Written by John Nakulski, Jun 2023, updated Aug 2026:

Technologies for the Hearing Impaired

Hearing aids are still the primary assistive technology for hearing. This article describes recent advances in hearing aids as well as complementary technologies. It may convince you to both update your hearing aids and invest in other devices that can make your life easier, safer and more enjoyable.

Impaired hearing diminishes the ability to hear sounds, discriminate voices and follow conversation. While many factors can cause hearing loss or deafness, the most common reasons are age, genetics and prolonged exposure to loud noises.

The Different Levels of Hearing Impairment

The varying levels of hearing impairment are generally understood as being slight or mild, moderate, severe, and profound.

Overall, hearing impairment is graded according to its level of severity, and can be described both in the reduction of decibels (dB) and its effect on everyday life.

  • Slight or mild (26-40 dB): It may be hard to understand soft speech, or to follow a conversation in a noisy environment. Hearing aids might be required.
  • Moderate (41-60 dB): It can be difficult to comprehend voice at normal conversational levels, especially in the presence of background noise. The use of a hearing device and the elimination of background noise are recommended. Visual cues, such as lip reading and facial expressions, are very helpful.
  • Severe (61-80 dB): Voices cannot be understood without the use of a hearing device. The clarity of speech may be severely impacted. Loud speech, directly into the ear, can be heard. Conversation is very difficult. Lip reading or captions are highly recommended to assist comprehension.
  • Profound: (over 80 dB): Hearing devices and their benefits will vary greatly for those with profound hearing loss. Some might find face-to-face speech understandable with the aid of a hearing device in good conditions (e.g., slower speech and no background noise) but most will require captioning (voice to text).

If you are severely or profoundly hard-of-hearing, hearing aids may no longer be sufficient during phone calls. Most people subconsciously learn to read lips and faces to help during live conversation (“they are nodding their head and following what I’m saying”; “aha, it’s clearly my turn to talk”; “they look surprised and confused, let me paraphrase”). However, regular phone calls do not allow you to watch the other person’s face.

Why Technologies for the Hearing Impaired Matter

According to the Australian Network on Disability, it is estimated that approximately 3.6 million Australians, or 14.5% of the population, have some degree of hearing loss.

Furthermore, it is predicted that the number of Australians with hearing loss will increase to 7.8 million, or 20% of the population, by 2060 due to aging of the population and exposure to noise. Also based on this research, it’s understood that nearly half of those currently suffering from hearing loss are of working age (16-64 years old).

If you find these statistics alarming, you wouldn’t be alone.

Hearing loss has a severe impact on the individual as it affects their ability to communicate and interact with the world around them. This can, of course, lead to diminished communication with family, friends, colleagues and service providers, and impacts mental, social and economic well-being.

As a result, it’s essential that when looking into technologies and solutions for those with a hearing impairment, the ability to foster face-to-face communication is kept at the forefront of the selection criteria.

Hearing Aids: Advanced Tech That Makes Hearing Easier

One of the most widely-promoted yet underused technological solutions to hearing impairment is the hearing aid.

According to the United Kingdom’s Action on Hearing Loss charity, it is estimated that around 6.7 million people in the UK could benefit from using hearing aids, but only around 2 million people actually use them.

While ongoing education around the usefulness of hearing aids is paramount, these statistics also indicate that it’s important to consider a full range of technologies that can assist the hearing impaired people in your life to live comfortably and with dignity.

Advances in hearing aids – reasons to update

As of August 2026, there are eight technologies that might persuade you to update your hearing aids or at least visit your Audiologist to discuss how you use your existing aids.

Crowded rooms. AI technology detects sound that is voice and can even discriminate which voice is speaking with you. Multiple microphones across one or two hearing aids cooperate to steer the sound field towards the person you are talking to, while active noise suppression reduces background noise and other voices.

Ease of use. Early Smartphone apps were complicated. People who might struggle to use a Smartphone app due to dexterity, vision or learning difficulties were locked out of new capabilities. Now, all hearing aids have an automatic mode or default profile. AI senses the environment, the noise level, the number of people speaking, the purpose (listening to music or TV) and makes an educated guess to switch to the best mode for the situation.

TV listening. TV streaming transmitters are not new but have vastly improved. Bluetooth Low Energy Audio (BT LEA) is a standard that enables some aids to use a transmitter not made by the same vendor. Bluetooth Auracast enables a second person (with hearing aids) to listen to the same TV without having a second transmitter. Automatic sound detection can start and stop the transmission, and cooperate with hearing aids that automatically switch to the TV sound stream so that absolutely no user action is required. We love this feature! The Starkey Omega AI hearing aids in conjunction with the StarLink Edge TV Streamer have this capability.

Smartphone alternatives. Your Audiologist can set up a hearing-aid button, or the action of double-tapping, to (for example) switch to listening to music or streaming sound direct from your TV. Many brands also have an optional remote control accessory with just a few buttons to control the sound source or mode (TV, music, phone, room) and volume.

Public venues. Bluetooth Auracast is replacing the use of inductive hearing loops in public places such as museums, galleries and train stations. Using your hearing aid Smartphone app, you simply select the public sound source by name, just like selecting a radio or TV channel.

Battery life. Battery technology is slowly improving. Some people still prefer button batteries, which last longer but are fiddly to change. Some prefer USB charging cables, and the ability to top up your batteries from a power bank (big portable battery). Wireless charging via a charging pad is already available for Smartphones but is challenging to integrate into a small hearing aid.

Two ears. Having two hearing aids, or one hearing aid and one implant, is the best option for many people. Two hearing aids can now cooperate better with each other and with your Smartphone app to provide all of the above advantages to both ears without needing two sets of controls.

Home phones and captioning. Smartphones already stream phone calls to your hearing aids. Now, home-phone alternatives such as the Konnekt Captioning Videophone can also stream to your hearing aids via either a TV transmitter, an Auracast transmitter or your Smartphone. Ask us how! This provides a backup for home emergencies where your Smartphone is flat, broken or misplaced but you really need to make a call. It can also provides captioning in very large, easy-to-read text in case you’ve misplaced your hearing aids, or they’re flat, or you need a little extra help understanding while on the phone.

Cochlear Implants: Great for Hearing Loss

Cochlear implants and hearing aids are both options for individuals with hearing loss, but they work in different ways and are used for different levels of hearing loss.

According to the American National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), as of 2021, approximately 324,000 people in the United States have received cochlear implants.

Hearing aids are generally used for individuals with mild to moderate hearing loss. They amplify sounds and make them louder, which can make it easier for people with hearing loss to hear and understand speech and other sounds. However, hearing aids are not able to restore normal hearing, and they may not be effective for individuals with severe or profound hearing loss.

Implants, also known as cochlear implants, are electronic devices that are surgically implanted in the inner ear. They bypass the damaged or non-functioning parts of the inner ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve, which sends sound signals to the brain.

Implants are typically used for individuals with severe to profound hearing loss who are not able to benefit from hearing aids. They can provide better speech understanding and sound quality than hearing aids for many people with severe hearing loss.

Overall, the decision to use a cochlear implant versus a hearing aid depends on the type and degree of hearing loss, as well as individual factors such as communication needs and preferences. An audiologist or hearing healthcare professional can help determine which option is best for each individual.

Konnekt is working with implant manufacturers and Audiologists:

  • Pre-op: The Konnekt Captioning Videophone enables implant patients to stay in touch with their Audiologist and their medical team (including telehealth calls) before their surgical procedure.
  • Post-op: A captioning phone assists training of the ears. If a word is mis-heard or ambiguous during a call, reading the word as captioned text “closes the loop” and help teach the brain what word was actually said. Telehealth video calls can include screen-sharing of demonstrations and instructional material, on a screen much larger than a Smartphone or iPad/tablet.
  • Ease of use and safety: Even after hearing re-training, a captioning phone can make phone calls so much easier. It can fill in the gaps during important and emergency calls. Video adds the ability to read facial expressions.

Captioning Technology: Making Audio Content Accessible

As of August 2026, AI-based captioning has vastly improved in speed, latency, accuracy, context-based error correction, and the ability to understand medical and legal terms. We are having to update all of our earlier demonstration videos which now look slow and clunky compared to our actual product capabilities!

Captioning technology is now more affordable, prevalent and available to those who are hard of hearing. In many countries, including Australia and the USA, government funding subsidizes or fully funds a captioning phone such as the Konnekt Captioning Videophone including set-up, personalization, on-going support, captioning services, video calling, and adaptation to changing needs.

Captioning technology is a type of assistive technology that provides text-based captions or subtitles for audio and video content. It can be used to make media accessible to individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, as well as individuals who may have difficulty understanding spoken language due to cognitive or language-related disabilities.

One great example of captioning technology is the Konnekt Captioning Videophone.

With its fast, accurate and private captioning capabilities available in multiple languages, the Konnekt Videophone is an accessible technology for people of all ages who experience Deafness or hearing impairment.

You can learn more about other people’s overwhelmingly positive experiences with Konnekt products here.

Assistive Listening Tools for Better Hearing

Let’s take a look at three great examples:

  • Audeara BT-03 Auracast TV Transmitter
  • Live Transcribe by Google
  • The Roger Pen

Audeara BT-03 Auracast TV Transmitter

If you’re selecting a TV streaming transmitter and ease-of-use is paramount, then as of August 2026 our preference is still for you to use the TV transmitter available from the manufacturer of your hearing aids or implants. It will have the best compatibility and your Audiologist can set up a hearing-aid button, a double-tap, or a remote-control accessory for you to switch to TV listening. Some hearing aids can even be set up to switch automatically! Ask your Audiologist.

However if you are comfortable with technology, we like Audeara’s BT-03 Auracast TV transmitter for five reasons:

  • Bluetooth Auracast. It can stream sound to multiple hearing aids or implants. Great for households with multiple people who are hard-of-hearing. Perfect for people with one hearing aid and one implant from different manufacturers that do not yet cooperate to receive a single stream. And when you update your hearing aids, as long as your new aids also feature Auracast, there’s no need to update your TV transmitter.
  • Automatic on. When it is connected and receives sound, it streams. Connect the USB power cable to one of the (powered) USB sockets of your TV so that the transmitter is powered on only when the TV is on.
  • Audio loop output. You can connect another sound device in the chain, after the BT-03, such as a second TV transmitter or a speaker. No need for Y-splitter cables.
  • Ease of use. There is an absolute minimum number of controls. It is truly plug-and-play! No pairing or reconnection is required, thanks to Auracast, so you won’t even need to use the streaming start-stop button.
  • Compatibility with the Konnekt Captioning Videophone. If your hearing aids support Auracast, the BT-03 is a good match. Connect the BT-03 to your Konnekt’s audio output, connect the Konnekt optional external speaker to the BT-03 audio output, and use your existing hearing-aid Smartphone app to select the stream during phone calls and video calls.

Live Transcribe

This service is aimed at those with hearing impairments. It is an app that can be downloaded via the Play Store on Android devices. The phone’s microphone is used to transcribe speech in real time.

Interestingly, the app transcribes more than 70 languages, including Portuguese, French and Swahili and is able to switch between any 2 languages at a given time. There is also a keyboard to assist those who prefer typing out a response.

While this sounds ideal for those who have mild and moderate hearing loss, as it can help bridge the gap in face-to-face conversation, it is not so suitable for those with severe or profound hearing loss. It can be very difficult to use this in a crowded place because the microphone is likely to pick up multiple voices and background noise, as well as the user’s end of the conversation.

Live Transcribe may also be less suitable for use over the phone. This is because the user requires two devices – one upon which to run Live Transcribe and another to use as an actual phone. The text also disappears once the app is closed, so a user might lose the conversation if the app is closed by mistake.

The Roger Pen

The Roger Pen is a discreetly designed, wireless microphone that can be used in combination with hearing aids for those that have hearing loss. It helps you to hear and understand speech better in the presence of noise and over distance.

What’s more, the Roger Pen sends the signal automatically with high-quality sound, and can be connected to mobile phones and other devices via an audio cable or (on some models) wirelessly via Bluetooth.

The Roger Pen has small receivers that can be attached directly to hearing aids and cochlear implants that have a telecoil. It can transmit the sound signal to your hearing aids or Cochlear implant via a miniature Bluetooth receiver or hearing processor unit that is typically available for all Cochlear implants and for many hearing aids.

The Roger Pen is a great device for those looking for something to make their auditory experience richer. It can easily be paired with devices such as the Konnekt Captioning Videophone to capture speech better during a phone call or video call, and make conversations much easier.

It can also be connected to mobile phones via Bluetooth, and has the capability to stream sound from televisions, computers, gaming systems, and more by connecting these devices to the Roger Pen’s charging dock or USB socket.

Some reported limitations of the Roger Pen include connection issues, clarity of sound and remembering to always have it on you.

Wrapping Up

Feeling inspired to take action on behalf of the hearing impaired people in your life?

To find out more about combatting the effects of social isolation using assistive technologies, check out this resource and consider clicking through to learn more about Konnekt’s state-of-the-art communications technology.

Click Here to Contact Us

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