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Get the Most from Your Hearing Aids: How to Pair Them with Your iPhone, iPad, or iPod

03/16/2020 | Guides & Tips, Hearing Aids, Patient Resources, Technology

Aside from helping you hear better, hearing aids these days come with some amazing features that can help to make your life just a little bit easier. Manufacturers are designing hearing devices to work with you and your everyday life, making integration easy and seamless. One of these features is the ability to pair your Bluetooth enabled hearing aids with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, directing the audio straight to you.

Some hearing aids are specifically designed to work with your Apple devices and offer additional features like audio routing, controlling other connecting devices, Live Listen (uses your Apple device’s speaker for additional amplification,) hearing aid audio controls, and audio handoff with other Apple devices. These are called Made for iPhone or MFi hearing devices and are just as easy to pair to your iPhone, iPad, and iPod as any other Bluetooth device.

Check for Compatibility

In order to pair your hearing aids with your Apple device, first, check that they are compatible. Most Apple iPhones, iPads, and iPods made within the last five years have the ability to work with your hearing aids. The specific models are:

  • iPhone 5 or later
  • iPad Pro
  • iPad Aid
  • iPad (4th generation or later)
  • iPad mini
  • iPod touch (5th generation or later)

Most hearing aid brands offer Bluetooth enabled models that can pair with your compatible Apple devices. For MFi models, check here or contact one of our hearing experts at Scottsdale ENT any compatibility questions.

Pair your Devices

  1. On your Apple device, make sure that Bluetooth is turned on by going to Settings and selecting Bluetooth.
  2. Open the battery doors on your hearing aids. For rechargeable models, open the charger or follow your manufacturer’s directions to set in pairing mode.
  3. On your Apple device, go to Settings, select Accessibility, then select Hearing Devices.
  4. Close the battery doors on your hearing aids, enabling your Apple device to locate them. (If your hearing aids are rechargeable, skip this step as pairing mode was enabled in step 2.)
  5. Select the name your hearing aids when you see them load. Note that this may take a few seconds.
  6. When you see a pop-up on your screen, tap Pair. Note that if you have two hearing aids, this pop-up will appear twice. Pairing can take from a few seconds to a minute.

When you see your hearing aids listed under MFi Hearing Devices with a checkmark, they are ready to use. From this screen, you can also control how you want your devices to work together.

Remember that if your hearing aids get turned off, they will need to be reconnected to your Apple device again. Simply place your hearing aids back in pairing mode and select them from the Hearing Devices menu.

For a step-by-step guide with photos, visit Apple’s support guide for MFi hearing devices. This also goes into the settings, what they do, and how to use them in detail.

For expert assistance with hearing aids or for more information on hearing health, contact us at Scottsdale ENT. We work with patients of all ages and our passion is to help everyone experience better hearing once again.

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Dr. Natacia N. Howard

Natacia is from a small village in northern Wisconsin. She obtained her Doctorate of Audiology (Au.D.) from A.T. Still University – Arizona School of Health Sciences in 2013. She joined Scottsdale Ear, Nose and Throat in 2016 and specializes in vestibular diagnostic and hearing aid fittings. In her spare time, she likes to spend time with her husband, family and friends, cuddle her kitties and play softball.

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    You don’t realise you’re walking with a rock in your shoe until you’re able to hear again – Regina’s Story

    Regina has suffered from hearing problems since she was an infant, recognized as regular chronic ear infections. And, as with unfortunate events, she has experienced a multitude of audiology catastrophes.

    It was many years before Regina crossed paths with Scottsdale Ear, Nose & Throat; where her lifetime of hearing problems was addressed effectively and treated with the delicate care that she desperately required.

    Regina’s journey began when she was taken to a regular paediatrician by her mother from a young age. Her ears were, what we describe as an audiologists recipe for disaster, ‘flushed out’.

    This dangerous procedure caused a nasty infection, which spread to her mastoid bone and, at the age of 15, she underwent a tympanoplasty mastoidectomy to stop the infection spreading. This only forbade her future struggles with hearing loss. 

    As with poor diagnosis, Regina was faced with another canaloplasty which didn’t work. Soon after, she received a BAHA, which is a cochlear implant in her skull that acts as a sound processor that detects sound and transforms it into vibrations. 

    However, suffering from a history of poor hearing care, she was unaware of the former issues her ear presented.

    By now, this would be described as any audiologists nightmare. But, we’re proud to have helped Regina on her road to optimum hearing and reconnect her to her loved ones.

    When she arrived at Scottsdale Ear, Nose & Throat it was evident that she was losing hearing on her right side. At this point, she was fitted with a ReSound hearing device, which provided the catalyst to a new and improved hearing.

    The first thing Regina noticed was the indefinite sound she had been making whilst emptying the dishwasher, completely unaware of the noise she was making!

    “I mean, the detail that I can hear now it’s like, Whoa, I didn’t realize I was making that much noise. I need to be quieter!”

    Treated with professional care, Regina received a comprehensive hearing assessment with Dr. Debra Hamila.

    “I just love, love, love Dr. Hamila, she is such a professional and loving person. I was so impressed with the office and what she did with the ReSound, I just love her.”

    Like many others, it takes years for people to realize they have a hearing problem. Regina described this moment as life-changing.

    “You don’t realise you’re walking with a rock in your shoe until you’re able to hear again. Especially now I’m a full-time Grammy Nanny, I can hear so much more and it has enriched my life incredibly.”

    What advice would you give to someone who is deliberating on taking the first step towards better hearing?

    “My advice to them would be to have a hearing test. Especially as we age our hearing goes down. It’s really unfortunate that people carry their pride and are not willing to learn to walk with the rock in their shoe. You don’t realise you’re waking with a rock in your shoe until you’re able to hear again.”

    Regina is one of many patients who has been impacted by our audiological services and we are proud to have been able to provide the tool towards better hearing and a lifetime of many more memories.