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Apple is rethinking the hearing aid -- and now Android is, too

Hearing aids could get way smarter with official Android support from Google.

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Gordon Gottsegen CNET contributor
Gordon Gottsegen is a tech writer who has experience working at publications like Wired. He loves testing out new gadgets and complaining about them. He is the ghost of all failed Kickstarters.
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Gordon Gottsegen
Hearing Aid

A boy with a hearing aid.

 BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images
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Google is making life a bit easier for people affected by hearing loss -- with official hearing aid support in Android.

On Thursday, the company announced that it's working with GN Hearing to bring low-power hearing aid streaming support to future versions of Android. This means people will be able to connect, pair and monitor their hearing aids from their Android device.

This follows Apple's Made for iPhone hearing aid program, which allows people to connect and control their hearing aids from iOS devices. You can read more in CNET's feature on the Apple program here.

Although Apple was first, Google's move has potentially bigger impact since 85 percent of the world's smartphones run Android (compared to 14.7 percent for iOS).

A World Health Organization statistic from March says that around 466 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss, meaning a lot of people could potentially benefit from Android's support.

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Android is adding streaming support for hearing aids.

 Google

Apple and Android aren't alone in bringing cutting-edge tech to hearing aids. Manufacturers like Bose , Oticon and Harman are also working to make hearing aids smarter with app support, built-in sensors and communication between connected smart devices.

Android's hearing aid support is designed to have a low impact on battery life while keeping audio quality high. The nitty-gritty details about the hearing aid support can be read on Android's spec page here.