Can people without hearing aids benefit from venue systems through earbuds, headphones or their phones?

Why it matters

Hearing aids are not required to use a venue's listening system. NIDCD describes access to loops, FM and infrared with or without hearing aids, including portable loop receivers with headsets. For loops, NIDCD explains that direct reception reduces competing background noise, although a basic headset does not provide the hearing-loss-specific adjustment of a fitted hearing aid¹.

People with mild to moderate loss who have never worn hearing aids are represented in a small earphone study, while venue guidance describes listening through ordinary headphones connected to a phone. These are different routes: an earbud's hearing feature concerns how it processes sound, while access to the venue feed depends on the receiving equipment and connection^2,3,4,5.

What the evidence shows

Headsets can improve understanding. In an independent 1997 workshop study, with funding unstated in the readable abstract, 10 normal-hearing listeners and 18 with sensorineural loss improved word recognition with FM, infrared and loops compared with no system. Those with loss performed better and preferred headsets to coupling these systems to their hearing aids. Both groups preferred FM. This small, abstract-only historical comparison cannot rank today's products⁶.

Earbud amplification helped in quiet, with limits in noise. An independent Taiwanese study funded by national science and hospital-university grants tested 21 adults with mild to moderate loss and no hearing-aid experience. AirPods Pro paired with an iPhone improved speech reception thresholds over unaided listening in quiet, but showed no statistically significant improvement over unaided listening in either noise condition. AirPods Pro and the tested hearing aids did not differ significantly in quiet; when speech and noise both came from the front, the premium aid gave a 2.1 dB better speech-in-noise threshold than AirPods Pro. That difference was not significant with noise from the side. This 2022 laboratory study concerns a shared earphone listening path, predates Apple's Hearing Aid feature and tests no venue transmission system².

Over-the-counter hearing support is a separate capability. FDA's 2024 authorization covers Apple's Hearing Aid Feature on compatible AirPods Pro for adults aged 18 or older with perceived mild to moderate loss. Its account of a 118-person study reports similar results from self-fitting and professional fitting of the same device; funding is not identified in the announcement. It establishes neither a comparison with venue receivers nor venue-broadcast support⁷.

Manufacturer Apple's September 2026 instructions name AirPods Pro 2 and Pro 3, current firmware and phone software, and regional availability. They distinguish Hearing Aid amplification of surrounding sound in Transparency mode from Media Assist adjustments to music, videos and calls. The page documents neither Auracast reception nor performance with venue Wi-Fi apps; neither follows merely from having a hearing feature³.

Phone support is specific. Manufacturer Google's September 2025 announcement lists selected Pixel, Samsung, Xiaomi and POCO phones and says both phone and headphones must support LE Audio. That dated list should not be read as universal phone or earbud support. The assistant and receiving roles are explained further in Which hearing devices can receive which systems?^8,5.

A working connection can still have delay. An independent McMaster University conference synopsis with SoundsGood Labs, with funding and device counts unstated, reports wide variation across Auracast transmitter-receiver pairs. Earbuds generally had longer delays than hearing aids; all measured delays exceeded the authors' cited 25–40 ms target range, and some exceeded 80 ms. Earbud output levels also varied by pairing and volume control. The synopsis names no models, so it cannot identify which current earbuds to use⁹.

For Wi-Fi, manufacturer Listen Technologies recommends wired headphones to avoid additional Bluetooth delay. Chautauqua Institution offers phone listening with personal headphones but reports echo and occasional dropouts; its unquantified user feedback says the system works best for moderate to severe loss. It keeps free RF loan receivers alongside Wi-Fi. That is useful operating experience, with no participant count or controlled comparison to establish outcomes for people with mild loss^10,11.

Surveys identify access barriers, with different populations. Pew's 2025 survey of 5,022 US adults, conducted by SSRS for the independent center primarily funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, found smartphone ownership of 91% overall and 78% at age 65 or older. The fact sheet gives no hearing-loss breakdown or evidence of willingness or ability to run a venue app. Phone ownership therefore cannot stand in for successful access¹².

A US government-grant-funded, independent 2005 online survey had 423 hearing-aid or implant users. Among 276 venue borrowers, 65% often or very often found no signs explaining where to obtain a receiver, and 67% encountered staff unable to operate it. These findings concern lending arrangements shared by headset users; this self-selected sample, mainly with severe or profound loss, does not establish demand or preferences among people without hearing aids¹³.

Where sources disagree

The evidence supports several routes without establishing one winner. The older workshop favoured FM and headset use; the earbud laboratory study found results that changed with the direction of noise. They tested different devices, listeners and listening paths. Neither can settle the relative merits of current Auracast earbuds, Wi-Fi phone listening and loan headsets for people with mild loss^6,2.

HLAA explains how Wi-Fi can reduce the effects of distance, noise and reverberation, while also warning about delay. Chautauqua reports both successful use and echo problems, and the Auracast measurements also found variable delay. These sources distinguish access to a clearer feed from the experience of hearing that feed alongside room sound; they do not support a blanket promise for either wireless route^4,11,9.

What would settle it

Venue trials should separately recruit people with mild loss who do not use hearing aids and people with normal hearing. They should compare current loan headsets, Auracast earbuds and phone-app listening, reporting speech understanding, listening effort, successful joining, delay, output level and completion of a full event. Named devices, software versions, participant counts and funding would close gaps left by the small earphone study, the model-unspecified Auracast synopsis and unquantified venue feedback^2,9,11.

Surveys should also ask non-hearing-aid users whether they know a system is available, can borrow suitable equipment, and want to use their own phone. Existing phone-ownership figures and the hearing-aid-user borrowing survey cannot answer those questions or show what venues should purchase^12,13.

Planning while it is open

• Explain the actual route: a matching loan receiver, direct Auracast reception in supported earbuds, or a venue Wi-Fi app. Describe the phone's role explicitly so listeners know what equipment they need^1,5,4.
• Provide a receiver-and-headphone route for listeners without suitable personal equipment, and make the collection point and staff assistance clear. Smartphone ownership and successful borrowing cannot be assumed^1,4,12,13.
• Check the exact device pair and selection method before the event. An earbud hearing feature or a phone's presence on an older compatibility list does not establish the complete venue connection^3,8,5.
• Offer a wired headphone option for phone listening and try the complete route with the venue loudspeakers running, including delay and usable volume. Listen Technologies recommends wired output, Chautauqua reports echo, and the Auracast measurements show why receiver pairing also matters^10,11,9.

Sources

1. Assistive Devices for People with Hearing, Voice, Speech, or Language Disorders. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. NIDCD, US National Institutes of Health, 12 November 2019. Government (NIDCD, US National Institutes of Health) ↩︎ https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/assistive-devices-people-hearing-voice-speech-or-language-disorders
2. Smartphone-bundled earphones as personal sound amplification products in adults with sensorineural hearing loss. Lin HYH, Lai HS, Huang CY, Chen CH, Wu SL, Chu YC, Chen YF, Lai YH, Cheng YF. iScience 25(12):105436 (Cell Press), 15 November 2022. Independent (Taiwan National Science and Technology Council grants and Veterans General Hospitals and University System of Taiwan Joint Research Program; authors declare no competing interests) ↩︎ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9801236/
3. Use the Hearing Aid feature on your AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods Pro 3. Apple. Apple Support, 14 September 2026. Manufacturer (Apple, maker of AirPods and the Hearing Aid feature) ↩︎ https://support.apple.com/en-us/120992
4. Wi-Fi Audio Assistive Listening System: How It Works. Hearing Loss Association of America, undated (read 13 October 2026). Nonprofit advocacy (Hearing Loss Association of America) ↩︎ https://www.hearingloss.org/technology-and-accessibility/wi-fi-audio/
5. Developing Auracast receivers with an assistant application for legacy smartphones. Bluetooth SIG Market Development. Bluetooth SIG (technical overview, version 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/2023/03/Developing_Auracast_Receivers-Legacy_Smartphones.pdf
6. The Use of Large Group Assistive Listening Devices With and Without Hearing Aids in an Adult Classroom Setting. Noe CM, Davidson SA, Mishler PJ. American Journal of Audiology 6(3):48-63 (ASHA), 1 November 1997. Independent (Ohio State University and US Veterans Affairs affiliations; funding not stated in the readable abstract) ↩︎ https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/1059-0889.0603.48
7. FDA Authorizes First Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Software. US Food and Drug Administration, 12 September 2024. Government (FDA account of Apple's authorization; study funding is not stated in this announcement) ↩︎ https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-authorizes-first-over-counter-hearing-aid-software
8. 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/
9. 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
10. ListenWIFI (App Store listing, version 5.4.1). Listen Technologies. Apple App Store (seller: Listen Technologies Corporation), 21 July 2025. Manufacturer (Listen Technologies, maker of the ListenWIFI and Listen Everywhere Wi-Fi systems; the listing and its privacy label are written by the developer) ↩︎ https://apps.apple.com/us/app/listenwifi/id1391914337
11. Wi-Fi Based Assistive Listening System. Chautauqua Institution, undated (read 13 October 2026). Independent (Chautauqua Institution, a not-for-profit organisation in Chautauqua, New York, writing about the system in its own halls; the system is Listen Technologies' ListenWIFI) ↩︎ https://www.chq.org/visit/explore-the-grounds-and-gardens/accessibility/wi-fi-based-assistive-listening-system/
12. 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/
13. An Internet Survey of Individuals With Hearing Loss Regarding Assistive Listening Devices. Harkins J, Tucker P. Trends in Amplification 11(2):91-100 (SAGE), June 2007. Independent (Technology Access Program, Gallaudet University, for the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Hearing Enhancement; developed under grant H133E-03006-06 from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, US Department of Education) ↩︎ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4111414/

Change log

• 13 October 2026Published with 13 sources.
• 13 October 2026Citation audit clarified earphone benefits in quiet and noise, narrowed the phone-survey claim and added supporting record passages.
• 13 October 2026Second citation check confirmed conditional benefits and access limits; consolidated the shared receiver-guidance record.

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