Hearing aids help you connect to the world around you.

So do cell phones.

So why can’t they get along?

Unfortunately, phones emit radiofrequency waves. While it doesn’t happen for all cell phones, when it does it can lead to an irritating and invasive buzzing noise. At best, it’s intrusive; at worst, it renders your cell phone useless.

Quite the issue; many people are reliant on cell phones in their day-to-day lives, just as many people are reliant on hearing aids. What can you do to make sure those two crucial devices work in harmony?

Luckily, cell phone compatibility is improving, and the FCC has regulations in place to help you choose the right phone. These standards require cell phone manufacturers to test their product’s compatibility with hearing aids and clearly state it on the packaging. For microphone hearing aids, this rating is designated with an M. The higher the better — cell phones with a rating of M3 or M4 rate as “good” or “excellent” for usage with microphone hearing aids.

A similar rating system exists for usage with hearing aids with a “T-Coil“. A phone rating of T3 or T4 is most desirable if you have one of these sort of hearing aids.

In addition, hearing aids manufacturers use a similar system. By combining the ratings, you can get a rough estimate of how well the two devices will interact; again, the higher the better. Nonetheless, everybody’s hearing is different — try before you buy!