According to a press release from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), 48 million people in the United States suffer from some degree of hearing loss.
On their behalf, the FCC is now mandating that all new smartphones work with hearing aids. The rule will take effect after a “grace period,” which was not specified in the announcement (PDF).
It’s a big deal for those users. While both iPhones and most Android devices have some degree of compatibility with wireless hearing aids, that compatibility is not standardized and some devices fall well below the ideal M4 and T4 ratings. It can also be difficult to determine in advance whether a phone you want to buy is compatible – and if so, to what extent – and that’s something the FCC wants to address with stricter labeling requirements at both brick-and-mortar stores and on websites.
Hearing aids have become a lot more accessible in the United States after the Food and Drug Administration allowed them to be sold without a prescription (or ‘over the counter’) in 2022. That makes them easier to buy and much cheaper, as more companies rush to compete in this new market. You can now walk into a store like Best Buy and buy wireless hearing aids from brands like Sony, Jabra and Sennheiser.
Other guidelines in the FCC decision include distortion-free benchmarks for volume control and a requirement for universal Bluetooth pairing standards used by both standard and OTC hearing aids.
As someone whose hearing isn’t great and will likely need some form of help in the future, I appreciate this.
