How To Use OndaHear

🚀 Getting Started

Welcome to OndaHear! Follow these steps to set up the app for the first time.

1. Download and Install Download OndaHear from the App Store. The app requires iOS 15+ / iPadOS 15+.
2. Grant Permissions When prompted, allow access to:
   • Microphone - Required for hearing amplification
   • Speech Recognition - Required for Live Captions
   • Bluetooth - For connecting wireless earbuds
3. Connect Headphones Pair your AirPods, Bluetooth earbuds, or plug in wired headphones. OndaHear requires headphones to prevent audio feedback.
4. Complete Onboarding Swipe through the introduction screens to learn about each feature, or tap "Skip" to jump right in.
5. Start Listening Select "Listen" mode and tap the green START button. You should now hear amplified audio through your earbuds!

🎧 Listen Mode

Listen Mode is the core feature of OndaHear. It turns your iPhone into a powerful hearing amplifier.

Sound captured → Amplified by iPhone → Played through earbuds

How Listen Mode Works

Your iPhone's microphone captures sound from your environment. OndaHear processes and amplifies this audio in real-time, then plays it through your earbuds. This happens with minimal delay, making conversations feel natural.

1. Select Listen Mode On the main screen, make sure "Listen" is selected (it's the default mode).
2. Tap START Press the large green START button. The button will turn red and show "STOP" when active.
3. Adjust Volume Use the Volume Boost slider to increase or decrease amplification. Start at a comfortable level and adjust as needed.
4. Position Your iPhone Place your iPhone or iPad on a table or hold it facing the person speaking. The closer to the sound source, the better.
5. Tap STOP When Done Press the red STOP button to end the session.

Volume Controls

📝 Live Captions

Live Captions provide real-time speech-to-text transcription, so you can read what's being said while also hearing the amplified audio.

Speech converted to text in real-time

1. Enable Live Captions Toggle the "Live Caption" switch to ON. It's located below the main action button.
2. Start a Session Tap START. A caption box will appear showing "Listening..."
3. View Transcriptions As people speak, their words appear in the caption box. The text auto-scrolls to show the most recent speech.
4. Adjust Font Size Use the A A A buttons above the caption box to make text smaller or larger.
5. Save the Transcript Tap "Save Transcript" to save the conversation for later review.

Caption Display Features

• Auto-scroll: Captions automatically scroll to show the newest text
• 5-line display: Shows approximately 5 lines at a time for readability
• Font sizes: Small, Medium, and Large options available
• High contrast: White text on dark background for easy reading

💬 Conversation Mode

Conversation Mode connects two iPhones for two-way communication. Perfect for one-on-one conversations where one person needs hearing assistance.

Two phones connect → Voice transmitted → Listener hears amplified + sees captions

When to Use Conversation Mode

• Speaking with a family member who has hearing difficulties
• Conversations in noisy environments
• When you want both audio amplification AND to see captions of what the other person says

1. Both Devices Need OndaHear Install OndaHear on both iPhones. Both users should be on the same WiFi network or have Bluetooth enabled.
2. Select Conversation Mode On both phones, tap the "Conversation" option on the main screen.
3. Connect the Devices One phone will show as "Host" and the other as "Join". Tap to connect.
4. Start Talking Once connected, speak normally. Your voice is transmitted to the other device and vice versa.
5. View Captions Enable Live Captions to see what the OTHER person is saying (your own speech is not transcribed to avoid echo).

🌍 Translation Mode

Translation Mode provides real-time speech translation between languages. Requires iOS 26+ / iPadOS 26+.

🗣️

English

"Hello!"

→

EN

⇄

ES

🎤 "Hello!"

🔊 "¡Hola!"

START

→

Español

"¡Hola!"

Speak in one language → iPhone translates → See & hear in another language

1. Select Translation Mode Tap "Translation" on the main screen. If prompted, download the required language packs.
2. Choose Languages Select your source language (the language being spoken) and target language (the language to translate to).
3. Tap START Begin the translation session. Speak clearly into the microphone.
4. View Translations As you speak, the translated text appears on screen. Audio playback of the translation is also available.
5. Swap Languages Tap the swap button (↔️) to quickly switch between source and target languages for back-and-forth conversations.

Supported Languages

OndaHear supports all languages available in Apple's Translation framework, including:

🔌 Audio Devices Setup

OndaHear gives you control over which microphone and speaker to use.

Accessing Audio Device Settings

1. Open Audio Devices Tap the speaker/microphone icon on the main screen, or go to Settings → Audio Devices.
2. Select Input (Microphone) Choose which microphone to use for capturing sound:
   • iPhone: Built-in microphone (recommends earbuds for output)
   • External USB Mic: For best audio quality
3. Select Output (Speaker) Choose where audio plays:
   • AirPods/Bluetooth: Recommended for Listen Mode
   • Wired Headphones: Also works great
   • iPhone Speaker: Only with external mic to prevent feedback

Recommended Configurations

💾 Saving & Managing Transcripts

Save important conversations for later review.

Saving a Transcript

1. Enable Live Captions Transcripts are created from Live Caption data. Make sure it's enabled during the conversation.
2. Tap "Save Transcript" When you see text you want to save, tap the "Save Transcript" button below the caption box.
3. Enter a Title Give your transcript a descriptive name (e.g., "Doctor Appointment 2/15" or "Meeting Notes").
4. Confirm Save Tap Save. You'll feel a haptic confirmation.

Viewing Saved Transcripts

1. Open Transcript History Tap the document icon or go to Settings → Transcript History.
2. Browse Transcripts Transcripts are sorted by date. Each shows the title, date, and duration.
3. Read Full Transcript Tap any transcript to view the complete text.
4. Share or Delete Use the share button to export, or swipe left to delete.

📡 Transmit / Broadcast Mode

Broadcast Mode turns one iPhone into an audio transmitter that streams amplified sound to multiple listeners. Perfect for situations where one speaker needs to be heard by a group.

Speaker broadcasts audio to multiple listeners on the same network

When to Use Broadcast Mode

• Tour guides speaking to a group in noisy environments
• Classrooms where students need hearing assistance
• Religious services and community gatherings
• Conference presentations and workshops
• Any setting where one speaker addresses multiple listeners

For the Speaker (Broadcaster)

1. Select Broadcast Mode On the main screen, tap "Transmit" or "Broadcast" to enter broadcast mode.
2. Start Broadcasting Tap the broadcast button to begin transmitting. Your phone's microphone captures your voice and streams it over the local network.
3. Share the Session Code A session code is displayed on screen. Share this code with your listeners so they can connect.
4. Position Your iPhone Hold or place your phone close to your mouth for the clearest audio. An external microphone will further improve quality.

For Listeners

1. Connect Earbuds Pair your AirPods or other earbuds with your iPhone.
2. Join the Broadcast Open OndaHear, select Broadcast mode, and enter the session code shared by the speaker.
3. Adjust Volume Use the volume slider to set a comfortable listening level. Each listener controls their own volume independently.

⌚ Apple Watch App

The OndaHear companion app for Apple Watch puts essential controls right on your wrist. Remotely control Listen Mode, view live captions, and adjust volume without reaching for your iPhone.

Features

Setup

1. Install the Watch App Open the Watch app on your iPhone and scroll to "Available Apps." Find OndaHear and tap "Install." The app will transfer to your Apple Watch automatically.
2. Ensure iPhone App is Running The Watch app works as a companion to the iPhone app. Make sure OndaHear is open on your iPhone (it can be in the background).
3. Open on Apple Watch On your Apple Watch, tap the OndaHear icon. The Watch automatically connects to your iPhone via Bluetooth.
4. Start Listening Tap the Start button on the Watch. You'll see a confirmation and the Listen Mode status in real time.

🩺 Hearing Test

OndaHear includes a built-in audiogram-style hearing assessment. Test your hearing at different frequencies in each ear, generate a personal hearing profile, and use the results to customize your listening experience.

How the Test Works

1. Put On Headphones Use wired headphones or AirPods in a quiet room. The test requires headphones to measure each ear independently.
2. Start the Test Go to Settings and tap "Hearing Test." Tap "Begin Test" when you are ready.
3. Listen for Tones The test plays a series of tones at different frequencies (250 Hz to 8000 Hz). For each tone, tap "I can hear it" as soon as you detect the sound. The volume decreases until you can no longer hear it.
4. Test Both Ears The test runs for the left ear first, then the right ear. Stay still and focused during the test for accurate results.
5. View Your Audiogram After the test completes, you will see an audiogram chart showing your hearing threshold at each frequency for both ears. The chart highlights any frequencies where you have reduced hearing.

Understanding Your Results

🎛️ EQ & Hearing Profiles

Customize the audio equalizer to match your hearing needs. Use preset profiles, create your own, or let the built-in Hearing Test generate one automatically.

Preset EQ Profiles

Custom Hearing Profiles

1. Open EQ Settings Go to Settings and tap "EQ & Hearing Profiles."
2. Auto-Generate from Hearing Test If you have completed a Hearing Test, tap "Apply Hearing Test Results." This creates a profile that boosts the specific frequencies where your hearing needs the most help.
3. Manual Adjustment Use the frequency sliders to manually boost or reduce individual bands (250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1 kHz, 2 kHz, 4 kHz, 8 kHz). Drag each slider up to boost or down to reduce.
4. Save Your Profile Tap "Save Profile" and give it a name (e.g., "Quiet Room," "Noisy Restaurant," "Music"). You can save multiple profiles for different situations.
5. Switch Between Profiles Quickly switch between saved profiles from the main screen or from Settings. The active profile is applied in real time.

Sharing Profiles

You can share your EQ profiles with other OndaHear users. This is useful for audiologists, family members, or friends who want to share a configuration.

1. Export a Profile In EQ Settings, tap the share icon next to any saved profile. Choose to share via AirDrop, Messages, or Email.
2. Import a Profile When you receive a shared profile, tap on it and OndaHear will offer to import it. The profile is added to your saved list.

⚙️ Settings & Pro Tips

App Settings

Pro Tips for Better Hearing

• Position matters: Place your iPhone or iPad on the table between you and the speaker, with the bottom of the device (where the mic is) facing them.
• Tune the audio for the room: Don’t fight noisy environments — let OndaHear handle them. Turn on the Noise Gate to suppress AC hum and steady background noise, use Voice Enhance and the EQ presets (TV / Restaurant / Lecture) to make speech clearer, and enable Compression to even out loud and soft voices. Run the in-app Hearing Test once to personalize all of these to your own hearing.
• Use an external mic: A USB or wireless microphone placed near the speaker dramatically improves audio quality, especially in group settings.
• Adjust per environment: You may need higher volume boost in noisy places and lower in quiet ones.
• Take breaks: Using amplification for extended periods can be fatiguing. Take breaks every hour or so.
• Save battery on long sessions: Tap the moon icon during a session to dim the screen while audio keeps playing. For very long sessions, plug in or use a portable battery (a magnetic MagSafe-compatible battery is convenient).

Keyboard Shortcuts (iPad)

If using OndaHear on iPad with a keyboard:

• Space: Start/Stop listening
• C: Toggle Live Captions
• S: Save transcript