OTC hearing aids

[paultijo]

Howdy! The new OTC hearing aids support bluetooth media & phone streaming ONLY for iPhone. Manufacturers also advise Android phone owners NOT to upgrade to Android 13. And even if Android does add this functionality in a future update, it appears the Android 13 update (which I am delaying daily but will apparently be forced on me soon as it's mandatory) is the last that Samsung will do on my relatively new S20 5g fe... Time to give up, get an iPhone? Is there a space where us hearing aid users with Android devices can share prroblems, problems, info like this?

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[B. Diddy]

Re: I come here for OTC hearing aid info...

Welcome to Android Central! I moved your post from the Introductions forum to General Help, since you're asking a specific question. I don't think we have an Accessibility section in this forum, so General Help is probably the best place to post.

 

[Morty2264]

Welcome to Android Central! Hope you enjoy yourself around the forums. It's a shame that is happening. Hope Android changes it soon!

 

[Laura Knotek]

Welcome to Android Central. Unfortunately OTC hearing aids will have many limitations compared to prescription hearing aids. Bluetooth connectivity is available on some models. See this article from the New York Times. The 4 Best Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids of 2023 | Reviews by Wirecutter https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-over-the-counter-hearing-aids/amp/

The best option for hearing aids will always be prescription hearing aids from an audiologist. They will be prescribed for you based on your audiogram plus your unique needs. I wear prescription hearing aids, and they are definitely compatible with Android devices. That's something that I was asked before choosing a brand and model: Did I have an Android or iOS device? I was asked about many other areas of my lifestyle in order for my prescription hearing aids to be a good match for me, such as how active I am and if I spend a lot of time outdoors or around dogs. I'm even able to hear conversations with other people when I'm at a noisy dog shelter with many barking dogs.

At the very least I recommend that you get an audiogram from a hearing care professional and if you want OTC hearing aids to choose ones that can be programmed based on that audiogram rather than just changing volume and bass/treble.

Good luck with your hearing.

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