Starkey TeleHear: Professional Hearing Aid Care From Home
Starkey has built one of the most complete telehealth infrastructures in the hearing aid industry. TeleHear, their synchronous teleaudiology platform, allows audiologists to conduct live hearing aid fitting sessions, make real-time adjustments, and perform in-session audiometry, all remotely through the My Starkey app.
For patients at Hears Hearing and Hearables, TeleHear is a core part of how we serve people across the country. Whether you live in Minnesota or anywhere in the US, professional Starkey hearing care does not require a clinic visit for most follow-up needs. Here is how it works, why it matters, and how to get set up.
How Starkey’s Telehealth Capability Developed
Hearing Care Anywhere: 2020
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Starkey partnered with Google Cloud to launch Hearing Care Anywhere, enabling remote adjustments across all tiers of the Livio device platform through the Thrive app. Patients could request adjustments from home, send settings securely to their providers, and have professionals send back refinements without stepping into a clinic. What began as a pandemic necessity became a permanent fixture of Starkey’s care model.
TeleHear: July 2023 to Now
Starkey significantly evolved this into TeleHear, a synchronous (live, real-time) teleaudiology platform built directly into the My Starkey app, launched in July 2023. The key distinction from the earlier asynchronous model: TeleHear is a live audio and video session where the audiologist and patient interact in real time, adjustments happen while the patient is wearing the hearing aids, and the patient can immediately report what they hear.
According to Starkey’s own data, 90% of patients find TeleHear a suitable replacement for in-office fine-tuning, and 88% of hearing care professionals report meaningful flexibility benefits from the platform.
Why TeleHear Is a Meaningful Development, Not Just a Convenience
Convenience and Accessibility
TeleHear allows patients with mobility limitations, those in rural areas, those in dense urban areas with parking challenges, and anyone who simply cannot easily get to a clinic to receive professional hearing care from wherever they are. Approximately 73% of patients who used remote hearing care during the pandemic indicated they would continue to prefer it afterward.
Efficiency for Everyone
Minor adjustments historically accounted for approximately 30% of clinic visits. Handling these remotely saves time for both patients and clinicians, and reduces overhead that would otherwise be reflected in service costs. At Hears Hearing and Hearables, telehealth is one reason we can offer competitive service pricing.
Privacy and Security
TeleHear sessions are HIPAA-compliant and use Google Cloud’s encrypted infrastructure. Your hearing data is managed with the same security standards required of any healthcare provider.
Clinical Quality
TeleHear integrates in-session audiometry and real-time feedback management tools, making remote fittings genuinely robust, not just a workaround. The audiologist can see your hearing aid data, hear your real-time feedback, and make targeted adjustments during the session.
Affordability
When providers can deliver care without maintaining a full brick-and-mortar overhead for every appointment, the savings can be passed to patients. Telehealth is not a lesser form of care; in many follow-up situations it is the more efficient and more accessible form.
Which Starkey Hearing Aids Support TeleHear
TeleHear is supported on Starkey’s current and recent platforms through the My Starkey app:
- Starkey Omega AI (current flagship, October 2025): fully supported
- Starkey Edge AI (October 2024): fully supported
- Starkey Genesis AI (February 2023): fully supported
- Starkey Evolv AI: supported via My Starkey app
- Starkey Livio Edge AI: supported
- Starkey Livio AI and Livio: supported via legacy platform
Not sure if your Starkey hearing aids support TeleHear? Contact our team with your serial number and we can confirm compatibility.
How to Get Set Up for TeleHear: Step by Step
Step 1: Register your hearing aids with your provider
Your hearing aids must be registered in your provider’s programming system before a TeleHear session can be initiated. If you purchased from Hears Hearing and Hearables, this happens automatically when your devices are programmed. If you are transferring care from another provider, your hearing aids will need to be registered with the new provider; this may require shipping the devices for initial setup.
Step 2: Receive your invite code
When your provider registers your hearing aids for TeleHear services, a 6-digit invite code is generated and sent to you by text message. The code is valid for three days. If you are present at your provider’s location during setup, they may give you the code directly.
Step 3: Prepare your devices
- Ensure your hearing aids are paired to a compatible smartphone
- Download and sign in to the My Starkey app from the App Store or Google Play
- Confirm you have a stable internet connection and Bluetooth enabled
- Make sure both your smartphone and your hearing aids are charged before the session
Step 4: Enter the invite code
Open My Starkey, tap More, then TeleHear, then ‘I have a code.’ Alternatively, tap the hyperlink in the text message you received. Enter the 6-digit code, authorize access, and your provider will appear in your app.
Step 5: Join the live session
At the scheduled time, open TeleHear and tap Start Session. Enable your camera and microphone when prompted. During the call you can speak with your audiologist, hear real-time adjustments as they are applied, and report what you are experiencing. Tap End Call when the session is complete.
That is it. Most follow-up adjustment sessions take 15 to 30 minutes from the comfort of wherever you are.
The Technology Behind TeleHear
- Google Cloud infrastructure: provides scalable, secure, HIPAA-compliant data exchange during sessions.
- My Starkey app: serves as the patient-facing portal for both session initiation and ongoing asynchronous adjustment requests.
- Inspire and Pro Fit software: the provider-side programming software that integrates seamlessly with TeleHear for real-time device configuration.
- AI chips: Omega AI, Edge AI, and Genesis AI all support remote programming through their Bluetooth LE Audio connectivity. Health tracking, fall alerts, and activity monitoring continue to function during and between sessions.
TeleHear at Hears Hearing and Hearables
When we say we call around the country looking for providers willing to offer telehealth and come up short, that is not an exaggeration. Telehealth is technically available across Starkey’s network, but adoption varies dramatically by provider. Many clinics offer it in theory and use it rarely in practice.
At Hears Hearing and Hearables, TeleHear is not an add-on; it is the primary way we serve patients outside of the Twin Cities area. Every prescription Starkey device we ship comes registered for TeleHear, and our team conducts regular remote sessions with patients across the country. If you are looking for a provider who actually uses this technology rather than just having it available, we are here.
Ready to Get Started With TeleHear?
Whether you already have Starkey hearing aids and want to transfer care, or you are purchasing new devices and want seamless telehealth support from the start, our team can walk you through the setup. Contact us and we will confirm compatibility, register your devices, and schedule your first session.
Frequently Asked Questions: Starkey TeleHear
What is Starkey TeleHear?
TeleHear is Starkey’s synchronous (live, real-time) teleaudiology platform built into the My Starkey app. It allows audiologists to conduct live audio and video hearing aid fitting sessions, make real-time adjustments to your hearing aids, and perform in-session audiometry, all remotely. It launched in its current form in July 2023 and is available for Starkey Omega AI, Edge AI, Genesis AI, Evolv AI, and Livio platform devices.
How is TeleHear different from just calling my audiologist?
TeleHear is a clinical fitting session, not a phone call. Your audiologist can see your hearing aid data, remotely access your device’s programming, and make real targeted adjustments to amplification, noise reduction, and program settings in real time while you are wearing the aids. You provide live feedback during the session, and the audiologist responds with immediate changes. A regular phone call cannot do any of that.
Which Starkey hearing aids support TeleHear?
TeleHear is supported on Omega AI, Edge AI, Genesis AI, Evolv AI, Livio Edge AI, Livio AI, and Livio platforms, all through the My Starkey app. If you are unsure whether your specific model is compatible, contact our team with your serial number and we can confirm.
Do I need to be near a Starkey clinic to use TeleHear?
No. TeleHear works from anywhere with a stable internet connection and a compatible smartphone. Your hearing aids connect to your phone via the My Starkey app, and your audiologist connects to the session from their programming software. Geography is not a barrier. Hears Hearing and Hearables provides TeleHear services to patients across the United States.
How do I get set up for TeleHear if I already have Starkey hearing aids?
Your hearing aids need to be registered in your provider’s programming system before a session can begin. If you purchased from Hears Hearing and Hearables, this is done during your initial setup. If you are transferring from another provider, contact us and we will walk you through the registration process.
Is TeleHear secure and HIPAA compliant?
Yes. TeleHear sessions run on Google Cloud’s encrypted infrastructure and are HIPAA-compliant. Your hearing data and session content are handled with the same security standards required of any healthcare provider.
Can TeleHear replace all in-person visits?
For most follow-up adjustments, fine-tuning, and troubleshooting, yes. For initial fittings that include real-ear measurement verification or for physical issues with the device that require hands-on attention, in-person care is preferable. Our Hears to U clinic in Hopkins, Minnesota provides in-person fittings with real-ear measurement for patients in the Twin Cities area. For patients elsewhere, TeleHear handles the majority of ongoing care needs.
