If you’re quite hard of hearing, people expect you to have your hearing aids in when you answer your phone. However, as you may know by now, if the phone is not hearing aid compatible, you’re often met with static and buzz. This is not only unpleasant, it can sometimes be painful.
The solution, of course, is to invest in a phone that is hearing aid compatible. And lucky for you, we’ve been checking out some of the best hearing aid compatible phones around. After much deliberation we were able to handpick our top few favorites to review for you here today. That’s coming up very shortly. We’ve tried to include a mix of landline phones and cell phones.
But we get that choosing one can be tricky, which is why we’ve also put together a handy buying guide that will walk you through the key points to consider before you buy.
Then we’re going to top that off with another handy section where we tackle some of your most frequently asked questions on the subject.
And without further ado…
OUR TOP PICK
EDITORS CHOICE
BEST VALUE
OUR TOP PICK
Now, this is a great phone from a great brand. Sonic Alert is an American company, well known the world over for being a leader in the field of electronics for the hard of hearing, having been in the business for over 40 years.
Their Amplidect350 has been specially designed to work with hearing aids. All you have to do is set your hearing aid to “T” and you’re good to go, immediately connected.
And if you haven’t put your hearing aid in when you answer the phone, that may not necessarily be a problem, because you can adjust the receiving volume by up to a whopping 40 decibels.
And that’s not all, you can also adjust the receiving volume by +/- 10 decibels and the tone, including treble, standard or bass.
It has large, clearly labelled buttons, and an extra large high resolution back-lit display with Caller ID. It also has a powerful speakerphone so you can take calls completely hands free.
You can store up to 50 phone numbers in the on-board digital phonebook, as well as 4 speed dial numbers. And there’s a handy redial function for the last 10 outgoing calls. The menu is intuitive and easy to navigate.
It also has a really good signal range, indoors you can take this cordless phone up to 30 meters from it’s base, and this extends to 80 meters outdoors.
It’s powered by 3 AAA batteries which you can pick up just about anywhere.
We were also pleased to learn that it comes backed by a 1-year warranty.
Pros:
- Comes from a leading brand
- Adjustable receiving volume
- Adjustable receiving tone
- Has a great signal range
- Powerful speakerphone
- Backed by a 1-year warranty
Cons:
- No answer phone capabilities
- You risk pressing the side buttons everytime you pick up the handset
EDITORS CHOICE
Now, this phone has proved to be a big hit. It’s a bestseller with the leading online retailers and has earned excellent customer ratings and reviews.
It works perfectly with any hearing aid that’s equipped with a T-coil, and all you have to do is set it to “T” and you’re good to go. And, we’re pleased to report, this phone complies with FCC standards for Hearing Aid Compatibility.
And if you don’t happen to have your hearing aids in when a call comes through, that may not necessarily be a problem, because you can adjust the volume of the voice on the other end by up to 30 decibels. And you can boost their tone too, to make it clearer to understand.
And as for being able to hear the phone when it rings, you can set it as high as a whopping 85 decibels. But if that’s too loud when you’ve got your hearing aids in, you can simply switch it over to a bright visual flasher instead.
And although it’s a corded phone, you can simply press the speakerphone key and go entirely hands free, untethered to the phone.
The phone has very large, very easy to read buttons. And in addition to the 32 numbers that you can store in its memory, there are also speed dial buttons, where you can simply stick the photo of each person you might want to speed dial. You don’t have to remember any numbers, or remember whose number is who’s.
Pros:
- A bestseller with excellent customer ratings
- Meets FCC standards for hearing aid compatibility
- You can boost the volume by up to 30 decibels
- Features a volume adjustable and visual ringer
- You can use it hands free with the speakerphone
- Has a photograph based speed dial system
Cons:
- It’s not cordless
- It amplifies sound by 15 decibels by default, which may prove too loud when you have hearing aids in
BEST VALUE
Do you remember the cell phones we all had in the 1990’s? Really straightforward, mostly just with buttons for numbers, buttons to answer and hang up, and an easy to navigate system to find someone’s number in a hurry.
Well this cell phone is just like that, but with the added bonus of being hearing aid compatible.
And even if you don’t have your hearing aid in, you may still be able to hear it because of the very clear sound and loud ringtones.
It comes with its own charging dock, and you can take calls up to 6 hours long on a full charge, and it will last up to a whopping 10 days on standby.
But the great thing about cell phones is that you can take them with you anywhere, always be connected, and never truly be alone. And because it’s a cell phone you can also send and receive text messages.
The symbols on the buttons are very easy to see, and the display is even clearer with very bold and prominent text.
But perhaps the best thing about this phone is how you can set up to 5 numbers to call in an emergency. All you have to do is press the SOS speed dial button on the back of your phone, and someone will answer and come to your aid.
We also love the fact that it has a speaker phone function, leaving your hands free to carry on with chores, and you can get the radio on it too.
Pros:
- It’s a cell phone rather than landline phone
- It’s very intuitive, easy to read & easy to use
- Has an extra long runtime on a full charge
- Buttons and display are incredibly easy to see
- SOS emergency speed dial button on the back
Cons:
- Unfortunately we’ve had bad reports about both the user manual and the tech support
RUNNER UP
Now, this great little phone comes from one of our favorite brands in the industry. It was founded as far back as 1969, and has since gone on to become a world leader in assistive listening devices and amplified phones.
Not only is this device hearing aid compatible, but it’s also TIA-1083 compliant, which means that hearing aid users will have significantly reduced interference when using the phone, making their conversations higher quality with less static or buzz. Exactly what you’re looking for in a hearing aid compatible phone.
And for those of you who don’t really make a habit of keeping your hearing aids in, you will still be able to hear the ringer when it goes off because it’s a whopping 95 decibels. And you can even change the pitch of the ringer so you can hear it more clearly.
And if you end up going ahead and answering the phone without your hearing aids in, you can adjust the volume of the person on the other end by up to a whopping 50 decibels. Incidentally, you can also increase the volume of your voice, too, so no-one needs to shout down the phone.
There are plenty of other great features besides. These include large, high contrast buttons, a very easy to read Caller ID screen with a large, bold font, and talking caller ID to boot. This means you can learn who’s ringing before you even make it to the phone.
We also love it’s speakerphone function that will let you carry on with your business hands free as you take a call.
It’s powered by 2 AAA batteries which you can pick up just about anywhere. And you get 2 when the box arrives, so you’re good to go straight away.
Pros:
- Comes from a brand we love
- Phone is TIA-1083 compliant
- You can increase ringer volume
- You can increase voice volume
- Has speakerphone functionality
- High contrast screen & buttons
Cons:
- Doesn’t feature an answering machine
RUNNER UP
If you remember the 1990’s with fondness, you might like this hearing aid compatible cell phone. Rather than being a fancy cell phone with too many fancy apps to get your head around, it’s a much more simple and straightforward phone.
It features large buttons, and two large screens. And it folds up and fits in your pocket when you want to take it out and about with you. And because the buttons are covered when it’s folded, you never end up “pocket dialling” anybody accidentally.
The phone’s menus are a breeze to navigate. You can also use it for text messages and emails. And it even has a camera.
And even if you don’t have your hearing aid in, you may still be able to hear it because of the very clear sound and loud ringtones.
You can save all the numbers of your family and friends on the internal memory, and when they call, their name will be displayed, so you know just who’s ringing.
It comes with its own charging dock, and you can take calls up to 6 hours long on a full charge, and it will last up to a whopping 10 days on standby. And there’s a warning when the battery starts to get low.
But perhaps the best thing about this phone is how you can set up to 5 numbers to call in an emergency. All you have to do is press the SOS speed dial button on the back of your phone, and someone will answer and come to your aid.
We also love the fact that it has a speaker phone function, leaving your hands free to carry on with chores, and you can get the radio on it too.
There aren’t many customer reviews around on the net for this phone just yet, but what feedback there has been has been very positive.
Pros:
- It’s a cell phone rather than landline phone
- It folds up to prevent any pocket dialling
- It’s very intuitive, easy to read & easy to use
- Has an extra long runtime on a full charge
- Buttons and display are incredibly easy to see
- SOS emergency speed dial button on the back
Cons:
- There aren’t many customer reviews around on the net for this phone just yet
Best Hearing Aid Compatible Phones Buying Guide
As promised, here’s your buying guide. Let’s walk you through some of the key points to consider before you buy.
Corded Vs Cordless
You may well have assumed that corded phones receive a better signal than cordless ones. However, we would argue that cordless phones have just as good a signal as corded ones. This is why we’re tried to include several cordless and cell phones in our shortlist.
Adjustable Volume
When you have your hearing aids in, everything is so much louder, including phone calls. If it’s too loud you may wish to lower the volume.
Similarly, if the phone rings when you don’t happen to have your hearing aids in, you’ll want to increase the volume loud enough to clearly.
Cell Phone Vs Landline Phone
What’s the cell phone network coverage like where you live? If it’s pretty good, then maybe you could do away with having a landline phone, and simply get a hearing aid compatible cell phone. There are plenty around, and most of them are relatively inexpensive.
Loud and Clear Ringer
For those of you who don’t keep your hearing aid in at all times, you may wish to invest in a phone that you can hear even when you haven’t got them in. You’ll be pleased to hear that you can get phones with a volume of up to a whopping 95 decibels.
You can also get phones that feature a visible flashing light as a ringer, that you can easily detect whether you have your hearing aids in or not.
Other Features
If you are sourcing a phone for an elderly person, they may have other problems besides being hard of hearing. Their sight may not be what it used to be. In which case, they’d benefit from a phone with large, easy to read buttons, and similarly, a large easy to read display.
Value for Money
The good news is that hearing aid compatible phones are relatively inexpensive. Though it's true to say that they can really vary in price. This is why we advise you to check prices as you go along. You should never have to pay more than $120 for a good quality hearing aid compatible phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best hearing aid compatible landline phone?
This is a hard one to answer because all the phones that made our shortlist are great. But, if we had to narrow it down we would go with our number one pick, the Sonic Alert Cordless Phone, the Amplidect350. Here’s a quick recap of what we like about it:
- Comes from a leading brand
- Adjustable receiving volume
- Adjustable receiving tone
- Has a great signal range
- Powerful speakerphone
- Backed by a 1-year warranty
What is the best hearing aid compatible cell phone?
Two cell phones made it onto our shortlist for hearing aid compatible phones. But our favorite one would have to be our number 5 pick, the UNIWA 4G Unlocked Hearing Aid Compatible Flip Phone for Seniors. Here’s a quick recap of what we like about it:
- It’s a cell phone rather than landline phone
- It folds up to prevent any pocket dialling
- It’s very intuitive, easy to read & easy to use
- Has an extra long runtime on a full charge
- Buttons and display are incredibly easy to see
- SOS emergency speed dial button on the back
How do you answer a smartphone with a hearing aid?
You can connect your hearing aid to your smartphone via Bluetooth, but you must also ensure that you download a hearing aid app. Please refer to your chosen app to see how to set it up. Just remember to have your Bluetooth enabled so that your phone can detect the hearing aid.