Can I Do a Hearing Test at Home?

If you're curious about your hearing but can't easily get to a clinic, there are several ways to test your hearing from home. However, it's important to understand the difference between a screening check and a professional assessment.

Online hearing tests

Free online hearing checks are available from reputable organisations:

• RNID — the UK's leading hearing loss charity offers a well-regarded online hearing check
• Specsavers — free online hearing test at specsavers.co.uk
• Boots Hearingcare — online hearing check at bootshearingcare.com

These tests use your device's speakers or headphones to play tones at different frequencies. They take around 5–10 minutes and give a general indication of your hearing ability. However, they are screening tools, not diagnostic tests.

Limitations of home testing

Home hearing checks cannot:

• Provide a clinical diagnosis
• Control for background noise
• Account for headphone or speaker quality
• Include otoscopy, tympanometry, or bone conduction testing
• Identify the type or cause of hearing loss

Professional home visit hearing tests

For a proper hearing assessment at home, several providers offer home visit services where a qualified audiologist comes to your house with portable audiometric equipment:

• Hidden Hearing — free home visit hearing tests across the UK
• Amplifon — home visit services in many areas
• Independent audiologists — many offer home visits, sometimes for a small additional fee

Home visit hearing tests provide a clinical-quality assessment in the comfort of your own home and are ideal for people with mobility difficulties, transport challenges, or those who simply prefer a home setting.