How to Use Your Smartphone to Cope With Hearing Loss (2025): Tips for iPhone, Android

Additional features alteration by telephone manufacturer. Look for proceeding assistance compatibility (HAC) to spot what your telephone supports. For example, present is nan Google Pixel proceeding assistance compatibility page. Some proceeding immunodeficiency tin now watercourse euphony and podcasts straight to proceeding immunodeficiency from Android phones, but it’s wise to cheque compatibility earlier you buy.

When utilizing proceeding immunodeficiency pinch Pixel phones, you should besides unfastened nan Phone app, pat nan 3 vertical dots for Menu astatine nan apical right, and pat Settings > Accessibility to toggle Hearing Aids on.

If you don't yet person a proceeding assistance but deliberation you mightiness request one, publication our guideline connected how to bargain a proceeding aid and our Best Hearing Aids guide. We besides person a guideline connected how to watercourse audio to proceeding immunodeficiency and cochlear implants.

How to Use Real-Time Text With Your Phone

Some folks whitethorn for illustration to type responses connected a call, and you tin do this pinch nan real-time matter (RTT) feature. Sadly, readiness depends connected your region and carrier. If there's nary RTT option, you will apt person Teletype (TTY) support instead. (RTT is much precocious and tin transmit audio arsenic you type.)

On Android phones, unfastened nan Phone app, pat nan 3 vertical dots for Menu astatine nan apical right, and pat Settings > Accessibility to move connected RTT aliases TTY. If you take Always Visible, you tin pat nan RTT icon (a superior T) aft dialing personification to commencement an RTT call, and you tin pat to motorboat it during a call. To reappraisal transcripts of calls connected Android, unfastened your Phone app and pat Recents, take nan telephone you want, and past Call Details > See Transcript.

For iPhone, you tin move connected RTT aliases TTY successful Settings > Accessibility > RTT/TTY, and you tin prime Software RTT/TTY aliases Hardware TTY. You tin besides take RTT/TTY Call erstwhile calling personification and pat nan RTT/TTY icon (looks for illustration a landline phone) to reply a telephone aliases move to matter during a call. To reappraisal transcripts of calls connected iPhone, unfastened your Phone app and pat Recents, past nan i adjacent to nan call. You will spot nan RTT/TTY icon adjacent to calls pinch transcripts successful your telephone history.

Why Some Android Accessibility Features Are Baked Into Pixels

You whitethorn beryllium wondering why immoderate proceeding accessibility features are baked into Google’s Pixel phones but offered arsenic abstracted apps for different Android devices. Angana Ghosh, head of merchandise guidance for input and accessibility astatine Google, says this allows nan accessibility squad to effort caller things connected Pixel, wherever Google designs nan hardware, particularly since immoderate phones whitethorn not beryllium tin of nan aforesaid level of on-device processing.

Keeping definite features arsenic stand-alone apps besides allows for regular updates truthful different Android phones tin use from nan latest developments without requiring firmware updates, which are often little predominant connected non-Pixel phones.

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