Hearing loops

Summary

RNID explains the preparation and controls needed to listen to a venue loop through a hearing device, loop listener or streaming accessory.

Key findings

• A listener needs a telecoil receiver; an audiologist needs to set up the telecoil programme in a hearing device. RNID advises asking the audiologist when the programme is absent or the listener is unsure.
• The programme may be called the loop programme or T setting. Selecting it may require more than one press of the hearing device's button; some devices also offer selection through an app or dedicated remote control.
• A battery-powered loop listener with headphones provides access for people without a hearing device with a telecoil programme. A compatible streaming accessory can also receive the loop and send its audio to hearing devices.
• The signal level depends on telecoil orientation; rotating the telecoil can make the sound louder or quieter.

Limits

Consumer instructions, with no usability sample or measured completion rates. The date is the displayed last update. Advice about NHS device availability is specific to the UK.

Read the original

rnid.org.uk/information-and-support/technology-and-products/assistive-listening/hearing-loops

Link checked 13 October 2026. We link to the original and do not host copies.

Cited in

• What does a listener have to do to use each system, and where do people get stuck?Partly answered

Cite this source

The accessed date is when this library last checked the link; use the date you read it. To point readers to this summary instead, link to https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/evidence/rnid-hearing-loops-listeners/

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