Smartphone Apps Are Changing the Way You Hear the World

Today, it seems like technology touches every aspect of our lives. From grocery shopping to physical fitness to even starting our cars, we use smartphones to make our daily tasks easier and improve the quality of our lives.

So it seems inevitable that technology available on smartphones would also offer apps and information to those with hearing loss. Smartphones are revolutionizing the hearing industry, offering patients and providers new opportunities to monitor, adjust, and evaluate the performance of hearing devices and helping to get screening tools out to more people. Here, we discuss three key developments in hearing technology available through a smartphone.

Screening Apps Can Help Identify Hearing Loss Patients Earlier

Not every person with hearing loss experiences the same obvious symptoms. There are many different types of hearing loss, and some may be more difficult to identify for a variety of reasons.

Often, a person who suspects he may be suffering from some degree of hearing loss may be reluctant to visit a doctor. This could be problematic, as hearing problems may worsen without proper treatment. Today, nearly everyone can download a hearing screening app on his or her smartphone and take an initial hearing test.

There are plenty of these apps that help identify those who may be experiencing hearing loss and motivate them to consult a qualified medical professional. Each app is slightly different. Some feature a brief survey of questions followed by sound identification. Others play varying levels of background noise while a sound is played or a word is spoken. Still others check hearing by playing sounds at different frequencies and place the user in a range to identify those who may be at risk. While they are not a substitute for a qualified medical opinion, these applications can help expedite treatment and help individuals take control of their hearing loss.

Personal Sound Amplification Can Help Those Who Already Have Been Diagnosed

For those who already know they suffer from hearing loss, new smartphone apps can help them hear better by amplifying the sound around them, either through earbuds or the phone speaker itself. Most of these apps allow the user to adjust the settings right on their screen to meet their needs in a variety of situations. These amplifiers are especially helpful in meetings and restaurants and other places where background noise may interfere with one’s ability to hear. Some of these programs even allow users to play back a brief previous section of conversation to help adjust settings or to replay what was missed the first time around.

When Amplification Isn’t Enough, Hearing Aid Remote Apps Can Help

Gone are the days of the bulky hearing aid remotes. Today, individuals with hearing loss can control and adjust the settings of their hearing aids with their smartphones. A number of companies offer hearings aids and compatible apps that allow users to adjust the settings of their devices right from their phones. Many of the apps are also multi-functional; users can use them as microphone for others when in noisy areas, to track the location of a lost hearing aid, and to record the adjustment patters for their audiologist to review later.

More Information

If you are concerned you might be experiencing hearing loss or you want to learn more about your hearing aid options, call Hear Again Hearing Aids in Corpus Christi at (361) 854-2500. We offer screenings, hearing aid fittings, and advice.