Comparison

nRF Connect for Mobile vs HearAura

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

nRF Connect for Mobile

This app is a versatile tool for scanning, exploring, and communicating with Bluetooth Low Energy devices. It also enables your device to act as a peripheral and supports firmware updates for compatible devices.

Highlights
  • Scan and discover Bluetooth LE peripherals
  • Communicate with Bluetooth LE devices
  • Advertise as a Bluetooth LE peripheral
  • Update compatible device firmware (DFU)
  • Filter scanned peripherals
  • Live RSSI chart
  • Log BLE function calls
Read full description

nRF Connect is a powerful generic tool that allows you to scan and explore your Bluetooth Low Energy (henceforth Bluetooth LE, also called Bluetooth Version 4.0+ of the Bluetooth specification) devices and communicate with them. nRF Connect also allows your iOS device to advertise as a peripheral, with full support of many of Bluetooth SIG adopted profiles. Additionally, nRF Connect supports Nordic Semiconductor’s Device Firmware Update profile (DFU) capabilities, allowing you to update compatible peripherals! + Features: • Supports DFU on all Nordic Semiconducto-powered devices. • Supports Nordic Thingy™ from Nordic Semiconductor. • Scan and discover nearby Bluetooth LE peripherals. • Filter Scanned Peripherals by Name, Manufacturer, Services (Advertised & Connected) and RSSI Level. • Parsing Multiple Formats of Bluetooth LE Advertisement Data. • Live RSSI Chart of Scanned Bluetooth LE Peripherals. • Complete iPad Support, including Multi-Tasking and Mouse Support as of 13.4. • Logs: Including BLE Function calls, and Export Function as CSV and Text. • Privacy-Oriented: Full-Disclosure of Scanned Data, Advertised Data, and User-Performed Actions held by nRF Connect. • Connecting to Any Connectable Bluetooth LE Smart Device. • Discovery of Services, Characteristics and Descriptors. • Read and Write Characteristics and Descriptors. • Enable and Disable Notifications and Indications. • Advertising as a Bluetooth LE Peripheral. • Setting up a Bluetooth LE (Peripheral) Server and Notifying/Indicating back to connected Central(s). • Low-Fat: nRF Connect for iOS is Very Small, so You Can Always Keep Us With You! >= Requirements: • iOS 16.0 and above. - Notes: nRF Connect also works with our Development Kits, which you may acquire online here: https://www.nordicsemi.com/eng/buy-online

About

HearAura

This app acts as a remote for Auracast, a new Bluetooth standard that streams audio directly to compatible hearing aids or earbuds. It allows users to join broadcasts, control volume, and access live captions. A demo mode is available for users without compatible hardware.

Highlights
  • Join Auracast broadcasts via QR code, link, or scan
  • Control broadcast volume and mute hearing aid microphones
  • Save and rejoin favorite broadcasts
  • Apple Watch companion for volume and mute
  • On-device live captions for speech
  • Share sound with friends via Channels
  • Demo mode to simulate broadcast joining
Features
Read full description

HearAura is the iPhone remote for Auracast, the new Bluetooth standard that lets a place send its sound straight to your ears: the TV at the gym, the gate announcement, the sermon, the show. If you wear LE Audio hearing aids or Auracast-capable earbuds, HearAura joins the broadcast for you in seconds. LISTEN ANYWHERE - Join Auracast broadcasts by QR code, share link, or nearby scan - Control broadcast volume, and quiet your hearing aids' own microphones so you hear only the program - Save favorite broadcasts and rejoin them with one tap or with Siri - Apple Watch companion: volume and mute from your wrist WHO IT IS FOR - Hearing aid wearers: most hearing aids sold since 2024 have LE Audio inside; ask your audiologist about Auracast - Earbud listeners: Auracast-capable LE Audio earbuds join the same way - AirPods owners: AirPods cannot receive Auracast broadcasts yet, but live captions (including an AirPods-mic mode) and Channels work great today NO HARDWARE YET? TRY THE DEMO A built-in demo simulates the whole join flow, so you can see exactly how it works before you ever meet a broadcast. LIVE CAPTIONS, ON DEVICE Turn speech around you into captions, generated entirely on your iPhone. Nothing you hear is sent to a server. SHARE SOUND WITH FRIENDS Channels stream conversation audio and captions between nearby iPhones over your local network. Nothing touches the internet. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no ads, no tracking, no analytics. Captions never leave your phone. A NOTE ON SCOPE HearAura is a broadcast assistant for LE Audio devices. It does not amplify, process, or alter sound for your hearing, and it is not a hearing aid or a medical device. Auracast is a trademark of Bluetooth SIG. HearAura is an independent app, not affiliated with Bluetooth SIG or Apple.

Screenshots

nRF Connect for Mobile4 screens
HearAura4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: nRF Connect for Mobile at 71% against HearAura's 0%. nRF Connect for Mobile also leads on rating (4.5 vs 2.0) and ratings volume (479 vs 1). HearAura's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

nRF Connect for Mobile holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: nRF Connect for Mobile has 479 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of nRF Connect for Mobile's written reviews are positive against 0% of HearAura's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update every 5 weeks, HearAura weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
nRF Connect for Mobile versus HearAura: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameternRF Connect for MobileHearAura
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (479 ratings) — better2.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews70.7% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings479 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNordic Semiconductor ASAcraig merry

Customer experience

nRF Connect for Mobile

All ratings466 ratings
Positive85.2%
Neutral6.7%
Negative8.2%
Written reviews239 reviews
Positive70.7%
Neutral8.4%
Negative20.9%

HearAura

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

nRF Connect for Mobile

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Can't read data from Bluetooth device
  • Tries to ask for Bluetooth connection when Bluetooth is off. Asks to connect to devices when Bluetooth is off. Who knows what this app is doing in the background without permission?! What ever it is , it ain't good
  • Tapping "tabs" doesn't work (nothing changes in the UI). To get some response from tapping UI controls typically requires (a) launching nRF Connect, (b) switching to another app, (c) switching back to nRF Connect. I've tried uninstalling and re-downloading. Same result. This used to be the bee's knees of BLE tools but it's only worth 1 star at the moment (v2.7.11).
  • Cant go past the initial announcement. The app is unresponsive to the taps.

Requested features

4 requests
  • Where's the mac addresses
  • Max rssi limit
  • Log view
  • We need macros in iOS version

HearAura

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

nRF Connect for Mobile

No in-app purchases

None

HearAura

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is nRF Connect for Mobile free?
nRF Connect for Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is HearAura free?
HearAura is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, nRF Connect for Mobile or HearAura?
nRF Connect for Mobile is rated higher. nRF Connect for Mobile averages 4.5 out of 5 from 479 ratings, while HearAura averages 2.0 from 1 ratings.
Do nRF Connect for Mobile or HearAura have ads?
Neither nRF Connect for Mobile nor HearAura shows ads.
Which is updated more often, nRF Connect for Mobile or HearAura?
nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update every 5 weeks, and HearAura weekly. Most recently, nRF Connect for Mobile was updated on November 6, 2026 and HearAura on November 5, 2026.

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