Mobile Phones & Digital Hearing Aids
Mobile phones can cause digital hearing aid users difficulty. Distortion of sound and feedback can mean that it is not possible to use the two together, and so mobile phones become useless.
What occurs is mobile phones pick up interference from radio frequencies resulting in fuzzy sound emitted from the phone, which is then picked up by the hearing aid.
Certain digital hearing aids can also receive magnetic interference from the keypad and display of the mobile phone.
The simple proximity of both can result in interference if the right hearing aid is not paired with a compatible mobile phone.
This doesn’t have to be the case, and hearing aids and mobile phones can work hand in hand with each other, working in harmony with no feedback, distortion or interference.
Finding the right mobile phone to work alongside a hearing aid is just a matter of research. Legislation implemented in 2003 by the FCC meant that all mobile phones must be made to be compatible with digital hearing aids.
Mobile phones now come with ratings to indicate their compatibility with certain hearing aid technologies, and you should look for M3 and M4 rated phones for use with hearing aid microphones, and for hearing aids with telecoils you should look for phones with a T3 or T4 rating.
Regarding model type, flip phones are the best design to use in conjunction with digital hearing aids as they allow better positioning than typical flat phones.
Neck loops can be purchased for used with digital hearing aids that use telecoils, which can help reduce interference.
If, on the other hand, it is the hearing aid you are looking to purchase to function with your mobile phone, you can look for hearing aids that feature built-in radio frequency immunity. It is also worthwhile contacting the manufacturer to enquire about any testing undertaken on a hearing aids compatibility with mobile phones.
With some research at the buying stage, it is entirely possible to pair up both a hearing aid and mobile phone that will work well together, and cause no distortion or feedback.