Hearing Aid Compatibility
About Hearing Aid Compatibility
At U.S. Cellular
® we understand that your phone is a lifeline to your friends and family. And if you utilize a hearing aid,
you need the most compatible device possible. So we offer numerous phones that meet your specific needs in addition to this site to help answer any of your questions. If you have any additional questions, please visit a U.S. Cellular store near you or call 1-888-944-9400.
Background
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has wireless handset hearing aid compatibility requirements. These requirements deal with handset operations near hearing aids which operate in either acoustic coupling or inductive coupling mode.
Hearing aids operating in acoustic coupling mode receive and amplify all signals, such as a telephone audio signal, as well as unwanted ambient noise. Hearing aids operating in inductive coupling mode avoid amplifying unwanted ambient noise by turning off the microphone and
using a telecoil to receive only audio signal based magnetic fields generated by telecoil compatible telephones.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has established technical standards to measure wireless phone handsets for "compatibility" with acoustic and inductive hearing aids and have been adopted by the FCC. These standards are known as Hearing Aid
Compatibility (HAC) ratings.
An "M" rating measures compatibility with acoustic hearing aids while a "T" rating measures compatibility with induction hearing aids. So the higher the number (e.g., M3, M4 etc.) the more compatible the handset. Generally, handsets rated "M3" or
"T3" by ANSI or better are considered compliant with FCC requirements.
Acoustic Hearing Aids
- M3-rating indicates the handset has satisfied the ANSI standard
- M4-rating indicates the handset has exceeded the ANSI standard
Induction Hearing Aids
- T3-rating indicates the handset has satisfied the ANSI standard
- T4-rating indicates the handset has exceeded the ANSI standard
U.S. Cellular-Compatible Phones and Devices
We strive to make the phone selection process for our customers with
hearing aids as easy as possible. U.S. Cellular categorizes phones into three different categories based on their levels
of functionality: Featured Phones, BlackBerry
® Smartphones, and Windows Mobile
® Smartphones.
Feature Phones
Feature phones are those that are primarily used for voice calls. These phones also provide access to additional services such as U.S. Cellular's application download service,
easyedge
SM. Please refer to the phone page to see specific features and services supported by each device in this category.
BlackBerry® Smartphones
These are voice and data-capable wireless devices (i.e. converged) that
integrates voice calling, email access (corporate and personal), web browsing and PIM (calendar, contacts, tasks) all in one device.
Windows Mobile® Smartphones
These are voice and data-capable wireless devices (i.e. converged) that
integrates voice calling, email access (corporate and personal), web browsing and PIM (calendar, contacts, tasks) all in one device. These
devices use Microsoft's Windows Mobile
® operating system.
Below is a list of the current lineup of U.S. Cellular devices and their hearing aid compatibility (HAC) rating.
| Handsets |
| Phone |
Rating |
| LGBlissTM UX700 - White |
M4/T3 |
| SamsungTwo StepTM R470 - Orange |
M4 |
| LGBanterTM UX265 |
M3/T4 |
| SamsungR610 |
Not Hearing Aid Compatible
|
| KyoceraE1000 |
Not Hearing Aid Compatible
|
| LGUX300 - Silver |
M3/T3 |
| MotorolaMOTOKRZR K1m - Red |
Not Hearing Aid Compatible
|
| MotorolaMOTORAZR V3m - Silver |
Not Hearing Aid Compatible
|
| SamsungMessager® Touch R630 - Black |
M4/T3 |
| KyoceraNeoTM E1100 |
M3/T4 |
| LGUX260 - Black |
M3/T3 |
| SamsungMessager® Touch R630 - Black |
M4/T3 |
| SamsungFreeformTM |
M4/T4 |
| SamsungSCH-U520 |
M4 |
| SamsungR500 |
M3 |
| SamsungSCH-U340 |
M4/T4 |
| LGMystiqueTM UN610 |
M4/T4 |
| LGWineTM UX280 - Silver |
M3/T4 |
| SamsungStrideTM R330 |
M4/T4 |
| LGMystiqueTM UN610 |
M4/T4 |
| SamsungAxleTM R311 |
M4 |
| MotorolaMOTOROKR Z6m - Black |
M4 |
| MotorolaMOTORAZR2 V9m - Bronze |
Not Hearing Aid Compatible
|
| LGBlissTM UX700 - White |
M4/T3 |
| MotorolaHintTM QA30 |
M4/T3 |
| SamsungGlossTM SCH-U440 - Charcoal |
M4/T4 |
| LGUX830 |
M3 |
| LGRhythmTM UX585 - Black |
M3/T3 |
| PCD UM185 Wireless Modem |
Not Hearing Aid Compatible
|
| MotorolaMOTORAZR2 VE20 |
Not Hearing Aid Compatible
|
| MotorolaMOTOKRZR K1m - Black |
Not Hearing Aid Compatible
|
| LGWine® II UN430 - Titanium Gray |
M3/T4 |
| SamsungTwo StepTM R470 - Red |
M4 |
| LGUX145 - Black |
M4 |
| MotorolaW385 - Plum |
M4/T4 |
| LGUX300 - Blue |
M3/T3 |
| MotorolaMOTORAZR V3m - Fire |
Not Hearing Aid Compatible
|
| SamsungFreeformTM |
M4/T4 |
| LGBlissTM UX700 - Black |
M4/T3 |
| UT StarcomUM175 Wireless Modem |
Not Hearing Aid Compatible
|
| MotorolaQuanticoTM W845 |
Not Hearing Aid Compatible
|
| LGUX260 - White |
M3/T3 |
| LGBlissTM UX700 - White |
M4/T3 |
| SamsungCaliberTM R850 |
M4/T3 |
| SamsungDelveTM R800 |
M4/T3 |
| LGRhythmTM UX585 - Pink |
M3/T3 |
| MotorolaMOTORAZR2 V9m - Black |
Not Hearing Aid Compatible
|
| LGUX380 |
Not Hearing Aid Compatible
|
| SamsungGlossTM SCH-U440 - Pink |
M4/T4 |
| LGUX220 |
M4 |
| SamsungTwo StepTM R470 - Blue |
M4 |
| MotorolaCrushTM |
M4 / T3 |
| LGHelixTM UX310 |
M4/T4 |
| LGTritanTM UX840 |
M4/T4 |
| SamsungSpexTM R210 |
M4 |
| SamsungDelveTM R800 |
M4/T3 |
| LGWine® II UN430 - Rose |
M3/T4 |
| PantechCDM8635 |
M4/T4 |
| LGWineTM UX280 - Red |
M3/T4 |
| LGUX145 - Pink |
M4 |
| SamsungGlossTM SCH-U440 - Charcoal |
M4/T4 |
| SamsungTwo StepTM R470 - Purple |
M4 |
| MotorolaMOTORAZR V3m - Red |
Not Hearing Aid Compatible
|
| MotorolaW385 - Silver |
M4/T4 |
| LGTritanTM UX840 |
M4/T4 |
| SamsungMessager® Touch R630 - Light Blue |
M4/T3 |
| SamsungCaliberTM R850 |
M4/T3 |
| MotorolaMOTOROKR Z6m - Mandarin |
M4 |
| SamsungTrillTM R520 |
M4/T3 |
| BlackBerry®
Smartphones & Microsoft Windows Mobile® Smartphones |
| Device |
Rating |
| ExecTM i225 |
M4/T4 |
| SnapTM |
M3 |
| BlackBerry® Tour™ 9630 |
M3 |
| BlackBerry® Curve™ 8330 - Titanium |
M3 |
| BlackBerry® Curve™ 8530 |
M4 |
| Touch ProTM |
M3 |
| BlackBerry® Curve™ 8530 - Red |
M4 |
| BlackBerry® Tour™ 9630 |
M3 |
| BlackBerry® Curve™ 8530 - Black |
M4 |
| BlackBerry® 8830™ |
M4/T4 |
| BlackBerry® Curve™ 8330 - Red |
M3 |
| BlackBerry® Tour™ 9630 |
M3 |
| TouchTM |
M3 |
| BlackBerry® Pearl™ Flip 8230 |
M3 |
| SnapTM |
M3 |
| Touch Pro 2TM |
M3 |
*Even though these devices have HAC ratings, they have not been rated
for HAC as it applies to Wi-Fi capability for voice.
Hearing loss and hearing aids are highly individualized, so if you use a
hearing aid we invite you to try hearing aid compatible phones at any
U.S. Cellular
® owned and operated stores.
Learn more
about hearing aid compatibility and wireless.
