Assistive Listening Knowledge Base

QuestionOpen

Which hearing devices can receive which systems?

  • Affects listeners, venues, installers, hearing professionals
  • 56 sources
  • Updated
  • First published

Technologies: Auracast, Hearing loops, Infrared, RF/FM, Wi-Fi streaming, Shared

In brief

A loop reaches hearing devices through their telecoil, and Auracast reaches devices with Auracast built in; FM and infrared always need a receiver, and Wi-Fi systems a phone app or a receiver. Whether a device works depends on its telecoil being present and set up, on the Auracast transmitter, receiver and firmware, and for Wi-Fi on the phone.

Evidence at a glance

Selected findings with different methods and scopes; read each row’s limits.

  • MarkeTrak 2022

    33% reported a telecoil.

    Which features does your current hearing aid have?

    Base: 815 recent hearing aid owners.

    United States

    Online household survey with census-based quotas and household/individual weighting; Carr and Kihm methods companion archived with the record.

    Survey year: 2021 (fieldwork November-December 2021; survey edition and publication 2022).

    Picou 2022 · Trade body36

    Method and limits

    Overall sample: 15,138 households; 3,218 detailed respondents including 1,139 hearing aid owners; 815 recent owners in Picou; fitting-channel and feature bases differ.

    Scope: shared receiver path.

    Trade body (MarkeTrak is supported by the Hearing Industries Association, the US hearing aid industry's association; the issue editorial identifies guest editor Thomas Powers with Powers Consulting, not HIA; the author, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, declares no conflicts of interest)

    Self-reported feature knowledge. Does not measure installed device capability or preference among venue systems.

    Source location: Table 1

    Read the table row: MarkeTrak 2022
  • MarkeTrak 2025

    Telecoil: yes 24%; no 47%; unsure 29%.

    Which features does your current hearing aid have?

    Base: 887 owners who obtained aids within five years.

    United States

    Az Marketing Research online household survey balanced and weighted to US census characteristics.

    Survey year: 2024 (fieldwork October-November 2024; edition and article 2025).

    Sobek Dobyan and Powers 2025 · Trade body43

    Method and limits

    Overall sample: 16,148 households; 2,955 detailed respondents; 1,173 hearing aid owners; 887 recent owners.

    Scope: shared receiver path.

    Trade body (MarkeTrak is commissioned by the Hearing Industries Association, the US hearing aid industry's association; the first author is HIA's executive director and the second runs a consultancy serving the hearing health industry)

    Industry survey summary. Self-reported features; no venue-system preference question.

    Source location: Table 1 image, telecoil row

    Read the table row: MarkeTrak 2025
  • EuroTrak UK 2025

    Yes 11%; no 26%; do not know 63%.

    Are your hearing aids equipped with a telecoil?

    Base: 718 hearing aid owners.

    United Kingdom

    Large panels with age/gender quotas and a soft regional quota; detailed samples weighted to the screening interviews. Anovum fieldwork for EHIMA and BIHIMA.

    Survey year: 2025 (survey edition year; exact fieldwork dates not supplied).

    Anovum 2025 · Trade body44

    Method and limits

    Overall sample: 15,118 screening participants; 718 hearing aid owners; 567 non-owners with hearing loss.

    Scope: shared receiver path.

    Trade body (commissioned by EHIMA and BIHIMA, the European and British-Irish hearing instrument manufacturers' associations; designed, fielded and analysed by the research firm Anovum with a panel company, and EHIMA approved the questionnaire)

    Self-reported knowledge and use; panel sample. Weighted percentages need not match raw subgroup counts.

    Source location: p. 51, upper-left chart; pp. 8-9, organisation and methods

    Read the table row: EuroTrak UK 2025

Why it matters

A venue system serves only the listeners whose devices can receive it, directly or through a receiver. The five technologies reach hearing aids, cochlear implants, phones and headphones by different routes1, so the choice decides who can listen with their own device, who must borrow one, and which receivers and neckloops the venue needs.

What the evidence shows

The routes, system by system

HLAA's coupling chart sets out which ways of listening work with each venue system1:

Venue systemListener's own hearing deviceReceiver with a neckloop, a streamer, or headphones or earbudsPhone
AuracastBuilt-in AuracastAll threeYes
Hearing loopBuilt-in telecoilStreamer, or headphones or earbudsNo
InfraredNoAll threeNo
FMNoAll threeNo
Audio over Wi-FiNoAll threeYes (app or Wi-Fi)
  • A telecoil is the link for loops and neckloops. The chart notes that hearing aids and cochlear implants need a telecoil to receive a hearing loop or a neckloop connected to a receiver, and that Wi-Fi systems and streamers add latency that may be challenging in some situations1.
  • FM and infrared always need a receiver. A guide by Cynthia Compton-Conley of Gallaudet University, reprinted by HLAA, explains that telecoil users need no borrowed receiver in a looped room, while FM and infrared require every listener, with or without hearing aids, to borrow one2.

Auracast

  • Results depend on the pair. In Pro Audito's independent hall test of 53 rated pairs, with products lent free by manufacturers, a transmitter rated flawless with one receiver rated worst with another, and the reasons were unclear3.
  • Some equipment is tied to one brand. At the firmware tested, two professional receivers only received their own brand's transmitters3. In a bench test by the maker of the broadcaster used, Nordic's development-kit sample software worked with none of the consumer receivers out of the box, while the author's company's broadcaster connected to them4.
  • Firmware changes the answer. A compatibility problem with one earbud model was fixed by a firmware update, and one transmitter's latency rose by about 30 ms after an update3.
  • First-generation implementations differ widely. A McMaster/SoundsGood Labs synopsis reports wide variation in latency across transmitter, hearing-aid and earbud combinations, and in output level across transmitter and earbud combinations; it gives neither a device count nor a funding statement5.
  • Standard Quality is the common ground. Every broadcast receiver must decode 16 kHz and 24 kHz LC3 streams, while 48 kHz support is optional6; the Public Broadcast Profile calls these Standard Quality and High Quality, and a transmitter's announcement says which it carries7. Public transmitters must offer a Standard Quality stream and default to it8, and HLAA asks venues to confirm that one is configured9.
  • 48 kHz streams may not reach hearing devices. The Center for Hearing Access states that 16 and 24 kHz streams work with hearing aids and cochlear implants and 48 kHz streams do not10, and two transmitter makers mark their 48 kHz setting as not, or typically not, supported by hearing aids11,12. If a broadcast has no Standard Quality stream, the listener may need to ask for one to be turned on13.
  • Mono down-mixing is optional. Receivers are not required to down-mix stereo to mono, so the SIG advises sending a separate mono stream where listeners may need mono14.
  • Ready is not Enabled. Some hearing instruments have Auracast hardware but cannot yet connect ("Auracast Ready"); others can connect now ("Auracast Enabled")15. A Swiss list dated 31 August 2026 shows 20 of 27 hearing aid and implant product lines as Auracast capable and 7 as "ready"16.
  • Phones are part of the chain. HLAA states that a phone or smartwatch is needed to select a stream9. Android support for joining broadcasts covered only select phones in Google's September 2025 list, and both the phone and the listening device must support LE Audio17. When a Galaxy phone shares its own broadcast, a switch labelled "Allow hearing aids to connect" must be on before hearing aid users can listen18.
  • Listeners without Auracast use a receiver. HLAA says hearing devices without Auracast need a receiver with a neckloop or headphones9. RNID's Motability Foundation-funded report describes a March 2026 station test in which one of ten participants had Auracast in their hearing device; two used a loaned Android phone with a dongle receiver and the rest a loaned neckloop receiver with their telecoil. The manufacturer Ampetronic, which installed the transmitters, separately reported in July 2025 that it commissioned RNID trials there; the connection between that statement and the March 2026 test is unclear19.
  • Hearing-device settings matter. In the same test, participants whose hearing devices had a telecoil-plus-microphone setting balanced the stream against surrounding sound more easily19; one hearing-aid maker lets wearers adjust that balance in its app20.

Hearing loops

  • A loop reaches telecoils, or a loop receiver. Without a telecoil, a listener needs a receiver with a streamer, headphones or earbuds1, and the Access Board's courthouse committee lists receivers for people without telecoils among the drawbacks of loops21. The 2010 ADA Standards drop the requirement for hearing-aid-compatible receivers where a loop serves every seat22; one maker's guide to the law notes that receivers are still required there23.
  • The telecoil must be switched on and set up. Consumer Reports says telecoils that switch on automatically work only with telephones, not with hearing loops24. An audiologist reports that default telecoil settings vary widely between makers, that in one hearing aid the audiologist measured, the telecoil was 16.4 dB softer than the microphone until it was reprogrammed, and that a vertical telecoil suits room loops25. In an NIH-funded university study of 52 behind-the-ear aids from one maker, with equipment provided by Frye Electronics, the default telecoil was about 15 dB quieter than the fitted microphone at 200 Hz and 6 dB at 400 Hz (coupler measurements). This telephone-listening study concerns the shared telecoil path; it did not test venue loops26. In a study by the hearing aid maker GN with 18 listeners with hearing loss and 18 with normal hearing, the telecoil path of a hearing aid rolled off from about 300 Hz compared with the same aid's Auracast path27.
  • Users are often not shown the telecoil. In a survey of 243 loop users, mostly HLAA members, paid for by grants from loop, assistive listening and hearing-device technology companies, only 35% said their hearing care professional had demonstrated the telecoil when fitting their device28.

Infrared and RF/FM

  • Receivers for everyone. The chart shows no direct route from FM or infrared to a hearing device1; venues usually lend infrared receivers, used with headphones or a neckloop29. Under the 2010 ADA Standards, receivers have a 1/8 inch mono jack, and at least 25% of them (no fewer than two) must work with telecoils through neckloops22.
  • Receivers from other makers. A 1999 report to the US Access Board said that infrared systems from different companies are not always compatible even on the same subcarrier, because they may differ in pre-processing and receiver characteristics, so a signal may be received and understood with less clarity; it said that with one maker's FM receiver and another's transmitter "complete compatibility may be questionable"30. It recommended posting the FM frequencies and infrared subcarriers in use for people who bring their own receivers, and called for a "universal" receiver covering FM, infrared and loops30. Later statements are more positive: the Access Board's 2006 courthouse committee describes infrared receivers as compatible with most infrared systems21, and one maker states that its infrared products work with other makers' systems on the same carrier frequencies31. Neither reports a test.

Wi-Fi streaming

  • A phone, an app and a path to the ear. Listeners hear audio over Wi-Fi through an app on a phone or tablet, then by Bluetooth to hearing aids or implants, through a neckloop and telecoil, or on headphones32,29; a Wi-Fi receiver with a neckloop, a streamer or headphones is the other route1. The Center for Hearing Access notes that each maker has its own app and that hearing devices cannot use a "Mic + Wi-Fi" setting33.
  • Not everyone has a smartphone. IAHA, an industry association, notes that a significant share of the people concerned have none32. In an independent 2025 survey of 5,022 US adults by Pew Research Center, whose primary funder is The Pew Charitable Trusts, 78% of adults aged 65 and older owned a smartphone; it gives no breakdown by hearing loss34.
  • The Bluetooth leg depends on the hearing aid and the phone. Of the Bluetooth hearing aid models on the market in 2021, 61% supported Apple's MFi (a third of them also Google's ASHA) and 19% used Bluetooth Classic only, and MFi works only with iPhones35. In the MarkeTrak 2022 survey, supported by the Hearing Industries Association, 44% of 815 recent hearing aid owners said they could stream directly from a smartphone36.
  • Bluetooth adds delay. Listen Technologies lists possible extra latency with Bluetooth devices among the disadvantages of Wi-Fi systems23. Sennheiser's data sheet says its Wi-Fi system supports hearing aids and cochlear implants and gives the app's latency as "40-60 ms on average", without saying for which listening path37, while its app listing advises wired headphones or induction ear hooks "To avoid audio delay through Bluetooth"38. In pilot work for an AGE-WELL-funded concert study of 28 listeners, with hearing aids and fittings supplied by Sonova Canada, a path from Wi-Fi to a phone to hearing aids had about 350 ms of latency39.
  • Loaned phones. Sennheiser recommends providing the receivers the ADA requires as venue phones with the app installed, plus neckloops or wired headphones40.

Telecoils: how many devices have one

  • Fewer models, and owners often unsure. 59% of the prescription hearing aid models listed in the 2026 Consumer's Guide to Hearing Aids had a manual telecoil, against 79% in 2016, and over-the-counter aids typically lack one24; a German researcher's 2013 count of 860 hearing aids on the German market found almost two-thirds with a telecoil or able to take one41; the FDA declined to require telecoils in over-the-counter aids, citing size, cost and innovation42. In the industry's own surveys, 24% of 887 recent US owners in the Hearing Industries Association-commissioned MarkeTrak 2025, fielded in late 2024, said that their hearing aid has a telecoil and 29% were unsure43, and 63% of 718 UK owners in the EHIMA/BIHIMA-commissioned EuroTrak survey did not know whether theirs has one44. These figures count models or owners' answers, not the devices in use24,44; the question How many listeners carry a telecoil, an Auracast-capable device or a smartphone? sets them out in full.

Neckloops

  • The route for hearing-aid-compatible receivers. Under the 2010 ADA Standards and ICC A117.1, receivers that must be hearing-aid compatible work with telecoils through neckloops22,45.
  • Quality varies. In Pro Audito's independent September 2026 bench test of six neckloops on a dummy head, many lost the high frequencies (2 to 4 kHz) that matter most for speech46. The Center for Hearing Access advises ordering neckloops from the receiver's maker, because a mismatched one can be too weak for the telecoil and distort at higher volume47. IAHA says neckloops should give a signal meeting IEC 60118-4 when measured as IEC 62489-1 specifies32, and that standard includes a test jig for neck loops48.
  • Interference reaches neckloop users too. Telecoils pick up electromagnetic interference, which also affects neckloop users of FM and infrared2.
  • Neckloops go unused or unoffered. In a self-selected survey of 1,519 people, mostly seniors and two-thirds with severe-to-profound loss, run by a committee of hearing-loss advocates, among them the loop advocates Stephen O. Frazier (its chair), Juliëtte Sterkens and David Myers (funding not stated), only 39% always or usually borrow the equipment where a venue offers a neckloop; complaints included neckloops that did not work or were not offered49.

Cochlear implants and bone-conduction processors

  • Telecoil access varies by processor. The Center for Hearing Access lists a built-in telecoil in Advanced Bionics' Naída CI Marvel (once the audiologist enables it) and MED-EL's Sonnet 2 and a telecoil program in Cochlear's Nucleus 8, but accessories or adaptors for Cochlear's Kanso and Baha 6 and MED-EL's Sonnet 3, Rondo 3 and Samba50. A Swiss list shows the two bone-conduction implants it covers with telecoil access only through an accessory16.
  • No cochlear implant processor listed receives Auracast yet. All three cochlear implant processors on that list are marked "ready", not capable, while the two bone-conduction implants it lists are marked Auracast capable16. MED-EL said in April 2025 that its processors cannot receive Auracast directly, so users need a third-party receiver cabled to an AudioLink accessory51, and Cochlear says a firmware update will let the Nucleus 8 connect to LE Audio devices but gives no date52.
  • Children. A 2026 University of São Paulo scoping review, supported by FAPESP and a PIBIC scholarship and covering 17 documents through April 2025, notes that Auracast-enabled hearing aids were not then available in product lines for children53.

Where sources disagree

Advocates and transmitter makers say hearing aids do not, or typically do not, receive 48 kHz Auracast streams10,11,12, and HLAA says a transmitter that broadcasts only High Quality will not work with hearing devices9. One hearing-aid maker states that its 2026 model receives both High and Standard Quality streams20. The specification makes 48 kHz optional for receivers, not excluded6.

Sennheiser's data sheet says its Wi-Fi system supports hearing aids and cochlear implants, and IAHA lists Bluetooth among the ways to connect37,32, while Sennheiser's app listing and Listen's white paper warn of Bluetooth delay38,23. None of them gives a measured delay for each listening path.

The 1999 report to the Access Board said that infrared receivers from different makers are not always compatible on the same subcarrier30; the 2006 courthouse committee describes infrared receivers as compatible with most systems, and one maker says its products work with other makers' systems on the same carriers, without citing tests21,31.

The Center for Hearing Access opens its page by saying all cochlear implants and bone-conduction devices have telecoils, while its own list, and Pro Audito's, show several processors that reach a telecoil only through an accessory or adaptor50,16.

A maker's guide to the ADA repeats that about 80% of hearing aids dispensed in the US have telecoils, citing a local HLAA chapter's web page23. Recent counts of models give 54% (2021) and 59% (2026)35,24, and owners' own reports are lower still43,44; the figures measure different things.

Device lists and test results also go out of date with each firmware release3,15,16.

What would settle it

  • A regularly updated, independent compatibility matrix by firmware version, covering Auracast transmitters, receivers, hearing aids and implant processors, and infrared and FM receivers from different makers; the only assessment of infrared receivers across makers cited here dates from 199930.
  • Conformance requirements for Auracast receivers, such as those expected in IEC 60118-1754.
  • Counts of the hearing devices in use that have a telecoil switched on and programmed, or working Auracast, in place of counts of models and owners' self-reports24,43.
  • Independent measurements of the delay on each Wi-Fi listening path (Bluetooth, neckloop, headphones) across phones; the figures cited here are a maker's own or come from a pilot37,39.

Planning while it is open

  • Keep a Standard Quality (16 or 24 kHz) Auracast stream on8,9.
  • Where listeners may need mono, send a separate mono stream14.
  • Provide receivers for listeners whose devices cannot receive the system directly, including where a loop serves every seat, with the hearing-aid-compatible share the applicable rules set22,23,9.
  • Test loan receivers, with the neckloops they will be used with, on the venue's own transmitters before buying, and do not assume that infrared or FM receivers from another maker will work as well3,30.
  • Post the FM frequencies or infrared subcarriers in use, for people who bring their own receivers30.
  • Choose neckloops with a measured, flat high-frequency response that suit the receivers they will be used with46,47.
  • With a Wi-Fi system, offer a listening path that avoids Bluetooth delay, such as wired headphones or a neckloop, for example on venue phones with the app installed38,40.
  • Expect some implant users to need a loan receiver or their own add-on receiver, because not all processors have a built-in telecoil or receive Auracast directly50,51,16.
  • Count Auracast Ready hearing devices as able to join only once their update has shipped15.
  • For hearing professionals: switch on the telecoil program and check it against the microphone program, programming it to match the prescribed microphone response as a starting point25,26, and demonstrate both telecoil and Bluetooth features55.
  • For listeners choosing a hearing device: advocates and the experts Consumer Reports quotes advise a model with both a telecoil and Auracast9,24,56.
  • Record transmitter and receiver firmware at handover, so results can be compared after updates3.

Sources

  1. Coupling Options: Ways to Connect to Assistive Listening System Audio. Kaneb A (credited on the chart). Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), 2026. Nonprofit advocacy (Hearing Loss Association of America, a US consumer organisation for people with hearing loss; the chart is credited to Andrea Kaneb and names no funder) ↩︎ https://www.hearingloss.org/wp-content/uploads/documents/advocacy-resources/hlaa-coupling-options-als-chart.pdf
  2. Comparison of Large Area Assistive Listening Systems. Compton-Conley C. Hearing Loss Association of America (reprint), 2015. Nonprofit advocacy (reprinted by HLAA with the contact address of its Get in the Hearing Loop program; written by Cynthia Compton-Conley, PhD, of Gallaudet University; who paid for the original is not stated) ↩︎ https://www.hearingloss.org/wp-content/uploads/comparison-of-large-area-assistive-listening-systems.pdf
  3. Auracast transmitter-receiver compatibility test (with data workbook). Pro Audito Schweiz, 6 October 2025. Independent (Pro Audito Schweiz, Swiss hearing-loss association; no manufacturer funding, test products lent free by manufacturers) ↩︎ https://pro-audito.ch/news/auracast-transmitter-receiver-compatibility-test/
  4. Evaluating and testing Bluetooth LE Audio performance: a guide for developers, part 3. LaMacchia B (Cloud2GND). audioXpress (print issue February 2026; online 21 April 2026), February 2026. Manufacturer (Cloud2GND, maker of the AW100 broadcaster used; HEAD acoustics provided access to test equipment and materials) ↩︎ https://audioxpress.com/article/evaluating-and-testing-bluetooth-le-audio-performance-a-guide-for-developers-part-3
  5. Evaluation of the first generation of Auracast-compatible transmitters, hearing aids and earbuds. Bruce I, Clarke S, Armstrong S, Bosnyak D. IHCON 2026 (McMaster University; SoundsGood Labs), August 2026. Independent (McMaster University with SoundsGood Labs, which the synopsis does not describe; no funding statement in the synopsis) ↩︎ https://centerforhearingaccess.org/wp-content/uploads/IHCON-Synopsis-Bruce-Evaluation-of-the-first-generation-of-Auracast-compatible-transmitters-hearing-aids-and-Earbuds-August-2026.pdf
  6. Basic Audio Profile, version 1.0.3. Bluetooth SIG Generic Audio Working Group. Bluetooth SIG, 23 June 2026. Standards body (Bluetooth SIG, an industry association funded by its member companies, which owns the Auracast trademark) ↩︎ https://www.bluetooth.com/wp-content/uploads/Files/Specification/HTML/bap_v1-0-3_1782503972/BAP_v1.0.3/out/en/index-en.html
  7. Public Broadcast Profile, version 1.0.2. Bluetooth SIG Audio, Telephony, and Automotive Working Group. Bluetooth SIG, 3 November 2025. Standards body (Bluetooth SIG, an industry association funded by its member companies, which owns the Auracast trademark) ↩︎ https://www.bluetooth.com/wp-content/uploads/Files/Specification/HTML/pbp_v1-0-2_1761252922/PBP_v1.0.2/out/en/index-en.html
  8. Auracast simple transmitter best practices guide, version 3. Bluetooth SIG, 17 October 2025. Standards body (Bluetooth SIG, an industry association funded by its member companies, which owns the Auracast trademark) ↩︎ https://www.bluetooth.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Auracast-Transmitter_Recommendations.pdf
  9. Auracast Systems (technology and accessibility page). Hearing Loss Association of America. Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), 28 September 2026. Nonprofit advocacy (Hearing Loss Association of America, a US consumer organisation for people with hearing loss; its site asks for memberships and donations and lists corporate partners and advertising) ↩︎ https://www.hearingloss.org/technology-and-accessibility/auracast/
  10. Assistive Listening Systems Quick Guide. Center for Hearing Access (reviewed by Juliette Sterkens, AuD). Center for Hearing Access, The John G. Shedd Institute, 29 October 2025. Nonprofit advocacy (Center for Hearing Access, an initiative of The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts; it states that it accepts no donations from hearing-related vendors) ↩︎ https://centerforhearingaccess.org/wp-content/uploads/Assistive-Listening-Systems-Quick-Guide.pdf
  11. Bettear CASTER user manual (firmware 1.0.8). Bettear. Bettear; copy hosted by the distributor Univox, 2026. Manufacturer (Bettear) ↩︎ https://univox.eu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/B-CASTER-User-Manual-1.0.8.pdf
  12. Infinium system controller and transmitter user manual (MAN 297B). Williams AV, 2026. Manufacturer (Williams AV) ↩︎ https://williamsav.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/MAN-297B-Infinium-Controller-Transmitter-BA-CT1.pdf
  13. How to build an Auracast assistant: technical overview, version 1.0. Bluetooth SIG Market Development. Bluetooth SIG, 29 October 2025. Standards body (Bluetooth SIG, an industry association funded by its member companies, which owns the Auracast trademark) ↩︎ https://www.bluetooth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2403_How_To_Auracast_Assistant.pdf
  14. How to design Auracast earbuds. Bluetooth SIG Market Development. Bluetooth SIG (technical overview, version 1.1), 6 February 2025. Standards body (Bluetooth SIG, an industry association funded by its member companies, which owns the Auracast trademark) ↩︎ https://www.bluetooth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2403_Auracast_Earbuds.pdf
  15. "Worldwide Access" hearing instruments list. Center for Hearing Access (The John G. Shedd Institute). Center for Hearing Access, 11 September 2026. Nonprofit advocacy (Center for Hearing Access, an initiative of The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts; it states that it accepts no donations from hearing-related vendors) ↩︎ https://centerforhearingaccess.org/wp-content/uploads/Worldwide-Access-Hearing-Instruments-List.pdf
  16. Hearing aids and implants with Auracast function (status 31 August 2026). Pro Audito Schweiz. Pro Audito Schweiz (in German), 31 August 2026. Nonprofit advocacy (Pro Audito Schweiz, Swiss hearing-loss association) ↩︎ https://pro-audito.ch/wp-content/uploads/Hoersysteme_mit_Auracast_260831.pdf
  17. Share your world of sound with LE Audio on Android. Ray P (Product Manager, Android). Google, The Keyword blog, 3 September 2025. Manufacturer (Google) ↩︎ https://blog.google/products/android/le-audio-auracast-support/
  18. Broadcast audio from your Galaxy phone. Samsung Electronics America. Samsung US support, undated (read 13 October 2026). Manufacturer (Samsung) ↩︎ https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10001042/
  19. Clear Signals: improving transport accessibility for deaf people and people with hearing loss. RNID. RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People), 22 September 2026. Independent (RNID survey and concept test; report funded by the Motability Foundation; Ampetronic, which installed the station's transmitters, announced in July 2025 that it commissioned RNID trials there, but the read sources do not establish whether those are the March 2026 concept test) ↩︎ https://rnid.org.uk/what-we-do/policy-and-influencing/clear-signals-improving-transport-accessibility/
  20. Phonak EON: Connectivity excellence. Roh M (Sonova). Phonak Audiology Blog (Phonak Pro), 17 September 2026. Manufacturer (Sonova / Phonak) ↩︎ https://audiologyblog.phonakpro.com/phonak-eon-connectivity-excellence/
  21. Justice for All: Designing Accessible Courthouses (recommendations from the Courthouse Access Advisory Committee). Courthouse Access Advisory Committee. US Access Board, 15 November 2006. Government (US Access Board federal advisory committee of 35 members, among them the Hearing Loss Association of America, courts, architects, code bodies and disability groups) ↩︎ https://www.access-board.gov/ada/additional-resources/designing-accessible-courthouses.html
  22. 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. US Department of Justice. US Department of Justice (ada.gov), 15 September 2010. Government (US Department of Justice) ↩︎ https://www.ada.gov/law-and-regs/design-standards/2010-stds/
  23. Understanding the Assistive Listening Americans with Disabilities Act. Listen Technologies, 25 October 2023. Manufacturer (Listen Technologies, which sells RF/FM, infrared, hearing loop, Wi-Fi and Auracast assistive listening products; owned since February 2023 by Allvida, which also owns the hearing-loop maker Ampetronic) ↩︎ https://www.listentech.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/ADA-White-Paper-2023-10-25-vA1-WEB.pdf
  24. A Telecoil is One of the Best Hearing Aid Features. Many Still Aren't Using It.. Roberts C. Consumer Reports, 7 May 2026. Independent (Consumer Reports, a nonprofit consumer organisation; article by Catherine Roberts, a health and science journalist on its staff, quoting loop advocates from the Center for Hearing Access and HLAA and an assistive listening installer) ↩︎ https://www.consumerreports.org/health/hearing-aids/one-of-best-hearing-aid-features-many-still-arent-using-a4102935824/
  25. The Telecoil: The Lonely Transducer that Can Be a Big Producer. Valente M. AudiologyOnline (article 11911), 24 June 2013. Independent (Michael Valente, professor and director of adult audiology at Washington University School of Medicine; published by AudiologyOnline, a commercial continuing-education site; the author declares no commercial interest in the manufacturers whose fitting software is shown) ↩︎ https://www.audiologyonline.com/articles/telecoil-lonely-transducer-that-big-11911
  26. Difference Between the Default Telecoil (T-Coil) and Programmed Microphone Frequency Response in Behind-the-Ear (BTE) Hearing Aids. Putterman DB, Valente M. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology 23(5):366-378, May 2012. Independent (Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine; supported by NIH National Center for Research Resources grant TL1 RR024995; Frye Electronics provided test equipment) ↩︎ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4354810/
  27. Sound quality comparison of Auracast and teleloop systems in a real-world environment. Jespersen CT, Hashem R, Aranda de Toro MA, Fernández D. GN Hearing (ReSound) white paper M201742-26.02, 17 February 2026. Manufacturer (GN Hearing) ↩︎ https://centerforhearingaccess.org/uploads/resound-jespersen/
  28. Consumer Perceptions of the Impact of Inductively Looped Venues on the Utility of Their Hearing Devices. Kochkin S, Sterkens J, Compton-Conley C, Beck DL, Taylor B, Kricos P, Caccavo M, Holmes A, Powers TA. Hearing Review (October 2014 issue), 24 September 2014. Manufacturer (paid for by grants from Etymotic Research, Contacta, Listen Technologies, IntriCon and Univox by Edin, which the acknowledgments describe as including two hearing loop makers, an assistive listening company and two hearing-device technology makers; co-author Juliëtte Sterkens runs the Loop Wisconsin advocacy blog, one of the recruitment channels. The article prints no affiliations; from other sources, co-author Douglas L. Beck worked for the hearing-aid maker Oticon, joining as director of professional relations in 2005 (AudiologyOnline, 20 August 2005) and named director of academic sciences in 2016 (Hearing Review, 6 April 2016), and co-author Thomas A. Powers was vice-president of audiology at the hearing-aid maker Siemens Hearing Instruments (Hearing Review, 19 September 2013) and later a vice-president of its successor, Sivantos (Better Hearing Institute biography)) ↩︎ https://hearingreview.com/hearing-products/implants-bone-conduction/cochlear-implants/consumer-perceptions-impact-inductively-looped-venues-utility-hearing-devices
  29. Infrared, FM and Audio Over WiFi. RNID. RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People), 27 May 2026. Nonprofit advocacy (RNID, UK charity) ↩︎ https://rnid.org.uk/information-and-support/technology-and-products/assistive-listening/infrared-fm-and-audio-over-wifi/
  30. Large area assistive listening systems (ALS): review and recommendations. Bakke MH, Levitt H, Ross M, Erickson F. Final report to the U.S. Access Board; Lexington School for the Deaf, Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Hearing Enhancement, December 1999. Government (U.S. Department of Education, NIDRR grant H133E30015; final report to the U.S. Access Board) ↩︎ https://www.access-board.gov/files/research/assistive-listening-systems.pdf
  31. LT-82 & LA-140 User Manual: Stationary IR Transmitter and Stationary IR Radiator. Listen Technologies, 26 September 2022. Manufacturer (Listen Technologies, maker of the ListenIR transmitter and radiator described) ↩︎ https://www.listentech.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/LT-82-_-LA-140-User-Manual-2022-09-26.pdf
  32. Audio Over Wi-Fi Assistive Listening Systems. International Association for Hearing Accessibility (IAHA), undated (read 9 October 2026). Trade body (IAHA; its members include manufacturers of assistive listening technologies and other organisations that create or install assistive listening systems, as well as groups supporting people with hearing loss; its funding is not stated) ↩︎ https://iaha-global.com/assistive-listening-technologies/audio-over-wifi/
  33. Audio Over Wi-Fi Assistive Listening System. Center for Hearing Access. Center for Hearing Access, The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts, undated (read 9 October 2026). Nonprofit advocacy (Center for Hearing Access, an initiative of The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts; it asks for donations and states that it accepts none from hearing-related vendors) ↩︎ https://centerforhearingaccess.org/wi-fi/
  34. Mobile Fact Sheet. Pew Research Center, 20 November 2025. Independent (Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder; the survey was conducted for the Center by SSRS) ↩︎ https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/
  35. Trends in Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids and Hearing Aid Compatibility for Wireless Phones. Kozma-Spytek L. HearingTracker, 22 July 2022. Independent (analysis prepared to inform the ATIS Hearing Aid Compatibility Task Force by Linda Kozma-Spytek, whose author note describes the author as a technology consultant to HLAA and an investigator at Gallaudet University's DHH Tech RERC; data from HearingTracker's product database, provided by its CEO Abram Bailey; published by HearingTracker, a consumer hearing aid site that carries advertising) ↩︎ https://www.hearingtracker.com/news/trends-in-audio-streaming-for-hearing-aids
  36. Hearing Aid Benefit and Satisfaction Results from the MarkeTrak 2022 Survey: Importance of Features and Hearing Care Professionals. Picou EM. Seminars in Hearing 43(4):301-316 (Thieme), 1 December 2022. Trade body (MarkeTrak is supported by the Hearing Industries Association, the US hearing aid industry's association; the issue editorial identifies guest editor Thomas Powers with Powers Consulting, not HIA; the author, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, declares no conflicts of interest) ↩︎ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9715311/
  37. System Specification (V1.2): MobileConnect Assistive Listening. Sennheiser. Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG, 2023. Manufacturer (Sennheiser, maker of the MobileConnect Wi-Fi system) ↩︎ https://assets.sennheiser.com/download/assets/MobileConnect_System_Specification_v1.2_EN.pdf/ea3cf3b2e7b711f097eaea55b5d2fb86
  38. Sennheiser MobileConnect (App Store listing, version 6.3.1). Sennheiser. Apple App Store (seller: Sennheiser electronic SE & Co. KG), 4 May 2026. Manufacturer (Sennheiser, maker of the MobileConnect Wi-Fi system; the listing and its privacy label are written by the developer) ↩︎ https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sennheiser-mobileconnect/id848127271
  39. Evaluating a hearing loop implementation for live orchestral music. McWeeny S, Trainor LJ, Armstrong S, Bosnyak D, Tawfik H, Bruce IC. Ear and Hearing 46(3):808-816, 27 January 2025. Independent (McMaster University; AGE-WELL Canada grant); in-kind hearing aids and fittings from Sonova Canada ↩︎ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39868727/
  40. MobileConnect ADA Compliancy Statement. Sennheiser Streaming Technologies GmbH. Sennheiser, June 2021. Manufacturer (Sennheiser, maker of the MobileConnect Wi-Fi system) ↩︎ https://www.sennheiser.com/globalassets/digizuite/41165-en-mobileconnect_ada_compliancy_statement.pdf
  41. Induktive Höranlagen – internationale Trends und aktuelle Normung (Induction loop systems: international trends and current standards). Seidler H. Fortschritte der Akustik – DAGA 2014 (annual conference of the German Acoustical Society, Oldenburg), pages 294-295, March 2014. Independent (Hannes Seidler, ENT clinic of the medical faculty, TU Dresden; funding not stated) ↩︎ https://pub.dega-akustik.de/DAGA_2014/data/articles/000138.pdf
  42. Medical Devices; Ear, Nose, and Throat Devices; Establishing Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids (final rule, 87 FR 50698). US Food and Drug Administration. Federal Register, Vol. 87, No. 158, 17 August 2022. Government (US Food and Drug Administration) ↩︎ https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/08/17/2022-17230/medical-devices-ear-nose-and-throat-devices-establishing-over-the-counter-hearing-aids
  43. MarkeTrak 2025: Hearing Aids in the Age of OTCs and Wearables. Sobek Dobyan B, Powers TA. Hearing Review 32(4):8-14 (July/August 2025 issue), 13 August 2025. Trade body (MarkeTrak is commissioned by the Hearing Industries Association, the US hearing aid industry's association; the first author is HIA's executive director and the second runs a consultancy serving the hearing health industry) ↩︎ https://hearingreview.com/inside-hearing/research/marketrak-2025-hearing-aids-in-the-age-of-otcs-and-wearables
  44. EuroTrak UK 2025. Anovum. European Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association (EHIMA), 2025. Trade body (commissioned by EHIMA and BIHIMA, the European and British-Irish hearing instrument manufacturers' associations; designed, fielded and analysed by the research firm Anovum with a panel company, and EHIMA approved the questionnaire) ↩︎ https://www.ehima.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/EuroTrak_UK_2025.pdf
  45. ICC A117.1-2017 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities, Section 706 Assistive Listening Systems. International Code Council. International Code Council (ICC Digital Codes), 2017. Standards body (International Code Council) ↩︎ https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/icca117-12017/chapter-7-communication-elements-and-features
  46. Which inductive neck loops are suitable for Auracast/FM/IR receivers?. Pro Audito Schweiz. Pro Audito Schweiz; English reprint by the Center for Hearing Access, 8 September 2026. Independent (Pro Audito Schweiz, Swiss hearing-loss association) ↩︎ https://centerforhearingaccess.org/wp-content/uploads/Pro-Audito-Schweiz-Which-inductive-neck-loops-are-suitable-for-AuracastFMIR-receivers.pdf
  47. Infrared (IR) Assistive Listening Systems. Center for Hearing Access. Center for Hearing Access, The John G. Shedd Institute, undated (read 9 October 2026). Nonprofit advocacy (Center for Hearing Access, an initiative of The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts; it states that it accepts no donations from hearing-related vendors) ↩︎ https://centerforhearingaccess.org/infrared/
  48. IEC 62489-1:2010+AMD1:2014+AMD2:2017 Electroacoustics - Audio-frequency induction loop systems for assisted hearing - Part 1: Methods of measuring and specifying the performance of system components. IEC TC 29 (Electroacoustics). International Electrotechnical Commission, 27 November 2017. Standards body (International Electrotechnical Commission; the full text is sold, and only the abstract and a preview are public) ↩︎ https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/62119
  49. Consumer use of and preferences for assistive communication technology in public places. Committee for Communication Access in America (Frazier SO, Bailey A, Cadwell B, Clifford C, Liebe K, Myers D, Sterkens J). Committee for Communication Access in America, 8 January 2024. Nonprofit advocacy (an ad hoc committee of hearing-loss advocates, chaired by Stephen O. Frazier (Loop New Mexico; a founding member of HLAA's Get in the Hearing Loop initiative), the report's correspondence author; funding not stated; data collected and analysed by the Frost Center for Data and Social Research at Hope College. The committee's site lists David Myers (founder of hearingloop.org) and Juliette Sterkens (HLAA hearing loop advocate) among its members, with Abram Bailey (founder of HearingTracker), Blake Cadwell (founder and CEO of Soundly), Kevin Liebe (hearinghealthmatters.org) and Carol Clifford (audiologist, former ReSound training director)) ↩︎ https://www.ccaa.name/Report_Final_1-12-24.pdf
  50. Using Telecoils in Your Cochlear Implant & Bone Anchored Devices. Center for Hearing Access (The John G. Shedd Institute). Center for Hearing Access, undated (read 9 October 2026). Nonprofit advocacy (Center for Hearing Access, a 501(c)(3) advocacy and education initiative of The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts, founded in 2024; it states that it accepts no donations from hearing-related vendors) ↩︎ https://centerforhearingaccess.org/how-use-telecoils-ci/
  51. Can Cochlear Implants Receive Auracast Broadcasts?. MED-EL. The MED-EL Blog, 2 April 2025. Manufacturer (MED-EL) ↩︎ https://blog.medel.com/technology/can-cochlear-implants-receive-auracast-broadcasts/
  52. Nucleus 8 Sound Processor (product page). Cochlear. Cochlear US website, undated (read 9 October 2026). Manufacturer (Cochlear) ↩︎ https://www.cochlear.com/us/en/home/products-and-accessories/cochlear-nucleus-system/nucleus-sound-processors/nucleus-8
  53. Auracast and hearing devices: a scoping review on connectivity and accessibility for individuals with hearing loss in public environments. Gonçalves LM, Ortega AVM, Angelo TCS, Moret ALM, Lopes NBF, Jacob RTS. CoDAS 38(4):e20250241 (University of São Paulo), 6 July 2026. Independent (University of São Paulo; FAPESP grant and a PIBIC scholarship) ↩︎ https://www.scielo.br/j/codas/a/B6cCLqxHb3XwKcLPLtZfZ6p/?lang=en
  54. IEC 60118-17 (in preparation): assistive listening system for hearing aid users based on 2.4 GHz audio streaming. IEC TC 29 WG 13. International Electrotechnical Commission, undated (read 13 October 2026). Standards body (International Electrotechnical Commission) ↩︎ https://tc29.iec.ch/tc-activity/standards-under-preparation/
  55. Position statement on Auracast and telecoils. European Federation of Hard of Hearing People (EFHOH). EFHOH, 18 October 2024. Nonprofit advocacy (European federation; EFHOH states that its 2024-2026 publications are co-funded by the EU CERV programme) ↩︎ https://efhoh.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/EFHOH-position-statement-on-concerns-about-withdrawal-from-telecoils-FINAL97.pdf
  56. Telecoil and Auracast functionalities should be standard requirements for hearing aids and other hearing devices eligible for public health procurement. European Federation of Hard of Hearing People (EFHOH). EFHOH (position adopted by its members at the 2026 Annual General Meeting), 18 April 2026. Nonprofit advocacy (European federation; EFHOH states that its 2024-2026 publications are co-funded by the EU CERV programme) ↩︎ https://efhoh.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/EFHOH-Motion-Telecoil-and-Auracast-functionalities.pdf

Change log

  • Published with 56 sources.
  • Added study and survey samples, funding and limits on shared-path evidence; distinguished the station report's funding from a maker's commissioning statement.
  • Corrected the hall-test pair count and clarified equipment provision, survey support and Pew’s institutional funding.
  • Prepared a table-linked evidence block for owner review; the block remains unpublished.
  • Added Evidence at a glance, drawn from the data tables.

Cite this question

Equal Access Audio. “Which hearing devices can receive which systems?” Assistive Listening Knowledge Base. Updated 14 October 2026. https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/questions/device-compatibility/ (accessed the date you read it).

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