--- title: Smartphones And The Next Generation Of Hearing Aids description: Samsung's Galaxy Buds recently received FDA approval as over-the-counter hearing aids, following Apple's AirPods getting similar clearance in 2024. The piece... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/smartphones-and-the-next-generation-of-hearing-aids-xa1clwnpk twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Smartphones And The Next Generation Of Hearing Aids | daily.dev og:description: Samsung's Galaxy Buds recently received FDA approval as over-the-counter hearing aids, following Apple's AirPods getting similar clearance in 2024. The piece... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/smartphones-and-the-next-generation-of-hearing-aids-xa1clwnpk og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/xa1CLwNPK.png og:image:alt: Smartphones And The Next Generation Of Hearing Aids og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Smartphones And The Next Generation Of Hearing Aids **[Hackaday](https://daily.dev/sources/hackaday)** · 7 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Samsung's Galaxy Buds recently received FDA approval as over-the-counter hearing aids, following Apple's AirPods getting similar clearance in 2024. The piece explains the 2022 FDA framework that created the OTC hearing aid category, distinguishing true hearing aids from simple sound amplifiers (PSAPs) by their ability to selectively adjust frequency output. It covers the technical requirements the FDA mandates (air-conduction, adjustable output) and discusses how smartphone integration lets these devices offer audio profile switching and even built-in hearing tests, suggesting lessons for open-source hearing aid hackers even though FDA approval isn't their goal. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What did the FDA approve for Samsung Galaxy Buds regarding hearing aids? The FDA cleared Samsung's Galaxy Buds hearing aid feature to be sold as an over-the-counter hearing aid, following a similar approval for Apple's AirPods in 2024. This means owners can enable the hearing aid functionality via a software update rather than buying a separate dedicated device, since Galaxy Buds already meet the FDA's OTC hearing aid technical requirements. _Track how major platforms turn consumer earbuds into regulated medical devices by following daily.dev._ ### What technical requirements must a device meet to be classified as an OTC hearing aid by the FDA? An FDA-compliant OTC hearing aid must use air-conduction, meaning a speaker inserted into the ear canal rather than bone conduction, and must let users adjust output to match their needs, typically through selectable pre-defined audio filter profiles rather than a bespoke audiologist-programmed response. Wireless connectivity to a companion device, like a smartphone, is also explicitly permitted under the 2022 FDA framework. _Developers building assistive audio software can follow evolving OTC hearing aid standards on daily.dev._ ### What is the difference between a hearing aid and a Personal Sound Amplification Product (PSAP)? A hearing aid selectively amplifies specific frequencies tailored to a wearer's measured hearing loss, typically based on an audiogram from an audiologist, while a PSAP simply amplifies all incoming audio indiscriminately without any frequency-specific tuning. Since the 1980s, digital hearing aids have used this targeted frequency approach, whereas older or budget devices behave more like PSAPs. _Engineers exploring assistive audio hardware can dig into these distinctions via daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Stretchable OLEDs: Stable Light in Flexible Form](https://daily.dev/posts/stretchable-oleds-stable-light-in-flexible-form-0hlbsv9dd) · IEEE Spectrum · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Apple unveils AirPods 5 with improved active noise cancellation](https://daily.dev/posts/apple-unveils-airpods-5-with-improved-active-noise-cancellation-7mbkh6cmq) · TechCrunch · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [What The FDA’s 2026 Wellness Device Update Means For Wearables](https://daily.dev/posts/what-the-fda-s-2026-wellness-device-update-means-for-wearables-mptiyqgdg) · Hackaday · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Apple fixes Beats Studio Buds flaw that let hackers spy on conversations](https://daily.dev/posts/apple-fixes-beats-studio-buds-flaw-that-let-hackers-spy-on-conversations-dcwnvvq5f) · BleepingComputer · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [iOS 26.3 Brings AirPods-Like Pairing to Third-Party Devices in EU Under DMA](https://daily.dev/posts/ios-26-3-brings-airpods-like-pairing-to-third-party-devices-in-eu-under-dma-x7l460isk) · Hacker News · 1 upvotes · 0 comments --- [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/smartphones-and-the-next-generation-of-hearing-aids-xa1clwnpk) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Smartphones And The Next Generation Of Hearing Aids","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/smartphones-and-the-next-generation-of-hearing-aids-xa1clwnpk","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/smartphones-and-the-next-generation-of-hearing-aids-xa1clwnpk"},"datePublished":"2026-08-18T14:19:35.861Z","dateModified":"2026-08-18T14:28:33.065Z","description":"Samsung's Galaxy Buds recently received FDA approval as over-the-counter hearing aids, following Apple's AirPods getting similar clearance in 2024. 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