Your Samsung Earbuds Can Now Work as Hearing Aids
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Samsung's hearing aid feature for Galaxy Buds, the company announced on August 11, 2026. The feature will be available on Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro in the US and some other markets later this year, along with a built-in hearing test. Samsung Global Newsroom
Samsung says the feature works as an over-the-counter hearing aid for adults 18 and older with mild to moderate hearing loss. The FDA approval puts it in the same category as the hearing aid feature Apple added to AirPods Pro. Engadget
The hearing test runs through the Galaxy Buds settings on a compatible Galaxy phone and takes about five minutes. Samsung calls the results medical-grade. For each ear, the test tells you whether your hearing is normal or classifies any hearing loss as mild, moderate, severe, or profound. You can find your results in the Samsung Health app, which keeps the data alongside other health information Samsung tracks through its devices. Engadget
Once the test is done, the hearing aid feature uses your results to boost the specific sounds you have trouble hearing. Instead of making everything louder, it focuses on the sounds that are harder for you, like whispers, distant voices, and high-pitched noises. The feature also works with things Galaxy Buds already do, like blocking out background noise and using microphones that focus on sound coming from in front of you. That matters because hearing well in the real world is as much about tuning out unwanted noise as it is about turning up the sounds you want. Engadget
Samsung announced the news through both its US and global press channels, describing the feature as bringing "an accessible, over-the-counter hearing aid directly to Galaxy Buds." The fact that the announcement went out globally suggests a worldwide rollout, not just a US test run. Samsung US Newsroom, Samsung Global Newsroom
The broader context here is that everyday audio devices are increasingly taking on jobs that used to require dedicated medical equipment. When Apple got FDA approval for the AirPods Pro hearing aid feature, it showed that earbuds people already own could double as basic hearing assistance. Samsung is now bringing that same idea to Android phones, which serve a much larger but more varied group of users around the world. For now, the feature only works with specific Galaxy Buds models and compatible Galaxy phones, but the design seems built to expand as newer Buds are released.
The five-minute hearing test is a notable part of the package on its own. Traditionally, getting your hearing checked means visiting a clinic with a soundproof booth and a specialist. A test you can run from your phone in minutes makes it much easier to get an initial reading. Whether it matches what a clinic would find in more complicated cases is something independent experts will need to verify once they can compare it against standard tests.
Samsung has not yet given an exact release date beyond "later this year," and has not shared a full list of the other markets involved. The feature is coming to two generations of Buds at once, the Buds 3 Pro and the upcoming Buds 4 Pro, which suggests Samsung plans to make hearing assistance a standard feature going forward rather than something tied to one model.
For adults with mild to moderate hearing loss, the practical result is simple: earbuds many people already own or would buy for music and calls can now also serve as a regulated hearing aid, without a separate purchase or a trip to a clinic. That removes a real barrier, even if the feature will ultimately be judged against dedicated hearing aids rather than against having no help at all.
