What’s new
Updates
New studies, standards and changes to the questions, newest first. Each headline links to the question or source it concerns.
October 2026
New: how installed hearing loops are checked, where they fall short, and whether telecoils are set up
Three new questions gather the evidence on hearing loops and telecoils; no study has yet measured a representative sample of installed loops against IEC 60118-4.
New: places of worship, cochlear implant users, neckloops, and courtrooms and council chambers
Four new questions; in a 2026 dummy-head test many neckloops lost the high frequencies that matter for speech, and no study has measured implant users with an installed loop, infrared or Auracast system.
New: theatres and cinemas, and hospitals, clinics and pharmacies
Two new questions; checks at English hospitals, GP surgeries and pharmacies keep finding loops missing or unknown to staff, and no independent test compares systems in an occupied theatre or cinema.
New: what each system costs over its life, keeping loops beside Auracast, and how listeners learn a system exists
Sources rank installation costs in opposite orders without publishing the data behind them, and none compares whole-life costs; advocates and an Australian government group advise adding Auracast alongside a working loop.
New: what transport rules require for announcements, and what loops and Auracast trials found on buses, trains and in stations
EU, British and Australian rules require loops or hearing augmentation in places; none mentions Auracast, and no transport trial has yet published coverage or delay measurements.
New: Wi-Fi delay and networks, infrared's limits, and the radio bands FM systems use
Four new questions cover the other technologies; the one independent Wi-Fi latency figure found is about 350 ms through a phone to hearing aids, well above what guidance accepts alongside room sound.
September 2026
IHCON 2026: every measured latency above the 25-40 ms target the authors attribute to the SIG
McMaster University measured transmitter, hearing-aid and earbud combinations; none met the 25-40 ms target the authors attribute to the Bluetooth SIG, and some exceeded 80 ms.
Swiss expert: about 30 m range in theatres, and a louder stream level
A Swiss standards-committee expert recommends keeping seats within 20-30 m and about -25 dBFS for theatres, against the SIG's -35 dBFS.
RNID station test: listeners found announcements clearer over Auracast
In RNID's March 2026 test of a manufacturer-installed system at Bristol Temple Meads, most of ten hearing-device users could not follow the PA announcements without Auracast; nine needed a loaned phone or receiver.
IEC 63087:2026 published
The new international standard covers all assistive listening systems, including 2.4 GHz broadcast, with an assessment report and a clause on system testing.
Bluetooth SIG revises its Auracast transmitter design guide
Version 3 recommends the 24 kHz low-latency setting for live use, says transmitters need no volume control, and lets installed transmitters offer an adjustable Presentation Delay.
Outdoor field test: about 5 m of reliable range in a crowd
Pro Audito Schweiz found reliable reception only close to the transmitter at an outdoor event of about 2,000 people.
Pro Audito neckloop bench test: many lose the high frequencies
Pro Audito Schweiz measured six neckloops on a dummy head (September 2026); it ranked them and did not recommend two.
August 2026
Swiss device list: 20 of 27 hearing device lines Auracast capable
Pro Audito's 31 August list marks 7 lines as Ready, including all three cochlear implant processors listed, and shows that telecoil availability varies by line.
New edition of Europe's ICT accessibility standard adopted
EN 301 549 V4.1.1 says a Bluetooth connection for assistive listening devices can contribute to its enhanced-audio requirement for kiosks and devices; it does not cover room systems.
May 2026
Consumer Reports: 59% of listed hearing aid models have a telecoil, down from 79% in 2016
Citing the Consumer's Guide to Hearing Aids, Consumer Reports says 59% of the prescription models listed in 2026 had a manual telecoil, against 79% in 2016, and that over-the-counter aids typically lack one.
Every finding here cites its source, and who funded each source is labelled. This site does not recommend products. Found an error or a missing study? Suggest a correction.