GN Hearing Tuner vs Start Hearing
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
GN Hearing Tuner
Control your hearing aids directly from your mobile device. Adjust volume, change programs, personalize sound settings, and even locate lost devices. Learn how to maximize your hearing aid's capabilities.
- Adjust volume settings
- Change hearing aid programs
- Personalize sound with Sound Enhancer
- Save custom settings as Favorites
- Monitor battery status
- Locate lost hearing aids
- Tinnitus Sound Generator
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The Tuner app lets you control your hearing aids directly from your mobile device. You can change programs, and make simple or more advanced sound adjustments and save them as favorites. The app helps you learn what you can do and how to do it. It can even help you find your hearing aids if you lose them. Tuner device compatibility: Please consult the Tuner app website for up-to-date compatibility information: www.userguides.gnhearing.com Use the Tuner app to: • Adjust volume settings on your hearing aids • Mute your hearing aids • Adjust volume of your streaming accessories • Adjust speech focus as well as noise and wind-noise levels with Sound Enhancer (feature availability depends on your hearing aid model and the fitting by your hearing care professional) • Change manual and streamer programs • Edit and personalize program names • Adjust treble, middle and bass tones to your preferences • Save your preferred settings as a Favorite – you can even tag to a location • Monitor the battery status of your rechargeable hearing aids • Help locate lost or misplaced hearing aids • Tinnitus manager: Adjust sound variation and frequency of the Tinnitus Sound Generator. Select Nature Sounds (feature availability depends on your hearing aid model and the fitting by your hearing care professional) For more information and help, please visit www.userguides.gnhearing.com Privacy policy Please view our privacy policy in the link provided: www.userguides.gnhearing.com/privacy-policy Note: Continual use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
Start Hearing
This app enhances the functionality of compatible Bluetooth-enabled over-the-counter hearing aids. It offers guided setup, customizable audio programs, and direct audio streaming from your iPhone.
- Easy-to-follow tutorial
- 4 customizable audio programs
- Fullness and Brightness adjustments
- Stream calls and music
- Automatic reconnection to hearing aids
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The Start Hearing App is compatible with Start Hearing one over the counter hearing aids that have Bluetooth® technology offering advanced features when paired with an iPhone. Start Hearing App features: • Get started with your OTC hearing aids quickly and easily with an easy-to-follow tutorial on using your hearing aids to their fullest. • Choose between 4 audio programs to best suit what sounds you’re listening to: Home, Restaurant, Outside, or Music • Personalize each audio program to your preferences with Fullness and Brightness adjustments • Stream calls, music, and other audio to directly to your hearing aids from your Apple iOS device Start Hearing is here to help customers at every stage of their hearing journey. Call the number provided in your user manual or quick start guide to connect with one of our Hearing Care Advisors for help with caring for your hearing aids. If you have additional questions, they can also help you find a hearing care professional near you. Start Hearing. It’s only the beginning. Note: the app will automatically reconnect to your hearing aids each time it is used. Mobile app not required to use hearing aids.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Start Hearing at 100% against GN Hearing Tuner's 2%. Start Hearing also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.7). GN Hearing Tuner's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 15 months) and ratings volume (16 vs 2). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Start Hearing holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GN Hearing Tuner has 16 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 2% of GN Hearing Tuner's written reviews are positive against 100% of Start Hearing's.
GN Hearing Tuner ships an update every 3 months, Start Hearing every 15 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | GN Hearing Tuner | Start Hearing |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (16 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 2.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 16 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 15 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.2 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 246 MB | 149 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | GN Hearing | Novidan, Inc. |
Customer experience
GN Hearing Tuner
Start Hearing
Bugs and requests
GN Hearing Tuner
Reported bugs
32 issues- New update makes hearing aids useless
- Fails to gather information to connect hearing aids
- Cannot get out of demo mode, connection goes in a loop
- App does not work with latest iPhone update (iOS 15.4.1)
- App has a mind of its own, not good for reliant users
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- Random uninitiated volume level changes and noise reduction setting changes
- Cannot connect after removing hearing aids at night and opening battery cases
- Requires deleting and re-downloading the app every few months to keep it working
- Sick and tired of deleting and reloading the app for phone/hearing aids/Bluetooth to work
- Volume adjusts itself off the set program
- App only works about 50% of the time
- Hate that it automatically changes to iPhone when phone is opened
- Icons for sound controls are off, keep getting disconnected/dropped
- Loses connection several times during the day, does not send phone call sound to hearing aids
- Hearing aids become disconnected from app
- Does not connect, even though Bluetooth is on
- Most of the time, it doesn't connect
- Devices won't connect to iPhone or connect/disconnect intermittently
- Bluetooth app cannot be used without closing Bluetooth, removing app, and rebooting phone
- App does not recognize hearing aid even though phone is connected
- Cannot connect, very disappointed
- App stopped working after update, loads in demo mode
- App shows not connected, but phone shows connected
- App does nothing, functions only available through phone settings
- Liaison impossible with devices
- Only one hearing aid will pair
- New update won't stay connected, disconnects in background
- Must reconnect anytime to use it
- Difficult to get connection, impossible
- App seems to be stalled on 'try to connect'
- Devices have jumped to a random program without user interaction
- App loses connection with hearing devices even though iPhone's built-in support can communicate
Requested features
12 requests- Fix bugs in the app
- Improve compatibility with iPhone 12
- Provide better support
- Increase screen brightness
- Bring back the old app
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- Talk to end-users for ideas
- Improve contrast for older users
- Fix automatic settings changes
- Make app work in background
- Improve Bluetooth connection reliability
- Allow users to turn off demo mode easily
- Fix random program jumps
Start Hearing
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
GN Hearing Tuner
No in-app purchases
Start Hearing
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is GN Hearing Tuner free?
Is Start Hearing free?
Which has better reviews, GN Hearing Tuner or Start Hearing?
Do GN Hearing Tuner or Start Hearing have ads?
Which is updated more often, GN Hearing Tuner or Start Hearing?
Other comparisons
