How to Control Your Hearing Aids: Volume, Programs, App and Remote

Modern hearing aids are controlled in four ways: a small button or rocker on the aid itself, a smartphone app, an optional handheld remote, and automatic adjustments the aid makes on its own. You can change the volume and switch listening programs yourself. What you cannot, and should not, change yourself is the underlying prescription, which is the amount of amplification set for each pitch. That is your audiologist's job, and at Prudent Hearing it is free for the life of the aid.

The four ways to control a modern hearing aid

• Button or rocker on the aid. A short press usually nudges the volume; a long press or a second button switches programs. Tiny in-the-ear models often have no button and rely on the app instead.
• Smartphone app. The fullest control: volume, programs, bass and treble balance, and a battery indicator, all from your phone.
• Handheld remote. A simple physical controller with clear buttons, useful if a phone or tiny controls are fiddly.
• Automatic. The aid detects quiet rooms, speech, noise or music and shifts settings by itself, so many people rarely touch anything.

Adjusting the volume

Volume is the setting you will use most. On the aid, a short press up or down steps the volume; you usually hear a beep at each step and a different tone at the maximum and minimum. In the app, a slider does the same and shows the level on screen. Remember that turning the volume up does not fix clarity in noise; that is what the noise programs and a proper fitting are for. If you find yourself pushing the volume to maximum every day, that is a sign the aid needs re-tuning, not that you are doing something wrong. Book a free re-programming visit rather than living at full volume.

Switching programs for noise, TV and music

A program is a saved set of settings for a situation. Most people are set up with two to four: a general everyday program, a restaurant or noise program that narrows the microphones toward the person in front of you, a TV or streaming program, and sometimes a music or outdoor program. You switch between them with the button or in the app. If your days include tricky settings, tell your audiologist so the right programs are loaded. Our guide to hearing aid features explained covers what each program actually does, and hearing better in noise has practical tips for restaurants and gatherings.

The smartphone app: what it can and cannot do

The app is the most powerful controller, and it is free. It handles volume, program switching, treble and bass balance, and often a 'find my hearing aids' locator and a remote-support link so your audiologist can fine-tune over the internet. Each brand has its own app: Signia app, myPhonak, Oticon Companion, ReSound Smart 3D, Starkey and Widex apps. What the app cannot do is rewrite your prescription safely; the sliders adjust within limits your audiologist set. For pairing and streaming, see our Bluetooth hearing aids guide and, for Signia specifically, the Signia app and phone connectivity.

Remote controls: who they suit

A handheld remote is worth asking for if a smartphone is not part of daily life, if small buttons on the aid are hard to feel, or if tremor or reduced dexterity makes fiddly controls frustrating. It is a common, sensible choice for older wearers. The remote does the everyday jobs, volume and program, with large clear buttons and nothing to log into. Ask about it at the fitting rather than struggling with controls that do not suit your hands.

What you can change yourself, and what needs your audiologist

Knowing the line saves a lot of frustration.

• You can change: volume, the active program, treble and bass balance in the app, and streaming settings.
• Your audiologist changes: the prescription (gain at each pitch), the number and type of programs, feedback and noise settings, and real-ear verified targets. At Prudent Hearing this fine-tuning is free for life, in the clinic or by remote support through the app.

If the aid sounds wrong, sharp, boomy, echoey or just not enough, do not keep nudging the volume. Those exact words help your audiologist adjust the fit, so note them and book a visit. First-time wearers will find tips for new hearing aid users useful while your brain adjusts over the first few weeks.

Common control problems and quick fixes

• Buttons do nothing: the aid may be muted or the battery low; try a fresh battery or a full charge.
• App will not connect: turn Bluetooth off and on, keep the phone within a metre during pairing, and check the aids are charged.
• Volume keeps resetting: many aids return to a default level each time you restart them; this is normal, and your audiologist can change the start-up level.
• One side sounds quieter: check the wax filter and dome first, then have it checked; do not simply crank that side up.

Whatever you are trying to adjust, you do not have to work it out alone. Prudent Hearing Solutions gives free lifetime programming at our clinics in Pune, Delhi and Bengaluru, and remote fine-tuning through the app. Call or WhatsApp +91 9429690093, or book a free hearing test if you are still choosing an aid.