Modern Apps and AI Tools Empowering Hearing Access in 2025

Smartphone & Beyond: Modern Apps and AI Tools Empowering Hearing Access in 2025

Your smartphone is more than a way to call, text, or browse. It can also be a powerful tool for enhancing hearing access. Thanks to built-in features, AI-powered apps, and seamless compatibility with modern hearing aids, smartphones can help people with hearing loss connect, communicate, and live more confidently.¹

In this blog, we’ll uncover some of the most useful AI tools and modern apps in smartphone technology that are transforming the way people experience the world. Whether you’re catching up with friends or simply enjoying time at home, these tools can greatly improve your hearing experience.

Real-Time Captions: Conversations At Your Fingertips

For those experiencing hearing loss, following speech in noisy cafes or public settings can feel overwhelming.² One of the most transformative features in smartphones that can help assist with this is real-time captioning. 

Thanks to captioning tools powered by AI speech recognition, you can now see spoken words displayed as text on your screen. This means you can read along as someone speaks, whether you’re on a video call, watching a lecture, or chatting in a cafe. This feature can be extremely beneficial in everyday life, taking the pressure off and allowing you to stay fully involved in conversations. 

Here’s how to set it up:

• On iPhone (Live Captions): 

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap Accessibility > Live Captions (Beta).
3. Switch Live Captions on. Captions will then appear automatically during FaceTime calls, videos, or even in-person conversations when you activate them. 

• On Android (Live Transcribe & Caption):

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Select Accessibility. 
3. Choose Live Caption (for videos and calls) or Live Transcribe (for in-person conversations), then toggle it on. Once enabled, your phone will instantly convert speech into text on the screen. 

With just a quick setup, you’ll always have captions at your fingertips, helping you follow conversations more easily wherever you are.

Sound Recognition: Alerts You Won't Miss

Some important sounds are easy to miss with hearing loss, like a smoke alarm, a knock at the door, or a baby crying. Sound recognition features on smartphones are designed to pick these up for you and send an alert straight to your screen. Here’s how to set it up:

• On iPhone (Sound Recognition): 

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap Accessibility > Sound Recognition.
3. Switch Sound Recognition on, then choose the specific sounds you’d like your iPhone to detect (e.g. doorbell, alarm, dog barking). When your phone recognises the sound, it will send you a notification and can also vibrate if you have that setting enabled. 

• On Android (Sound Notifications):

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Select Accessibility > Sound Notifications. 
3. Turn the feature on, then select the sounds you want your phone to recognise. You’ll then get alerts through vibrations, push notifications, or even on connected wearables like a smartwatch. 

Hearing Aid Compatibility

Modern hearing aids are designed to work seamlessly with smartphones. Through Apple’s Made for iPhone (MFi) program and Android’s ASHA standard, many hearing aids can now connect directly to your phone.⁴ This means:

• 
  You can stream phone calls, music, and videos directly to your hearing aids.
• You can use your phone as a remote control to adjust settings, such as volume or switching between programs like “restaurant mode” and “outdoors” on your hearing aids.
• Some apps even let your audiologist make small adjustments remotely, saving you a visit to the clinic. 
  

The result is clearer sound, less background noise, and more control over how your hearing aids support you in different situations across your everyday life.  

Smartphones aren’t just designed to take calls and send text messages. With modern features and AI-powered tools, they can also support your hearing in countless ways. From captioning conversations to alerting you to sounds at homes, these tools can give you more independence, confidence, and peace of mind. 

Making the most of the smart technology you already own can greatly support your hearing health. Book an appointment at your local Connect Hearing clinic where our expert team can pair and customise your hearing aids to work seamlessly with your smartphone. Together, we can help you unlock clearer conversations, greater safety, and a more connected life. 

References

1. Seminars In hearing (16 December 2020), Smartphones and Hearing Loss: There’s an App for That!, National Library of Medicine, accessed 2 September 2025. 
2. Ear & Hearing (19 September 2017), Commentary: Listening Can Be Exhausting - Fatigue in Children and Adults With Hearing Loss, National Library of Medicine, accessed 2 September 2025. 
3. The Egyptian Journal of Otolaryngology (16 April 2025), A comprehensive review on real-world challenges faced by hearing aid users and innovative solutions for background noise - from lab to life, Springer Open, accessed 2 September 2025. 
4. Apple MFi Program (n.d.), Creative Innovative Accessories, mfi.apple.com, accessed 2 September 2025.