What to Do If Your Hearing Aid Won’t Turn On

Hearing aids are made up of several delicate components, and like other technology, they can sometimes experience technical problems. However, many issues can be fixed easily on your own. Regular cleaning and maintenance are key to keeping your hearing aids working properly. Activities like showering, swimming or exposing your devices to extreme temperatures for long periods can also affect their performance or cause them to stop working. If your hearing aid won’t turn on, there are a few steps you can take at home before seeking help from an audiologist to see if you need a hearing aid repair.

Check the Battery

When your hearing aid won’t turn on, one of the first things to check is the battery. Ensure it’s properly inserted and fully charged or try replacing it with a new one. A loose or incorrectly placed battery can stop the device from working. You might also want to clean the battery contacts, as dirt or corrosion could be interfering with the connection. Avoid messing with your hearing aids to avoid causing further damage than what they might already have sustained. If the hearing aid still doesn’t work after checking the battery, it’s a good idea to consult an audiologist for further assistance.

Clean Them

A dirty hearing aid or one that has accumulated a buildup of debris or earwax, for example, might not work or appear to not work, as the buildup is impacting the sound quality or the devices’ ability to amplify sounds and allow you to hear. Give your hearing aids a quick wash, remove any debris impacting their functionality, and then try them on again. If this hasn’t resolved the problem, you might need further hearing aid repairs.

Check Settings

If you’re new to wearing hearing aids, you might accidentally change the settings, causing the device not to turn on or transmit sounds as it should. It’s not entirely uncommon for accidental adjustments, like switching them on or off by mistake, unintentionally changing volume settings, or putting the microphone on shift. Check these aspects out and see if they make a difference; if not, talk to your audiologist.

Check for Damage

If your hearing aids are damaged in any way, this could be the reason they won’t turn on. Hearing aid damage can be caused by improper handling, an accident damaging the casing or internal components or a fault. Check for anything that can indicate your devices have sustained damage; if you have app connectivity for your hearing aids, there might be a feature that enables you to diagnose internal issues and then schedule an appointment to get them fixed.

Talk to Your Audiologist

Now that you have tried to remedy the situation yourself, it’s time to talk to your audiologist if your hearing aid hasn’t turned on. Your audiologist will have many years of experience in dealing with common hearing aid repairs and can assist you in determining what is going on and get you the right repairs so you can get back to wearing your hearing aids.