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A Primer on Hearing Aid / Cell Phone Compatibility

Hearing aids have not previously always

worked effectively with cellular phones,

because of electronic interference between the

2 devices that triggered static, whistling or

squealing noises, or lost words. New

government regulations, together with

considerable advances in both cell phone and

hearing aid technology, have made this

incompatibility rare. The labeling requirements

mandated by the new government regulations make it easy to find a mobile

phone that is compatible with your hearing aid.

Understanding the rating system requires a bit of knowledge about the

modes that hearing aids can operate in. There is an M mode (which stands

for microphone) and a T mode (which stands for telecoil). In M mode, the

hearing aid uses the internal microphone to detect sounds and amplify them.

In T mode, the hearing aid uses telecoil technology instead. The hearing aid

is able to pick up the electromagnetic signals from inside the phone directly.

Currently, approximately 60% of hearing aids sold in the US have a telecoil

or T mode.

The rating system for these two modes of hearing aid operation uses a scale

that ranges from the lowest sensitivity (1) to the highest sensitivity (4). To

be sold in the United States as hearing aid compatible (HAC), a mobile

phone or cordless handset must have a rating of at least M3 or T3.

In addition, many hearing aids (and cochlear implants) have a similar M and

T rating to measure their sensitivity and their resistance to radio frequency

interference. When shopping for a phone, to determine its compatibility with

your hearing aid, simply add its M and T ratings together with those of the

phone to create a combined rating. If you get a combined total of 6 or more,

that is thought of as excellent, a combination of hearing aid and phone that

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will be highly usable. A sum of 5 is considered normal and should work fine

for typical mobile phone users. A sum of 4 is considered acceptable, but if

you are a heavy cell phone user, you may be disappointed or frustrated with

this choice.

Since being introduced, the new rating system has made it much easier to

shop for a cell phone online and determine its compatibility with your

hearing aid in advance. A better approach, of course, would be to go to a

store that allows you to “try before you buy,” and actually use the phone

you want while wearing your hearing aid, in both M and T modes.