Can You Use Your Samsung Galaxy Buds As Hearing Aids?

For those who are hard of hearing or struggle with hearing loss, hearing aids are a lifeline to the world, enabling users to navigate the commotion of everyday life. But there’s a major downside to them: they’re ludicrously expensive. A pair of over-the-counter hearing aids can easily soar past the thousand-dollar mark, with even some of the more affordable options still rivaling the leading true wireless earbud brands on price. All of which may lead people in need of an auditory enhancement to ask, “Why not just use the ambient mode on my Samsung Galaxy Buds?”

It’s a fair question. The explosion of true wireless earbuds ushered in by Apple’s release of the original AirPods has made the form factor ubiquitous and affordable. Moreover, earbuds such as the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro and Buds3 Pro include an ambient mode that lets in outside noise to allow the wearer to hear their surroundings. It’s a logical next step to assume you could buy one device and use it for dual purposes, enjoying the superior audio playback of a true wireless earbud while using its ambient mode as a hearing aid. In fact, Apple got its AirPods Pro 2 certified as hearing aids retroactively this year. Why shouldn’t Samsung Galaxy users be able to benefit similarly?

However, things aren’t that straightforward. Crucially, while some Galaxy Buds models do have hearing enhancement features meant for those with hearing loss, they are not certified as hearing aids for clinical purposes. The Galaxy Buds3 Pro are excellent earbuds that won our Editor’s Choice award. Here’s what they can and cannot do to help you hear better.

Some Galaxy Buds have enhanced ambient sound, but they are not hearing aids

If you’d like to use your Samsung Galaxy Buds as hearing aids, the first thing you should know is that “hearing aid” has a distinct — and regulated — meaning. For a device to count as a hearing aid, the FDA must authorize it as such. That’s the approval Apple got, which now allows it to advertise the AirPods Pro 2 as having hearing aid capabilities.

With that out of the way, the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro and Buds3 Pro have features that are targeted toward people who are hard of hearing. This feature, located in the Accessibility section of the Galaxy Wearable app, boosts the volume of the Ambient Sound mode. The efficacy of the feature was studied in a clinical trial at the University of Iowa’s Hearing Aid and Aging Research Laboratory, where it was found to induce “significantly improved speech perception in patients with mild to moderate hearing loss.”

You shouldn’t pick up a pair of Galaxy Buds3 Pro on the basis of their hearing enhancement features. However, if you’ve already got a pair, it’s worth trying out the ambient sound amplification feature before dropping serious cash on a pair of real hearing aids.

How to use enhanced ambient sound on Samsung Galaxy Buds

If you have a pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro or Galaxy Buds3 Pro and want to try out their enhanced ambient sound feature for yourself, it’s simple to enable. First, make sure your Galaxy Buds are paired to your phone or other Samsung device. For best results, ensure the Buds have a secure fit and seal in your ear. Next, open the Galaxy Wearable app. If your earbuds do not show up immediately, tap the icon centered at the bottom of the screen that looks like circles and squares arranged in a grid, then select your earbuds.

From the earbuds control panel in the app, tap Earbud Settings. Scroll down, then tap Accessibility. Tap on Enhance Ambient Sound, then turn on the toggle at the top of the page. You will now be able to adjust the volume of the ambient sound for each earbud, which means if you have better hearing in one ear, you can compensate by raising the volume in the other.

You also have the option to use the Ambient Sound Tone slider to change the characteristics of the ambient sound, prioritizing soft sounds, clear sounds, or a balance between the two. Alternatively, you can use the Adapt Ambient Sound feature. This will create a personalized profile for your ambient sound based on a quick hearing test, and will then amplify the frequency ranges you most struggle to hear.

Once again, these features are not certified to replace an FDA-approved hearing aid, but they may still be helpful for some people who are hard of hearing or experiencing mild to moderate hearing loss.