Rechargeable hearing aids are gaining popularity because they’re low maintenance and don’t require you to regularly purchase hearing aid batteries. Although easy to use, there are a few differences in how you care for them to be aware of if you’ve recently transitioned from non-rechargeables.
There are two types of rechargeable hearing aids:
- Lithium-ion (the most common)
- Silver-zinc
Find your hearing aid type below to learn more about caring for and extending the life of your hearing aid battery.
Lithium-ion
Lithium-ion batteries have become the norm for rechargeable hearing aids. If your rechargeable hearing aid doesn’t have a battery door, it contains a lithium-ion rechargeable battery.
These batteries take about 3–4 hours to fully charge and will power your hearing aids for about 24 hours per charge. The battery itself should last for the entire life of the hearing aid, typically 4–5 years. At the end of that period, you can consider purchasing new hearing aids or sending your hearing aids to the manufacturer to have the internal battery replaced.
Care advice for lithium-ion batteries
- Always put your hearing aids in the charging station when not in use—even if they haven’t been fully drained. Constant charging will not drain the battery or shorten the battery life. In fact, the opposite is true.
- Don’t store your hearing aids in an unplugged charging station. This will drain the batteries and shorten their life.
- If you aren’t going to use your hearing aids for an extended period, but you cannot put them in the charging base, simply turn the hearing aids off and store them in a safe place where they won’t get damaged.
How to charge lithium-ion hearing aids
- Make sure the hearing aids are dry and free of debris before putting them in the charging station.
- Place hearing aids in the charging base. The hearing aids will automatically turn off.
- The indicator light will blink when the hearing aids are charging. The light will stop blinking and stay lit when the hearing aids are fully charged, about 3–4 hours.
- Make sure to hold the hearing aid by the casing when you take it out of the charger, not by the wire that connects to the receiver.
Silver-zinc
Because lithium-ion batteries are the latest technology, most manufacturers no longer sell silver-zinc batteries. However, you may still encounter silver-zinc batteries depending on when you purchased your hearing aids. If your rechargeable hearing aid does have a battery door, it contains a silver-zinc rechargeable battery.
Silver-zinc batteries are also called Z-power batteries. They take about 3–4 hours to fully charge and will power your hearing aids for about 24 hours per charge. The battery itself should last about a year, at which point you will need to return to your audiologist or hearing instrument specialist to purchase a new one.
Care and charging advice for silver-zinc batteries
The same tips from the lithium-ion section above apply to a silver-zinc hearing aid battery with one notable exception.
Don’t open the battery door when you aren’t using your hearing aids. If you’re used to wearing non-rechargeable hearing aids, you know to open the battery door when you’re not using them to extend the battery life. The opposite is true with rechargeable hearing aids.
However, if you’re not going to use your hearing aids for more than three hours and you can’t put them in the charging station, remove the batteries and store them in a safe place where they aren’t touching each other or other metallic objects.
If this is your first time wearing hearing aids, our use and care guide offers helpful tips. For more detailed information on your specific hearing aids, refer to your user manual.
