PHONES & MORE
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.
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
Induction Hearing Aids
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 four different categories based on their levels of functionality: Feature Phones, BlackBerry®, Windows Phone® and AndroidTM.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, easyedgeSM. Please refer to the phone page to see specific features and services supported by each device in this category.
BlackBerry®
These are voice and data-capable wireless devices (i.e. converged) that integrate voice calling, email access (corporate and personal), web browsing and PIM (calendar, contacts, tasks) all in one device. These devices use Research In Motions's BlackBerry® operating system.
Windows Phone®
These are voice and data-capable wireless devices (i.e. converged) that integrate 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.
AndroidTM
These are voice and data-capable wireless devices (i.e. converged) that integrate voice calling, email access (corporate and personal), web browsing and PIM (calendar, contacts, tasks) all in one device. These devices use Google's AndroidTM operating system.
Below is a list of U.S. Cellular devices and their hearing aid compatibility (HAC) rating:
| Feature Phones | |
|---|---|
| Device | Rating |
| Samsung Profile™ | M4/T3 |
| Samsung Chrono™ | M3/T3 |
| Samsung Two Step™ R470 - Orange | M4 |
| Samsung Messager® Touch R630 - Black | M4/T3 |
| Kyocera Neo™ E1100 | M3/T4 |
| Samsung Messager® Touch - Black | M4/T3 |
| LG Attune™ | M4/T3 |
| LG Mystique™ | M4/T4 |
| Samsung Stride™ | M4/T4 |
| LG MystiqueTM UN610 | M4/T4 |
| Samsung Axle™ R311 | M4 |
| LG Wine® 2 - Gray | M3/T4 |
| Motorola W385 - Plum | M4/T4 |
| LG Banter™ Touch | M4/T4 |
| Samsung FreeformTM | M4/T4 |
| LG Bliss™ - Black | M4/T3 |
| LG Wine® 2 - Blue | M3/T4 |
| LG UX220 | M4 |
| LG Envoy™ | M4 |
| Samsung Two Step™ R470 - Blue | M4 |
| PCD Wrangler™ | M3/T3 |
| LG Saber™ | M4/T4 |
| Samsung Two Step™ R470 - Purple | M4 |
| Samsung Character™ - Gray | M4/T4 |
| Motorola W385 - Silver | M4/T4 |
| Motorola Grasp™ | M3/T3 |
| LG Bliss™ - White | M4/T3 |
| LG Banter™ UX265 | M3/T4 |
| Samsung Freeform™ | M4/T4 |
| Samsung Character™ - Blue | M4/T4 |
| LG Wine™ UX280 - Silver | M3/T4 |
| Motorola Hint™ QA30 | M4/T3 |
| Samsung Gloss™ SCH-U440 - Charcoal | M4/T4 |
| LG Rhythm™ UX585 - Black | M3/T3 |
| Samsung Two Step™ R470 - Red | M4 |
| Samsung Caliber™ | M4/T4 |
| LG Rhythm™ UX585 - Pink | M3/T3 |
| Samsung Gloss™ SCH-U440 - Pink | M4/T4 |
| Motorola Crush™ | M4 / T3 |
| LG Helix™ | M4/T4 |
| LG Wine® 2 - Rose | M3/T4 |
| Pantech CDM8635 | M4/T4 |
| LG Wine™ UX280 - Red | M3/T4 |
| Samsung GlossTM SCH-U440 - Charcoal | M4/T4 |
| LG Tritan™ UX840 | M4/T4 |
| Samsung Messager® Touch - Blue | M4/T3 |
| Samsung Trill™ R520 | M4/T3 |
| BlackBerry®, Windows Phone® & AndroidTM | |
|---|---|
| Device | Rating |
| Merge™ | M4 |
| Curve™ 9350 | M4/T4 |
| Wildfire S™-Purple | M4/T4 |
| Bold™ 9650 | M4/T4 |
| Torch™ 9850 | M3/T3 |
| Apex™ | M4/T4 |
| Hero S™ | M4/T4 |
| Curve™ 8530 - Black | M4/T4 |
| BlackBerry® 8830™ | M4/T4 |
| BlackBerry® Tour™ 9630 | M3 |
| AcclaimTM (copy) | M4/T3 |
| Wildfire S™ - Gray | M4/T4 |
| Touch™ | M3 |
| Curve™ 9330 | M4/T4 |
| BlackBerry® Pearl™ Flip 8230 | M4/T4 |
| Touch Pro 2™ | M3 |
| Exec™ | M4/T4 |
| Snap™ | M3 |
| Acclaim™ | M4/T3 |
| Genesis™ | M4 |
| 7 Pro™ | M3/T3 |
| Gem™ | M4 |
| BlackBerry® Curve™ 8330 - Titanium | M4/T4 |
| Repp™ | M4 |
| Electrify™ | M4/T4 |
| BlackBerry® Curve™ 8530 | M4/T4 |
| Ascend II™ | M4/T3 |
| Curve™ 8530 - Red | M4/T4 |
| Desire™ | M4/T3 |
| BlackBerry® Curve™ 8330 - Red | M4/T4 |
| MesmerizeTM | M4 |
| Optimus U™ | M4/T4 |
| Mesmerize™ | M4 |
*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
