Checking your hearing at home: what an app check can and cannot tell you

A hearing check on your phone can give you a rough picture and show changes over time, and well designed apps can be useful for screening. It cannot diagnose hearing loss or explain your tinnitus. Guidelines recommend a hearing assessment by a professional for people with tinnitus.

Last reviewed: 28 October 2026

By the Tinnitus Haven editorial team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.

This guide is general information, not medical advice. If your tinnitus is new, one-sided, pulsing or comes with hearing loss or dizziness, see a doctor.

Why does hearing matter if I have tinnitus?

Most people with tinnitus have some degree of hearing loss, and hearing aids are one of the main options for people who have both^[1]. That is why NICE recommends offering an audiological assessment to people with tinnitus^[2], and why the US guideline calls for a prompt, full hearing assessment when tinnitus is in one ear, has lasted six months or more, or comes with hearing difficulties^[3].

What can an app hearing check do?

Hearing tests on phones and tablets have improved a lot. The World Health Organization notes that tools such as its hearWHO app make it possible to screen for hearing loss with limited training and resources^[4].

A 2024 meta-analysis of 17 studies with 1,032 people found that hearing thresholds from mobile audiometry were, on average, close to those from conventional audiometry. The studies varied a lot and many had a high risk of bias, and differences appeared when people tested themselves^[5].
A 2024 systematic review found that several apps performed well for screening, but concluded that smartphone audiometry cannot replace conventional audiometry for diagnosing hearing loss^[6].

Used with care, a home check can show whether one ear seems to behave differently from the other, suggest that some pitches are harder to hear, help you notice change over time, and prompt you to book a proper test.

What can it not tell you?

A diagnosis. Whether you have hearing loss, how severe it is and what causes it need a clinician^[6].
What is happening in your ear. Earwax, infection or eardrum problems are found by looking in the ear^{[7, 1]}.
Bone conduction. The smartphone tests studied so far measure only air conduction^[6].
Exact decibel values, unless the setup is calibrated. Many apps, including Tinnitus Haven, use a relative scale based on your own earphones and comfort level, so the numbers cannot be compared with a clinical audiogram. Our FAQ explains how accurate our check is.
The cause of your tinnitus. Matching your tinnitus pitch is useful for personalising sound, but NICE advises against pitch and loudness matching as a way to assess tinnitus^[2].

How do I get the most reliable result at home?

Sit in a quiet room. Background noise changes what reaches your ears.
Use headphones or earphones that cover both ears properly, and the same pair each time.
Do not adjust or swap them halfway through, and avoid multitasking.
If you want to compare results, repeat the check in the same conditions.
Keep the volume comfortable. Stop if a sound is painful or makes your tinnitus worse.

Our FAQ explains why headphones matter for this kind of check.

When should I book a professional hearing test?

Hearing that dropped suddenly over three days or less: NICE advises being seen within 24 hours^[2], and the NHS says to go to an emergency department if it comes with facial weakness or vertigo^[7].
Hearing that keeps getting worse over days or weeks^[2].
One ear worse than the other, or tinnitus in one ear only^{[2, 3]}.
Tinnitus that bothers you, whatever a home check shows: an audiological assessment is recommended for people with tinnitus^[2].

An audiologist can measure your hearing and assess your tinnitus^[1], and a test of the middle ear (tympanometry) may be added if a middle ear problem is suspected^[2]. If you do have hearing loss, hearing aids may help both your hearing and your tinnitus^[1].

Tinnitus Haven brings sound therapy, a hearing check and CBT-based lessons together in one calm iPhone app, coming soon to the App Store. Learn more about Tinnitus Haven.

Sources

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), NIH. Tinnitus. 2023.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Tinnitus: assessment and management (NG155), Recommendations. NICE guideline, 2020.
Tunkel DE, Bauer CA, Sun GH, et al. Clinical practice guideline: tinnitus. Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, 2014 (AAO-HNSF).
World Health Organization. Deafness and hearing loss (fact sheet).
Oremule B, Abbas J, Saunders G, et al. Mobile audiometry for hearing threshold assessment: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Otolaryngology, 2024.
Berampu RW, Adriztina I, Sofyan F, et al. Accuracy and pitfalls in the smartphone-based audiometry examination. Iranian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology, 2024.
NHS. Tinnitus. NHS website, 2024.