmware updates.
Phonak hearing aids can typically be reset through the myPhonak app. Older models may require the audiologist to connect them to the Phonak Target fitting software for a full reset. Some Phonak models use a button-hold sequence during the power-on cycle, but the timing varies by product line, so the user manual is your best reference.
Oticon devices pair with the Oticon ON app (or Oticon Companion for newer models). A factory reset is available through the app’s device settings. Oticon’s rechargeable models can also be restarted by placing them in the charger and removing them after a short pause, though a true factory reset still requires the app or professional fitting software.
Starkey hearing aids use the My Starkey app, which includes a reset function. Starkey devices tend to have straightforward physical restart procedures too: opening and closing the battery door for battery-powered models, or a press-and-hold of the push button on rechargeable ones.
ReSound hearing aids connect to the ReSound Smart 3D or ReSound Smart Fit app. The app includes a “Restore default settings” option. Notably, ReSound devices that have been adjusted by an audiologist using the manufacturer’s fitting software may need to be factory-reset through that same software if the app-level reset does not fully clear the professional-level programming.
Signia devices use the Signia app, which provides a reset path in its settings menu. Signia also manufactures some models sold under the Rexton and TruHearing brands, and the reset procedures are often identical because the hardware is shared.
Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids
OTC hearing aids, which became available in the United States in late 2022 for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss, are designed to be self-fitted and self-managed. Because there is no audiologist in the loop, OTC devices generally make the reset process simpler and more accessible than prescription models.
Most OTC hearing aids come with a companion app that handles setup, sound adjustment, and resetting. The reset option is usually easier to find in OTC apps than in prescription hearing aid apps because the entire user experience is built around the assumption that you are managing the device without professional help. If you reset an OTC hearing aid, you will need to go through the initial self-fitting process again, which usually involves an in-app hearing test or guided sound adjustment.
Popular OTC brands like Jabra Enhance, Sony, Lexie, and Eargo each have their own apps. Jabra Enhance (built on ReSound technology) uses the Jabra Enhance app with a reset function in device settings. Sony’s OTC aids connect to a Sony-branded app. Lexie devices pair with the Lexie app. Eargo hearing aids, which are rechargeable and sit inside the ear canal, can be reset through the Eargo app or by following a specific sequence with the charging case; the details are in the Eargo support documentation for each model generation.
One advantage of OTC devices in the reset context is that your personalized settings are typically stored in the app as well as on the hearing aid, so after a factory reset the app can sometimes restore your previous configuration automatically or at least give you a starting point that is close to what you had before.
Rechargeable Versus Battery-Powered Models
The type of power source your hearing aid uses affects how you perform a basic restart. Battery-powered hearing aids have a door that you open to insert or replace the disposable zinc-air battery. Opening that door cuts power to the device, which is why the “open the battery door, wait, close it” method works as a restart. It is a physical power interruption, and it is about as reliable as pulling the plug on any electronic device.
Rechargeable hearing aids often lack a battery door entirely. The lithium-ion battery is sealed inside, and the device charges through contact pins in a docking case. Without a battery door, you cannot physically interrupt power the same way. Instead, most rechargeable models use a button press-and-hold to power down, or they shut off automatically when placed in the charging case. The restart is then accomplished by removing the hearing aid from the case or pressing the button again to power on.
A subtlety worth knowing: some rechargeable hearing aids enter a low-power pairing or standby mode when placed in the case rather than fully shutting off. If a soft reset does not seem to take, try leaving the hearing aids in the closed charging case for a full minute before removing them. This longer pause gives the processor time to fully power down rather than just entering standby.
When a Reset Will Not Help
Resets fix software and firmware glitches. They do not fix hardware problems. If your hearing aid has physical damage, a malfunctioning microphone, a cracked receiver tube, or corrosion from moisture exposure, no amount of resetting will make a difference. A few signs that the problem is hardware rather than software:
- No power at all: The hearing aid does not turn on even with a fresh battery or a full charge, and you see no indicator lights. This usually points to a dead battery compartment, corroded contacts, or a failed circuit board.
- Distorted sound that persists after reset: If the sound is consistently crackly, tinny, or garbled even after a factory reset and a fresh battery, the speaker (receiver) may be damaged.
- Intermittent dropouts tied to movement: If the hearing aid cuts out when you move your jaw or touch the device, there may be a loose internal connection or a cracked solder joint.
- Visible damage: Cracks in the shell, a bent battery door, or green or white residue on the battery contacts all indicate physical issues that need professional repair.
In any of these cases, contact your audiologist or the manufacturer’s support line. Many hearing aids are still under warranty for the first two to three years, and repairs for hardware faults are often covered.
Restoring Your Settings After a Factory Reset
The biggest downside of a factory reset is losing your customized sound profile. If your hearing aids were fitted by an audiologist, the professional settings (gain curves, compression ratios, frequency shaping) were programmed using fitting software that you do not have access to at home. A factory reset wipes those, and restoring them requires another appointment.
Before doing a factory reset on professionally fitted hearing aids, call your audiologist’s office and ask whether your settings are saved in their system. Most clinics keep records of every fitting session in the manufacturer’s software, so reprogramming after a reset is straightforward during a short visit. Some clinics can even push settings remotely through telehealth platforms that several manufacturers now support.
If you adjusted your hearing aids yourself through a companion app (common with OTC devices and some prescription devices that offer user-facing customization), check whether the app has a backup or cloud-sync feature. Some apps save your most recent profile to your account, which can be reloaded after a reset. Others do not, in which case you will need to go through the self-fitting routine from scratch.
A practical tip: before performing a factory reset, take screenshots of your current app settings, including volume levels, program configurations, and any equalizer-style adjustments you have made. Even if the app cannot restore them automatically, having a visual reference makes it much faster to manually dial things back to where they were.
Reducing the Need for Frequent Resets
If you find yourself resetting your hearing aids regularly, something else is going on. Frequent glitches can signal that a firmware update is available and overdue, that the hearing aid’s memory is being taxed by too many paired Bluetooth devices, or that moisture is gradually degrading the electronics.
Keeping firmware current is the single most effective preventive step. Manufacturers push firmware updates through their companion apps, and these updates frequently fix the exact bugs that lead to freezes and connectivity problems. When you see an update notification in the app, install it. The process usually takes a few minutes per hearing aid and requires keeping the devices near your phone during the update.
Moisture management matters more than many people realize. Even if you do not sweat heavily, daily humidity, rain, and body heat introduce moisture into hearing aids over time. Using a hearing aid dehumidifier or drying kit overnight removes accumulated moisture and extends the life of the electronics. Ultraviolet drying cases serve double duty by also sanitizing the devices.
Bluetooth pairing clutter is another underappreciated issue. Most hearing aids can remember a limited number of paired devices, and when that list is full, connection instability increases. If you have paired your hearing aids with phones, tablets, laptops, and TVs over time, periodically clearing unused pairings through the companion app can improve stability. This is essentially a targeted mini-reset: you are clearing connection data without wiping your sound settings.
Finally, handle your hearing aids with clean, dry hands, and store them in their case when not in use. Physical care does not prevent software glitches directly, but it prevents the moisture and debris accumulation that often mimics software problems and leads people to reset when the real fix is a thorough cleaning.