Hearing aid compatible phones

If phone calls have become the hard part of the day, this is usually fixable, and the fix is often not the one people expect. Here is what the M and T ratings actually mean, why they matter less than they did, and what to look at instead in Australia.

What M and T ratings mean

Two ratings, describing two different ways a hearing aid can pick up a phone.

• The M rating is about acoustic coupling. The hearing aid uses its own microphone to pick up sound from the phone's speaker in the ordinary way. The problem historically was interference: phones emit radio energy that hearing aids turned into buzzing. A higher M rating means less interference.
• The T rating is about telecoil coupling. Many hearing aids contain a small coil, the telecoil, usually switched on with a setting marked T. It picks up a magnetic signal from the phone directly, bypassing the microphone entirely. Because the aid's microphone is out of the loop, background noise disappears, which is why a telecoil can be transformative in a noisy room.

Both are scored from 1 to 4, and higher is better. M3 or M4 and T3 or T4 are the numbers to look for. If the hearing aid has a telecoil and it gets used, the T rating is the one that matters.

Why this matters less than it used to

This is the part most guides leave out, and it can save you buying the wrong thing.

Most hearing aids fitted in recent years connect to a phone directly over Bluetooth. The call is streamed straight into the aids, in both ears, with no microphone and no telecoil involved. The interference problem that M ratings exist to measure simply never happens, and the sound is usually far better than either older method.

So M and T ratings still matter, but in narrower cases than they once did:

• The hearing aids are older and do not stream.
• The person relies on a telecoil, including for hearing loops in churches, halls, theatres and some service counters.
• You are buying a simple button phone, which will not have Bluetooth streaming at all.

If the aids are recent, the useful question is not "what is this phone's M rating" but "which phones are my hearing aids certified to work with". That list comes from the hearing aid manufacturer, not the phone maker, and your audiologist has it.

If the hearing aids stream over Bluetooth

Both major phone families handle this well, and both have settings pages devoted to it.

Apple iPhone 17e, from $999

Apple has supported streaming to hearing aids for many years and the feature set is mature, including routing calls to both aids and adjusting them from the phone. It is the most affordable current iPhone in Australia.

Be aware: $999 is a lot, and it only makes sense if the person's aids are on Apple's supported list. Confirm that first. Note also that the iPhone SE, still recommended by many older guides, is no longer sold new by Apple in Australia.

Samsung Galaxy A17 5G, $379

The affordable Android route, with Samsung's Easy Mode available if the interface needs simplifying as well. Android supports streaming to compatible hearing aids.

Be aware: Android hearing aid streaming support varies more by aid model than Apple's does, so the check with your audiologist matters even more here. Confirm compatibility before buying rather than after.

If they do not want a smartphone

Amplified phones are the answer, and they are a different thing from hearing aid compatible phones. Amplified means louder. It suits someone with some hearing loss who does not wear aids, or who takes their aids out at home.

Oricom EZY7510 Flip, $149

An Australian brand flip phone listed as amplified, with a dedicated SOS emergency button. The most portable option here.

Be aware: amplified is not hearing aid compatible. If the person wears aids, this may still buzz or be uncomfortable, and no specification sheet can tell you in advance.

Oricom CARE920-1, $199, for the home

A big button amplified phone with a cordless handset, for a household that still has a landline or NBN phone service. A two handset version, the CARE920-2, is $289, and extra handsets are $89.95 if you want one in the bedroom as well.

Be aware: it needs a working landline service, which many homes no longer have, so check that before buying. Oricom's older CARE900-1 and CARE900-2 still appear widely in search results, but both were out of stock on Oricom's own Australian store when we checked on 14 August 2026.

Things worth trying before you buy anything

Several of these cost nothing and solve the problem often enough to be worth an evening.

• Turn on the telecoil and try it. A surprising number of people have a telecoil in their aids and have never used it, because nobody explained the T setting.
• Turn up the phone's call volume, which is separate from the ringer volume. These are different settings on both iPhone and Android, and people routinely have one high and the other low.
• Try the speakerphone. It sounds obvious. For hearing aid wearers it often works better than holding the phone against the aid, because it removes the physical contact that causes feedback.
• Turn on live captions if the phone has them. Both iPhone and Android can now show a live transcript of a call on screen. For someone with significant hearing loss this can be the difference between dreading calls and taking them.
• Check the ringer is loud enough and the phone vibrates. Missing calls entirely is a different problem from not hearing them once answered, and it needs a different fix.

If you would like a hand working through these settings, that is the sort of thing we do. Get in touch, or read our guide to connecting hearing aids to a phone, which walks through the pairing step by step.

Where this comes from

• Hearing Australia, the national provider of government funded hearing services, for advice on hearing aids and assistive listening.
• Hearing Services Program, the Australian Government program covering eligibility for subsidised hearing services.
• ACCAN, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network, which advocates on accessible telecommunications.
• ACMA: 3G network switch off, because any phone you buy must still be able to reach Triple Zero.
• Oricom Australia, for the amplified phone range and current stock status.

Related guides

• Connecting hearing aids to your phone, step by step.
• Best phones for seniors in Australia.
• Big button mobile phones.

Last checked 14 August 2026. We update this page when Australian prices or availability change.