News
FCC Mandates All Smartphones Must Support Hearing Aids
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is requiring smartphone OEMs to ensure their devices are compatible with hearing loss devices.
Late last week, the agency began implementing a new order "establishing that 100% of all mobile handsets -- such as smartphones -- must be compatible with hearing aids," according to its announcement.
The order applies to all smartphones offered or sold in the United States. Its rules require OEMs to make sure that all of their devices are hearing-aid compatible; in fact, they will no longer be allowed to sell smartphones that aren't.
Per the FCC, devices that are hearing aid-compatible meet the 2019 ANSI standard, which is notable for incorporating a volume control requirement. This ensures that users with hearing loss -- whether or not they use hearing aids -- can increase their smartphone's volume without the sound becoming distorted.
"Such requirements accommodate consumers with hearing loss who do not use hearing aids as well as those that rely on hearing aids or cochlear implants," the FCC explained.
Besides volume control, OEMs also must include support for standard Bluetooth in their smartphones, instead of limiting connectivity to select hearing devices. This requirement is meant to ensure that any hearing aid user -- including those who use over-the-counter hearing aids -- can connect to any smartphone.
The FCC is also implementing labeling requirements to make it easier for consumers to understand how well a smartphone supports these new rules. These new labeling standards "will clarify if the handset is certified as hearing aid compatible, whether or not the handset meets telecoil or Bluetooth coupling requirements, and provide the handset's conversational gain (i.e., how high the handset's audio volume can be raised while still meeting volume control requirements)," the agency said.
OEMs and service providers will have a certain window of time to become compliant with the FCC's order: 24 months for OEMs, 30 months for U.S. service providers, and 42 months for non-U.S. service providers.
"With this change, the 48 million Americans with hearing loss will be able to choose among the same mobile phone models that are available to all consumers," the FCC said. "Americans with hearing loss will no longer be limited in their choice of technologies, features, and prices available in the mobile handset marketplace."