The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has ruled that all smartphones will soon need to work with all Bluetooth hearing aids, and vice versa, so that people with hearing loss don’t have to worry about compatibility issues.
Following an as-of-yet-undefined transitional period, all new mobile handsets sold in the United States will need to comply with the requirement. “With this change, the 48 million Americans with hearing loss will be able to choose among the same mobile phone models that are available to all consumers,” the FCC wrote.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently granted marketing authorization for the first over-the-counter hearing aid software for AirPods Pro 2. The newly authorized software, known as the Hearing Aid Feature, will make the earbuds function as a hearing aid for anyone with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment. The upcoming iOS 18.1 software will update the AirPods Pro 2 firmware to enable hearing aid mode.
As a result of the new FCC rule, iPhones will be required to support all hearing ads, whether clinical-grade or over-the-counter. All iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro models currently only support MFi-rated hearing aids and sound processors, listed on Apple’s support page. The agency also wants to ensure “universal connectivity between mobile handsets and hearing aids,” including over-the-counter ones, by “encouraging handset manufacturers to move away from proprietary Bluetooth coupling standards” in assistive accessories.
Apple uses a proprietary pairing mechanism for AirPods but also supports standard Bluetooth pairing to make AirPods work with non-Apple devices like Android phones, Windows computers, etc. Under the new rules, both Apple and Android manufacturers will need to tweak their technologies so that AirPods can function as a hearing aid on Android devices.
There are other stipulations. For example, smartphones will be required to let you raise volume levels without introducing distortion to ensure clear audio for folks who don’t use hearing aids and those who rely on hearing aids or cochlear implants. Additionally, manufacturers must list details on hearing aid compatibility, including whether handsets meet Bluetooth or telecoil pairing requirements, at the point of sale and on websites to help buyers make informed purchasing decisions. This includes how high a phone’s volume can go while meeting volume control requirements (also known as conversational gain).
The FCC has collaborated with members of the Hearing Aid Compatibility Task Force, which includes carriers, handset makers, research institutions, and hearing loss advocates, to ensure 100% of all mobile phones will be hearing aid compatible.
Source: FCC
