LISTENING DEVICE vs BeAware Deaf Assistant
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
LISTENING DEVICE
This app amplifies sound for clearer everyday hearing, enhances speech clarity, and reduces background noise. It offers live transcription for calls and conversations, personalized audio for videos and music, and a built-in hearing test for tailored sound enhancement.
- Sound amplification up to 30 dB
- Live transcription for calls
- Personalized sound for video/music
- Noise reduction
- Built-in hearing test
- Remote microphone support
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LISTENING DEVICE + SOUND AMPLIFIER 4 Music & Video + CAPTION CALL + Customized for the Hard of HEARING ◆Listening Device delivers powerful sound amplification for clearer everyday hearing ◆Enhance speech clarity ◆Reduce background noise ◆Fine-tune audio for headphones & Bluetooth devices ◆Live transcription for calls & conversations NEW FEATURES: ◆► Personalized Sound for Video & Music Watch videos with enhanced volume directly in-app. Uses your personalized hearing profile for optimized clarity, with additional settings to fine-tune the sound depending on the content. ◆► Live Transcription Transcribe speech in real-time – even with your screen locked. Perfect for continuous note-taking during meetings, lectures, or conversations. ◆► Transcribe from Saved Files Transcribe your recordings or import audio files from Google Drive, Dropbox, iTunes, or local storage. Perfect for capturing meetings, lectures, or personal notes. FEATURES: ► Voice Recorder & Volume Booster Amplify sound up to 30 dB with any headphones or Bluetooth devices. ► Three Sound Amplification Modes Choose from three distinct sound amplification options to tailor your listening experience to different environments and preferences, ensuring optimal audio clarity and volume. ► Health & Wellness Integrated with HealthKit to monitor hearing health. Use our hearing test for tailored sound enhancement. ► Included Hearing Test Offers a built-in hearing test to customize the app's sound amplification settings to your unique hearing profile, enhancing your listening experience. ► Noise Reduction Remove background noise for clearer listening. Includes a microphone for crystal-clear audio capture. ► Hearing Aid Compatibility Works as a hearing amplifier and live listen tool for improved hearing. ► Speaker & Headphone Volume Booster Enhance speaker and headphone volume for louder, clearer sound. ► Dynamic Sound Amplification Adjusts to your hearing needs, amplifying quiet sounds without overwhelming volume. ► Bluetooth & Wired Headset Support Optimal performance with Bluetooth headsets and AirPods*. ► Hearing Correction Personalized for each ear, adapting to various environments for optimal hearing. ADDITIONAL FEATURES: ◆ LIVE BACKGROUND TRANSCRIPTION – Capture speech automatically, even from your pocket or with the screen off. ◆ REMOTE MICROPHONE via smartphone with Bluetooth headset for enhanced TV listening. ◆ SUPER BOOST for powerful sound amplification. ◆ CUSTOM PROFILES for different listening environments. ◆ ADVANCED NOISE SUPPRESSION for speech clarity. ◆ AUDIO RECORDER with personalized sound amplification. Subscription Options: Weekly, monthly, or annual access to all app functions. Subscription Details: Auto-renewal unless canceled 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage subscriptions in Account Settings after purchase. Compatible with iOS devices, charges to iTunes account. Disclaimer: Not a medical device. Audiometric tests are for app personalization, not for medical diagnosis. Note: Bluetooth use may introduce delay. Echoing possible. Background transcription requires microphone access and may impact battery life. Terms of Service: https://dectone.pro/site/terms Privacy Policy: https://dectone.pro/site/policy
BeAware Deaf Assistant
This app offers advanced communication tools for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. It features real-time voice-to-text transcription, customizable alerts for loud noises, and a unique text-to-speech function for phone calls. It also includes a notepad with preset phrases and an emoji board for easier communication.
- Real-time voice-to-text transcription
- Customizable noise and alert notifications
- Text-to-speech for phone calls
- Note-taking with preset phrases
- Flip text for easy viewing
- Emoji and image communication board
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BeAware is the most advanced communication tool for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community with the latest features that do not exist on other apps! It even hit top 5 on Ycombinator's HackerNews! Are you tired of using apps with bad user experience, while being forced to watch ads and paying $50 a year for functionality that you need to use everyday? Look no further, BeAware is the only free, privacy-safe, no-ads, open-source, completely offline, battery-efficient app designed for Deaf users. With a proven and award-winning development process, BeAware was built from the ground-up with the deaf community in mind. It would not have been possible without the help of 100's of volunteers, testers and dozens of design and development iterations. - BeAware comes with a customizable Alert tool, that can detect loud noises and communicate that to the deaf using vibrations, LED flashes, and sending notifications to your phone and connected Apple Watch. So now, a Deaf new mom can leave the app running and get alerted if her baby is crying, or a Deaf delivery driver can move to the side to make way for emergency vehicles. - BeAware comes with the fastest Speech-to-Text transcription tool that is optimized for accuracy and works in any language that is set in the device Settings - The Text functionality is the best note pad app for the Deaf. The "Preset phrases" feature can make note taking a breeze and the "Flip Text" provides ease while showing the note. Enjoy your custom order at the coffee shop, without having to retype it every time, or having to turn your phone around. - Play Text - The Text tool also comes with a unique ability to Play the Text that you type in through your voice and video phone calls! So if you are not able to speak over the phone in an interview, you can just type out your responses and have the phone play it to the other side of your call. The language of the speech depends on the one selected in your settings - Emoji Board allows you to communicate with people who don't use ASL using emoji or images uploaded from your photo gallery *Users with Usher Syndrome can switch the phone to dark mode to view the app designed to accommodate them.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BeAware Deaf Assistant at none against LISTENING DEVICE's 4. BeAware Deaf Assistant also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 6 weeks) and rating (4.5 vs 4.3). LISTENING DEVICE's advantage is review sentiment (74% vs 59%) and ratings volume (1.5K vs 259). On price, ads and device support 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. LISTENING DEVICE sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. BeAware Deaf Assistant asks for nothing beyond the download.
BeAware Deaf Assistant holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LISTENING DEVICE has 1.5K ratings behind it against 259, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 74% of LISTENING DEVICE's written reviews are positive against 59% of BeAware Deaf Assistant's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
LISTENING DEVICE ships an update every 6 weeks, BeAware Deaf Assistant every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LISTENING DEVICE | BeAware Deaf Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (1.5K ratings) | 4.5 (259 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 74.3% of reviews — better | 59.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.5K — better | 259 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Application Development 21 | Saamer Mansoor |
Customer experience
LISTENING DEVICE
BeAware Deaf Assistant
User reviews
LISTENING DEVICE
From 1.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great app
- 👍 Helpful for hearing
- 👍 Customizable profiles
- 👍 Useful features
- 👍 Works well with headphones
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🐛 Unreliable/crashes
- 🔍 Confusing/unclear instructions
- 🔍 Intrusive ads/popups
BeAware Deaf Assistant
From 259 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Helpful for hearing impaired
- 👍 Saves conversations
- 👍 Allows copying text
- 👍 Good speech recognition (some users)
Room to improve
- 🐛 Speech recognition inaccurate
- 🐛 App crashes regularly
- 🐛 Microphone not working
- 🐛 Drains battery quickly
- 🐛 Overheats phone
Bugs and requests
LISTENING DEVICE
Reported bugs
3 issues- Delayed audio with certain headphones
- Subscription issues/unexpected charges
- App randomly stops working
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to filter/suppress specific sounds
- Option to save recordings to iCloud
- More detailed customization and settings
- Lifetime subscription option
BeAware Deaf Assistant
Reported bugs
11 issues- Speech recognition is finicky and not exact
- App crashes regularly
- Microphone does not capture sound for transcription
- App consumes battery very quickly
- App makes iPhone extremely hot
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- Does not work in noisy environments
- Icon options are cropped with larger text display zoom
- No audio when typing in texts and hitting iPhone's play button
- Transcription is full of errors and often makes no sense
- Turning app off with blue/red dot does not work; transcription continues
- Cannot have an entire conversation, only line by line recording
Requested features
5 requests- Improve speech recognition/transcription accuracy
- Implement true AI system for better accuracy
- Add automatic punctuation (commas, periods, question marks)
- Allow paragraph breaks for better text structure
- Distinguish between different voices
In-app purchases
LISTENING DEVICE
- Weekly Access$7.997 Days
- Listening Device, Hearing Aid$14.991 Month
- Three Months Access$29.993 Months
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- Hearing Amplifier, Hearing App3 Days trial$49.991 Year
BeAware Deaf Assistant
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is LISTENING DEVICE free?
Is BeAware Deaf Assistant free?
Which has better reviews, LISTENING DEVICE or BeAware Deaf Assistant?
Do LISTENING DEVICE or BeAware Deaf Assistant have ads?
Which is updated more often, LISTENING DEVICE or BeAware Deaf Assistant?
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