Hearing Aids and Cell Phones

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires that cell phone manufacturers and service providers make the use of cell phones compatible with the use of hearing aids. They have enacted rules to require:

• Less interference
• Less static
• Better telecoil links

This is good news if you wear hearing aids and live in the United States.

How Phones are Rated

Each phone is rated for its compatibility with hearing aids. A phone with a microphone rating of M3 or M4 will work well with your hearing aid when it is in the microphone position. The higher the number next to the M, the clearer your phone will sound.

You can find the “M” rating for a phone in one of several places. If you are in the store, look at the information card that is usually displayed next to the phone. You also want to look for the term “HAC.” This means hearing aid compatible. In addition to HAC, be sure to look for the M-rating.

The M rating can also be found in the owner’s manual or on the packaging of the cell phone. If you don’t see HAC or an M-rating, be sure to ask before you make a purchase.

If your hearing aid has a telecoil, then instead of the M-rating, you want to look for the T-rating. This means the phone will work with your telecoil. Just like with the M numbers, the higher the T number, the clearer your phone conversations will be. Look for a T3 or T4 number.

How Hearing Aids are Rated

The manufacturers of hearing aids also use an M- and T-rating system to let you know how well their devices operate in microphone and telecoil mode. No surprise – the higher the number, the better the unit will operate. As the M number goes up, you get less noise and a better connection. The T number will be from 1 to 4. As the T number increases, the connection with the telecoil mode gets better.

It All Adds Up

In order to evaluate how your cell phone and hearing aid will work together, just do a little math. Add the M number from your cell phone to the M number from your hearing aid. In the case of telecoils, just add the T number from the cell phone and your hearing aid. Once again, the higher the number, the more clarity you will get. These numbers won’t rate the quality of the content of your conversations, but they will certainly rate the clarity of the transmission.

Best Performance – For the best performance, look for a combined rating of 6. This will give you the highest level of performance.

Normal Performance – A combined number of 5 means the level of transmission would be acceptable for normal telephone communication and regular use.

Usable Performance – If the combined number is 4, the performance is only going to be suitable for quick calls, but not for regular use. If you plan on using your phone for conversations, you will want a number higher than 4. If you mainly text and rarely call, a 4 might be satisfactory.

The Global Accessibility Initiative (GARI) maintains a database of phones, features, and accessibility information. If you’re searching for a new phone, this might be a good place to see what is available. If you’re purchasing new hearing aids, be sure to discuss cell phone compatibility with your audiologist.