Bluetooth and Auracast Hearing Aids: What Connectivity Actually Means

Ten years ago, connecting hearing aids to a phone required a separate neck-worn streamer. Today, Bluetooth is built into nearly every hearing aid larger than a completely-in-canal model, and streaming phone calls is as simple as answering the call. The newest addition, Auracast, goes further: it turns hearing aids into receivers for broadcast audio from TVs, PA systems, and public venues, without pairing or asking permission.

Why connectivity matters

Connectivity in hearing aids solves two problems:

• Streaming from personal devices (phone, tablet, TV): Phone calls, video meetings, podcasts, music, and TV audio go directly into your hearing aids, bypassing room acoustics and background noise. The audio is clear, private, and does not require you to hold the phone to your ear or turn up the TV volume for the whole household.
• Assistive listening in public venues: Airports, theaters, conference centers, places of worship, and other large spaces often have poor acoustics or high ambient noise. Auracast and telecoil systems broadcast the PA or stage audio directly to your hearing aids, making announcements and performances intelligible without relying on room speakers.

Both uses are about getting clean audio delivered straight to your ear, with as little degradation as possible between the source and your hearing aids.

Bluetooth Classic vs. Bluetooth LE Audio

Bluetooth in hearing aids comes in two generations: Classic and LE Audio.

Bluetooth Classic

Bluetooth Classic is the established wireless standard that has been in hearing aids since the mid-2010s. It streams audio from a paired phone, tablet, or TV streamer to your hearing aids. You pair once, and the connection persists. Classic is reliable, widely supported, and works with nearly every smartphone sold in the past decade.

Hearing aids using Bluetooth Classic typically implement platform-specific protocols:

• Made for iPhone (MFi): Apple's proprietary Bluetooth profile for hearing aids, introduced in 2014. MFi hearing aids stream directly from iPhones, iPads, and Macs without an intermediary device. Audio quality is good, latency is low, and pairing is simple. MFi works only with Apple devices.
• Android Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA): Google's Bluetooth protocol for hearing aids, introduced in Android 10 (2019). ASHA provides direct streaming from Android phones to compatible hearing aids. Like MFi, ASHA eliminates the need for a separate streamer. ASHA works only with Android devices running Android 10 or later.

A hearing aid that supports MFi can stream from an iPhone but not an Android phone unless it also supports ASHA. Many hearing aids released between 2019 and 2023 support both MFi and ASHA, so they work with both platforms but require two separate implementations.

Bluetooth LE Audio (Low Energy Audio)

Bluetooth LE Audio is the next-generation standard, finalized by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) in 2020 and adopted in hearing aids starting around 2024. LE Audio brings several improvements:

• Lower power consumption: LE Audio uses less battery than Classic, which matters in a device as small as a hearing aid. The Bluetooth SIG estimates LE Audio can reduce power draw by up to 50% compared to Classic in typical streaming use (Bluetooth SIG, Auracast FAQ, August 2023).
• Higher audio quality: LE Audio supports the LC3 codec, which delivers better sound quality at lower bitrates than the SBC codec used by Classic.
• Multi-stream audio: LE Audio can send separate audio streams to each ear simultaneously, which improves binaural processing and is the foundation for Auracast broadcast.
• Cross-platform compatibility: LE Audio hearing aids can stream from both iOS and Android devices without needing separate MFi and ASHA implementations. One radio handles both platforms.

LE Audio is not backward-compatible with Classic. A hearing aid with LE Audio cannot stream from a phone that only supports Bluetooth Classic unless the hearing aid includes both radios (which some current models do for transition compatibility).

As of September 2026, iOS 17 and later (released September 2023) and Android 13 and later (released August 2022) support Bluetooth LE Audio. Older phones do not, which is why some hearing aids released in 2024 still include Bluetooth Classic alongside LE Audio.

What Auracast is and how it works

Auracast is the Bluetooth SIG's brand name for LE Audio broadcast. It is not a separate technology from Bluetooth; it is a feature built on top of Bluetooth LE Audio.

Here is how it works:

• One transmitter broadcasts to unlimited receivers. A TV, airport gate PA, theater sound system, conference microphone, or any other audio source equipped with an Auracast transmitter sends audio over Bluetooth LE. Unlike traditional Bluetooth pairing (which connects one device to one other device), Auracast broadcasts to everyone nearby who wants to listen.
• You join a broadcast instead of pairing. Your hearing aids scan for available Auracast broadcasts. You select which one to join using your phone (acting as a remote control and assistant), by tapping an NFC tag, or by scanning a QR code displayed near the transmitter. Once joined, the audio streams directly into your hearing aids.
• No permission, no pairing, no app required from the broadcaster. The transmitter broadcasts openly. You choose whether to listen. The broadcaster does not see a list of listeners and does not need to approve your connection.
• Walk away and the connection drops automatically. When you leave range, the broadcast stops. There is no unpair step.

Auracast is designed to replace assistive listening systems such as FM neck loops and induction telecoil loops in public venues, and to make TV listening at home simpler. The Bluetooth SIG has published case studies of airports, universities, conference centers, and theaters deploying Auracast transmitters as of 2025 and 2026 (Bluetooth SIG, Auracast overview).

Examples of Auracast use cases

According to the Bluetooth SIG's August 2025 accessibility brief (Accessibility: Improving Lives with Auracast Broadcast Audio, PDF), Auracast is being deployed for:

• Airport and train station PA systems: Gate announcements, boarding calls, and arrival information broadcast to hearing aids, eliminating the need to hear garbled overhead speakers.
• Theaters and performance venues: Stage audio broadcast directly to audience members' hearing aids or earbuds, replacing traditional neck-loop or FM systems.
• Places of worship: Sermons, readings, and music broadcast to congregants without installed loop wire.
• Conferences and lecture halls: Microphone audio broadcast to attendees, improving speech intelligibility in large or acoustically poor rooms.
• Gyms and public TVs: Silent TVs in gyms, bars, airports, and waiting rooms broadcast audio to nearby viewers' hearing aids or earbuds, so each viewer hears the audio privately without shared speakers or captions alone.
• Home TV listening: A TV adapter broadcasts the TV audio to your hearing aids, so you hear the TV at your preferred volume while others in the room hear the TV speakers at their preferred volume.

The Bluetooth SIG estimates there will be more than 100,000 Auracast transmitter installations globally by the end of 2026 (Auracast FAQ).

Auracast-ready vs. Auracast-enabled

Marketing materials often say a hearing aid is "Auracast-ready." This means the hardware (the Bluetooth LE Audio radio) is present, but the firmware that activates Auracast broadcast reception may not be. A hearing aid can be Auracast-ready for months or years before the manufacturer releases the firmware update that makes it Auracast-enabled.

Before you buy, ask:

• Is Auracast enabled in this model today, or is it planned for a future firmware update?
• If it is enabled, is it enabled automatically, or do I need to install a firmware update myself?
• If it is planned, when is the update expected, and is it guaranteed, or is it subject to change?

The Bluetooth SIG's August 2025 accessibility brief lists several hearing aid models from major manufacturers (including examples from Phonak, Oticon, ReSound, Signia, Starkey, and Widex) as having Auracast-capable hardware as of August 2025. The brief does not state which models have Auracast firmware enabled at the time of publication. Manufacturers release firmware updates on their own schedules, so a model listed as Auracast-ready in August 2025 may or may not have Auracast enabled when you buy it in September 2026. Always confirm current enablement status with the manufacturer or your hearing care provider.

Do not assume Auracast will be enabled later. Treat it as a bonus if it arrives, and buy the hearing aids for the features they have working today.

What to ask before you buy

When shopping for hearing aids with Bluetooth or Auracast, ask these questions:

1. Does this model support Bluetooth streaming from my phone?

If you use an iPhone, ask whether the hearing aids support Made for iPhone (MFi) or Bluetooth LE Audio. If you use Android, ask whether they support ASHA or LE Audio. If the hearing aids use Bluetooth Classic with only MFi, they will not stream from Android, and vice versa. LE Audio hearing aids should work with both platforms as long as your phone runs iOS 17 or later (iPhone XS and newer) or Android 13 or later.

2. Is Auracast enabled in this model today?

Do not accept "Auracast-ready" as a yes. Ask whether Auracast broadcast reception works today, out of the box or after a firmware update you can install now. If the answer is "it will be enabled in a future update," ask when, and whether that update is guaranteed or tentative.

3. Does the model include a telecoil?

If you attend venues that use induction loop systems (common in older theaters, places of worship, and some conference centers), you need a telecoil. Not all hearing aids include one, especially smaller models. Auracast does not replace telecoils yet, because most installed assistive listening systems are still loops. For more on hearing aid styles and which features they support, see our types of hearing aids guide.

4. Is the model rechargeable, and how does streaming affect battery life?

Bluetooth streaming uses more power than ambient listening. Manufacturer runtime claims are typically based on light or moderate streaming use (such as a few phone calls per day). If you plan to stream podcasts or video calls for several hours daily, expect shorter battery life. Ask the provider what realistic runtime is for your intended use. For the trade-offs between rechargeable and disposable-battery hearing aids, see our rechargeable vs. battery guide.

5. Do I need a separate TV streamer, or does the hearing aid support Auracast for TV?

Many Bluetooth Classic hearing aids require a separate TV streamer (a small box that plugs into the TV's audio output and transmits to the hearing aids). Auracast hearing aids can connect to an Auracast-enabled TV transmitter directly, without pairing. Ask whether the model you are considering includes a TV streaming solution in the purchase price, and if so, whether it uses Auracast or a proprietary protocol.

6. Will the hearing aids work in areas without Auracast transmitters?

Yes. Auracast is an optional feature. The hearing aids work normally as hearing aids whether or not an Auracast broadcast is available. Auracast is an addition, not a replacement for standard hearing aid functionality.

Frequently asked questions